Web 2.

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Lesson Idea Name: Saving Sir Cumference
Grade Level/Content Area: 7th Mathematics

Content Standard Addressed:

MGSE7.G.4 Given the formulas for the area and circumference of a circle, use them to solve
problems; give an informal derivation of the relationship between the circumference and area of
a circle.
ISTE Technology Standard Addressed:  What would you like students to know and be
1.1 Empowered Learner able to do by the end of this lesson:  
Students leverage technology to take an active role  Students should be able to discuss how pi, radius,
in choosing, achieving, and demonstrating
diameter, and circumference of a circle are
competency in their learning goals, informed by the
learning sciences. related and solve real-life problems using them.
1.5 Computational Thinker
Students develop and employ strategies for
understanding and solving problems in ways that
leverage the power of technological methods to
develop and test solutions.

What is the student learning goal(s) for this lesson idea? 

The learning goal is for students to be able to solve real-life problems about circles using low-tech
and high-tech learning tools.

Bloom’s Taxonomy Level(s):

☒ Remembering ☒ Understanding ☒ Applying ☒ Analyzing ☐ Evaluating ☐

Creating

I will promote student learning to a higher level of Bloom’s Critical Thinking by asking students to
derive the relationship between the diameter and circumference of a circle, create a viable
argument based on their discovery, and use the appropriate tools (tape measure, string, calculator,
graph paper, and online quiz) to critique themselves.
How do you plan to implement this lesson and integrate the technology? Check all that apply: 
 
☐ Teacher-led: There is no student voice and choice in the activities. Students are guided by
teacher direction and expectations. Learning activities are assigned to the
student and mostly practice based. 
    
☐ Student-Led: Students are given voice and choice in the activities. They may select the topic
of learning and/or determine the tool they will use to meet the learning goal. The
teacher facilitates the learning as the students direct their own learning processes. 
 
X Problem-based and/or Publishable: Students are solving problems
and completing projects to demonstrate their learning. Additionally, the projects can be shared
outside of the classroom. (Note: This objective could be reached by displaying the project on the
school’s morning newscast, posting the project to the classroom blog, presenting it to another
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class, or publishing via an outside source.) 

Lesson idea implementation:

Prior to the task, review how to measure the circumference and diameter of an object in centimeters and
how to record the data in a table. Access prior learning by having the students tell each other how to graph
points on a graph.
Read the first part of the book, Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi, by Cindy Neuschwander. STOP after
reading “The Circle’s Measure” on page 13. Tell the students that it is their job to solve the riddle and save Sir
Cumference before the knights go to slay the dragon. After giving each student the “Saving Sir Cumference”
student recording sheet, students will work in small groups to complete Part A. If they have questions, they
should use the “Think-Pair-Share” strategy to discuss their findings. Continue reading pages 14-18 after
students finish number 1 of the student recording sheet. STOP after reading page 18. Hold a brief discussion
before continuing with the task. Finish reading the story and then go on to step 4. Use a measuring tape to
find the diameter and circumference of at least 5 different sized circular objects that have been brought in by
the students. Discuss how to record your data in a table, and then create the table. Discuss with students why
it is important to be extremely meticulous with your measurement. As students work, I will go around the
room taking notes on the various strategies students are using. The students will plot their data for each
object their group measured using the online the graphing tool Desmos and discuss any conclusions or
revelations.
At the end of the lesson, the students will complete the Genially Quiz and Reflection (embedded in
the quiz).

Useful Websites:
Video of Saving Sir Cumference - https://youtu.be/39aknOrsnbs
Online Graphing/Tabling Tool - http://www.desmos.com
Lesson - Georgia Standards Unit 4 Framework
Genially Quiz - Super Hero Breakout Quiz
Managing student learning:
The tools used in this lesson (tape measure, string, calculator, Genially app, and Google Forms) will
shift the behavior of students as they move from passive to active learners because it forces them to
measure diverse groups of objects that they have chosen. No two groups will have the same set of
data. They will have to actively measure, create tables, and generate conclusions backed up by that
data. The quiz reinforces and assesses the learning objective.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL):
The initial content of the story can be presented as a book Saving Sir Cumference read by the
students or they can watch a video on YouTube of the reading of the book. This will give students
multiple representations of the material that will require them to access background knowledge and
tend to precision. The students will be actively participating in hands-on learning because they will
have a choice in the circular objects to study, and they will be able to provide each other with
feedback on their measuring techniques and thinking. The students will find engagement in being
autonomous in creating data and assessing their attention to precision based on their findings after
estimating the ratio of the circumference to the diameter (which should be close to 3.14). The final
Genially will bring the students back to the learning goal of being able to solve real-life problems
that incorporate circles.
Reflective Practice:
After this lesson, I think students who struggle with graphing by hand will be helped by the use of
Desmos to graph data. The end of class assessment using Genially will allow students to realize that
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math can be fun too! Not only can quizzes be gamified, but the real-life situations around the quiz
content can make learning more engaging. Traditional tools are wonderful for hands-on learning and
easy to access, but they can also slow down learning. I really look forward to using the online
graphing tool and my students having fun with my Genially quiz. They are used to seeing boring
paper quizzes, and this will give them a chance to assess their own knowledge and provide me with
additional information on how to make my reviews better.

SBooker, 2022