Similar Figures Foldable, Matching Activity and a Rally Coach structure

      I made a goal to write a post everyday until the end of the school year. Well, that lasted for a total of one day. It amazes me that people can do that! I just can't find the time. Now my new more realistic goal is three times a week. They may be short posts or they might be all pictures but I will post them.  
     In 8th grade Pre-Algebra we finished studying Similarity. I'm pleased with how well my students are working on their interactive notebooks. Being able to cut, color, tape and assemble our foldables is such a wonderful sensory activity. It benefits so many of my students who are hands on learners and many of my ADHD kids.  Then there are my creative girls who come to class with big smiles and pencil cases full of colored pencils and markers ready to begin class. I provide colored pencils and markers for them but these girls love to add special touches with their supplies. On my foldables I've been adding area that they can color in if they like. This is great for those who can copy quickly as they can color while they wait a minute for some other students to finish copying. If you haven't tried using foldables as part of your instruction I strongly encourage you to try some. It will take the kids time to get use to cutting quickly but they get much better at this skill as the year goes on. Also adding some fast music in the background helps them to cut and work faster as well. I always put on Twist and Shout, they want rap but I tell them they have to listen to my music. They like it.
     Here is the foldable that we did on Similar Figures. I like how it turned out. Maybe a few more word problems but we had a work page of word problems that we put next to this foldable. I can't tell you where this work page is from. I've had it forever and love it.

   Next, we went over some vocabulary and some basic problems. I reviewed proportions with them as well as one step equations. 

Then we went discussed shapes that had to be rotated 

to find the corresponding sides.  

(Uh oh, I forgot to finish a problem. UGH!)

Coloring the corresponding sides helped many of my students 

who struggle with this concept.

   Then in groups the students did this matching activity that is free at teachers pay teachers by Mrs. Slick. They had fun with this activity. I had each group work with me at the table for a few minutes. I started with my lowest group so I knew that they understood what to do. Then I walked around and watched the fun.
    
       I was thrilled to find the resources in the link below from Utah Education Network. I used the Rally Coach activity on similar triangles from them. See previous post on how to use a rally coach structure in your classroom. Kagan Structures are different from how the Utah site explains it. I thought it would be easy for them, but as they did the activity it became obvious that my kids needed easier problems. I would go back and redo it for the kids I teach. There are lots of great resources at this site. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to use more of them.

Downloads and Links:

 Similar Figures foldable

Work page four word problems

Similar Figures - Rally Coach, Utah Education Network

Til next time, (Hopefully tomorrow.)

Jan