TO: Martha Carter, Principal

FROM: Tyler Nadeau, High School Mathematics Teacher

DATE: March 23, 2018

SUBJECT: Learning Goals for a Geometry Unit

This memo will outline the learning goals set forth in my 10th grade geometry class and how
instruction of material is presented in my classroom. Specifically, this memo will outline
learning goals addressed in a unit of Geometry dealing with properties of parallel and
perpendicular lines, taught in the first semester of the year. The learning goals will be supported
with instruction that is purposeful, assignments that are meaningful, and assessments which will
show student understanding of the learning goals. Most of the work done in this unit will be in
collaborative learning groups in the classroom. The importance of group work in a mathematics
class is essential for students to “[have] access to other ideas, encouraging divergent thinking”
(San Francisco Public Schools, 2018, para 2).

Learning Goals

The purpose of this unit is to teach students specific properties associated with parallel and
perpendicular lines. The unit places a major focus on relationships created between angle pairs
when parallel or perpendicular lines interact. Attention to the angle relationships will be of
utmost importance as students use specific theorems and their converses to construct geometric
proofs to prove two lines are parallel or perpendicular. Students will use prior knowledge of
slopes of parallel and perpendicular lines to determine specific angle relationships.

The learning goals set for this discussion, exploration of manipulatives, and problem solving
based unit include:

1. Being able to prove theorems about lines and angles. Theorems will include: vertical
angles are congruent; when a transversal crosses parallel lines, alternate interior angles
are congruent and corresponding angles are congruent; points on a perpendicular bisector
of a line segment are exactly those equidistant from the segment's endpoints.
2. Making formal geometric constructions with a variety of tools and methods. Specifically
being able to construct congruent segments, parallel and perpendicular segments and
specific angle measures. Students will become familiar with creating constructions using
a compass, protractor, and straightedge.
3. Proving the slope criteria for parallel and perpendicular lines and using them to solve
geometric problems. Finding the equation of a line parallel or perpendicular to a given
line that passes through a given point. A special emphasis will be on using these criteria
and the above theorems to prove two lines are parallel or perpendicular.
Context of Strategies

The unit will launch with a problem solving based tool used as a way to draw in student’s
background knowledge on the topic. The application DESMOS with a link on our Google
Classroom page will link students to an online learning platform where they will discover as well
as recall information about parallel and perpendicular lines. A Google slide will be presented to
the students with some directions on the assignment and the parameters of what they are allowed
to say during the assignment. The DESMOS project is a “polygraph test” students will be
working on with a partner. They are only to ask each other “yes” or “no” questions using these
vocabulary words: parallel, transversal, adjacent, opposite, alternate interior, corresponding,
alternate exterior, vertical, and right. This will allow me to gauge their level of understanding of
what it means for two lines to be either parallel or perpendicular and what angle relationships are
formed with each set. The program randomly assigns partners in the class and successive rounds
will be played. There will be a short discussion at the end of class to discuss the terminology.

The sections of this unit which includes specific definitions and examples will be defined and
discussed in class via a fillable notes sheet. At times, this discussion is teacher led, other times it
is student led. With more challenging concepts, a gradual release of responsibility is used to
continue with the instruction. In their book, Better Learning Through Structured Teaching: A
Framework for the Gradual Release of Responsibility, Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey describe the
importance of the gradual release of responsibility in the classroom and that the method
“recognizes the recursive nature of learning and has teachers cycle purposefully through purpose
setting and guided instruction, collaborative learning, and independent experiences” (2014).

In order to give students an opportunity to practice the concepts and skills presented in this unit,
specific problems will be assigned. Class time will be given to work on these problems;
however students will be expected to complete these problems outside of class if they are not
finished. After a problem set is completed, the class will review only the answers to the
problems. Upon finishing displaying the answers on the SmartBoard, students will be given two
minutes to write any problems they would like to see me work out for the entire class. If a
problem is already written in the “Help Box”, then a student is to place a checkmark next to it.
Special attention will be given to those problems with the most checkmarks. Students who know
the solution to a problem are often asked if they would like to review the process with the
class. If no one knows, then I will cover that question. In an article, Homework: Only Review
What You Need to Review, David Ginsburg affirms:
[in regards to assigned homework]...show the answers to homework on your interactive
whiteboard or projector screen. Then give students five minutes or so to check their
answers and troubleshoot their errors, while you circulate to identify questions worth
reviewing as a class (i.e., those most students struggled with)--and identify students to
present the correct solutions to the class (2011, para 6).

