In Geometry Honors we do coordinate geometry throughout the school year. Since we’re working on parallel lines, I also teach equations of parallel and perpendicular lines. I totally changed the way I taught this lesson this year and it went great! Since it went so well, I want to share what I did with you.
While I normally use guided notes, foldables, or flip books as notes for my students, it is important to me that my students learn how to take notes if they aren’t given a guide. I explained to my students that their teachers may not always give them a powerpoint or a guide to take notes. So, I made them take notes on a blank sheet of paper. We reviewed the slope formula, the slope-intercept form of a line, and the point-slope form of a line. I made up examples as I went along. As we talked, I had students do a thumbs up or a thumbs down to show me what they remembered from Algebra 1. This is what their notes looked like:
Then, I used these notes as an inquiry activity. I passed them out to my students and told them to use the notes that they just took to help them. I walked around while they were working with their partners, but I didn't even need to answer questions. The way the activity is presented, all of my students were able to work through it without me at all. I was so surprised! One of my students even said, "Can we do notes like this every day?" Um, sure! Honey, if you will do work without complaint, we absolutely can. I said, "We'll just have to see..." This is a free download from TPT. Get it. I hope you love it too!
It was a block day, so I had a 75 minute class period. Once they were finished with the notes, they worked on my Equations of Parallel and Perpendicular Lines Chain Activity.
I didn’t feel like using lots of colored paper, so I copied the two pages next to each other on the copier using the “2 Pages -> 1 Page” setting. I don’t know what it’s called, but the copier at my school has this setting. Once I copied them, on the colored paper, I cut them in half (so each page was the size of a half sheet of paper).
Then the kids worked the problems. The problems and the answers fit together like dominoes into a chain.
My students did so well with this lesson that I just wanted to share.
