DISCOVERING GEOMETRY
with FRANK CASDEN

The subject area of this course is mathematics.
The topics to be included are:

The course emphasizes hands on skills which included mastering usage of the straightedge, compass, ruler, and protractor. Students produce a wide variety of geometric designs using these tools. Writing skills are also emphasized as students are required to write reports on two projects: an Islamic art poster and a poster of semi regular tessellations. These two projects, which undergo several stages of revision, are suitable for their Learning to Learn portfolios.

The students work is assessed daily for the quality of each assignment. The projects are assessed for completeness, mastery of the geometric relationships involved, and thoroughness of the written explanation. The material on inductive reasoning, geometric definitions, and line and angle relationships is assessed by written quizzes.

Instructional material includes:
Discovering Geometry - An Inductive Approach, Michael Serra, Key Curriculum Press
"Mathematics and Islamic Art" , instructional material from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Geometric Concepts in Islamic Art, Dale Seymour Publications
Tessellations, Dale Seymour publications

The Instructional strategies used are a combination of teacher centered instruction and demonstration, and cooperative group work. The majority of the time students will be working in small cooperative groups to explore and discuss the requirements for a particular geometric design or the essential geometric relationships involved in the activity.

This course correlates with the New York State "Standards" as follows:
Standard 1: Students use mathematical reasoning to analyze mathematical situations, make conjectures, gather evidence, and construct an argument. All parts of this standard are addressed.

Standard 2:Students use number sense and numeration to develop an understanding of the multiple uses of numbers in the real world, the use of numbers to communicate mathematically, and the use of numbers in the development of mathematical ideas. Some parts of this standard are addressed. Standard 3: Students use mathematical operations and relationships among them to understand mathematics. All parts of this standard are addresses.

Standard 4: Students use mathematical modeling/multiple representation to provide a means of presenting, interpreting, communicating, and connecting mathematical information and relationships. Some parts of this standard are addressed.

Standard 5: Students use measurement in both metric and English measure to provide a major link between the abstractions of mathematics and the real world in order to describe and compare objects and data. Most parts of this standard are addressed.

Standard 6: Students use ideas of uncertainty to illustrate that mathematics involves more than exactness when dealing with everyday situations. Most parts of this standard are addressed.