While students are working on example problems and notes, I will be monitoring student
progress closely and formatively assessing their understanding through higher level thinking
questions. I will do this with daily exit tickets. “Use this technique [daily exit tickets] to show
you what students are thinking and what they have learned at the end of a lesson” (Region 13
Education Service Center, 2018, para. 1). Formative assessments will also include partner
quizzes for every two sections. The idea behind a partner quiz is students will be able to
supplement instruction for their classmates. The requirements for a partner quiz are they are to
show all work and use correct mathematical terminology while they speak about their quiz.

Throughout the discussion portions of the unit, students will be asked high level questions. This
will also include asking students the second question. In my class it is important for students to
understand the “how” but more importantly the “why.” These questions will stem from real
world examples of lines and angles being used in constructions and situations where these
relationships of lines and angles occur. An example question would stem from a woodworking
problem when a carpenter is trying to create a pattern where two pieces of wood are exactly
parallel.

For the exploratory portions of this unit, students will be modeling with certain mathematical
tools which will further develop their understanding of the concepts and ideas presented in this
unit. In order for students to identify that corresponding angles are congruent, students will use
tracing paper to create angle relationships using two parallel lines cut by a transversal. The
reason for using tracing paper is that students will then be able to create an identical pair of
parallel lines and angle relationships. This will allow them to move the pieces around to see
which angles are congruent and make conjectures about angle congruence prior to taking notes
on this topic.

This unit will span over the part of the school year when winter break is held. Upon returning
from break, with some background knowledge of the learning goals set forth by this unit,
students will be working with their groups to construct a 3-dimensional model of parallel lines
cut by a transversal using spaghetti. They will need to show that they can appropriately
construct parallel lines using a compass and a protractor and will be able to identify specific
angle relationships. Students will make conjectures about whether this is true for all angle
relationships formed by parallel lines or just specific cases. “Using models is a critical step in
helping students transition from concrete manipulative work with word problems to the abstract
step of generating an equation to solve contextual problems” (SciMathMN, 2011, para. 1).

Several exploratory pieces of this unit will be integrated throughout as certain corollaries and
theorems are discovered. These constructions will come with some guidance from me as
students are not that familiar with working with compasses and protractors.

Student Outcomes

By the end of this unit, students will be expected to:

1. Identify parallel and perpendicular lines as well as angle relationships associated with the
specific line pairs.
2. Construct parallel segments, perpendicular segments, and angles with congruent
measures.
3. Identify corresponding angles, alternate interior angles, alternate exterior angles, and
same-side interior angles.
Students will show they have mastered the learning goals set forth by completing a group project
investigation of the “Mystery Spot” in Michigan. Students will watch a short clip about the
famous tourist attraction. Questions surrounding the learning goals will be given to groups as the
investigation relates the material covered in this unit.

Students will also be given a unit test which will assess their understanding of procedural
problems as well as specific corollaries and theorems which were discovered and discussed
throughout the unit.

Summary

This unit specifically designed for a 10th grade Geometry class supports the idea that this
classroom has the setting of the teacher acting more as a mentor in the middle and inquiry
based. Students use models, real world problems, and specific definitions and theorems to tie
together the relationships between parallel and perpendicular lines. The student learning goals
set forth, along with the strategies used which all culminate into the student outcomes assessed
with a group project and a unit test prove to you that this unit meets district policy, aligns with
Common Core State Standards, and reflects my philosophy and methodology of teaching.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions regarding the learning goals and outcomes of
this unit.

Tyler
 References:

Fisher, D. & Frey, N. (2014). Better learning through structured teaching: a framework for the
gradual release of responsibility (2nd ed.). Available from
http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/113006/chapters/Learning,-or-Not-Learning,-in-
School.aspx

Ginsburg, D. (2011, October 2). Homework: only review what you need to review. Education
Week Teacher. Message posted to
http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/coach_gs_teaching_tips/2011/10/homework_only_
review_what_students_need_you_to_review.html

Region 13 Education Service Center. (2018). The teacher toolkit. Exit Ticket. Retrieved from
http://www.theteachertoolkit.com/index.php/tool/exit-ticket

SciMathMN. (2011). Modeling word problems. St. Paul: Science Museum of Minnesota:
Retrieved from http://www.scimathmn.org/stemtc/resources/mathematics-best-practices
/modeling-word-problems

San Francisco Public Schools. (2018). San Francisco Unified School District Mathematics
Department. Group work. Retrieved from http://www.sfusdmath.org/collaborative-group-
work.html