Larry's+Lesson

= Title of Lesson: Properties of Parallelograms = === Overview: The students will use Geometer’s Sketchpad to form and prove conjectures about the properties of parallelograms, then will use these properties to solve problems. === === Standards: NCSCOS Geometry Objective ** 2.03: ** Apply properties, definitions, and theorems of two-dimensional figures to solve problems and write proofs: b. Quadrilaterals Essential Question:  What are the properties of parallelograms? ===

Classroom Logistics: Students sit in pairs and use laptops checked out from a cart or from the school.
=== Tools + Rationale for each tool used: Laptop computers to access the other resources, Sketchpad to produce and manipulate parallelograms in order to discover their properties, Moodle for presenting the lesson and for students to post their proofs, Google forms for assessment. ===

Prior Internet/Web 2.0 Resource Knowledge: Experience using Moodle to access resources and post work, Google forms.
=== Instructional Strategy/Activities (Lecture, workshop, etc.): Procedure: 1) Work with your partner on parts 2 through 6, and by yourself on 7 and 8.  2) Open Sketchpad. Construct a pair of parallel lines. Construct another pair of parallel lines that intersects the first pair. Construct a parallelogram from the four points of intersection. Drag one of those points to confirm that the figure you have constructed remains a parallelogram as you drag the point. 3) Measure the side lengths of several parallelograms. What do you notice about the side lengths? Write a conjecture in If...then… form. Write a paragraph proof of your conjecture. (Hint?) (Post to Moodle) 4) Measure the angles of several parallelograms. What do you notice about the measures of opposite angles? What do you notice about the measures of consecutive angles? Write two conjectures in If...then… form. Write a paragraph proof for each conjecture. (Hint?) (Post) === === 5) Find the midpoints of the diagonals of several parallelograms. What do you notice about where the diagonals intersect? Write a conjecture in If...then… form. Write a paragraph proof of your conjecture. (Hint?) (Post) 6) Open the __Practice Problems__ and answer the questions. 7) Complete the __Exit Questions__. 8) For homework, read the posted proofs and post two comments to the Discussion. Student Deliverables: Four conjectures with proofs posted to Moodle, Practice Problems, Exit Questions, two posts to Discussion. ===