Goals and Objectives

Students will be able to:

• calculate the area and perimeter of circles, squares, and triangles.

• calculate the surface area and volume of geometric solids.

• design a solid within guidelines.

• present the pros and cons of a design.

• create a three dimensional model based on a design.

Curriculum Standards

This WebQuest is designed to incorporate several New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards for mathematics. The following standards are addressed:

4.2 Geometry and Measurement

All students will develop spatial sense and the ability to use geometric properties, relationships, and measurement to model, describe and analyze phenomena.

A. Geometric Properties

1. Use geometric models to represent real-world situations and objects and to solve problems using those models (e.g., use Pythagorean Theorem to decide whether an object can fit through a doorway).

E. Measuring Geometric Objects

2. Use a variety of strategies to determine perimeter and area of plane figures and surface area and volume of 3D figures.

4.5 Mathematical Processes

All students will use mathematical processes of problem solving, communication, connections, reasoning, representations, and technology to solve problems and communicate mathematical ideas.

A. Problem Solving

1. Learn mathematics through problem solving, inquiry, and discovery.

B. Communication

2. Communicate their mathematical thinking coherently and clearly to peers, teachers, and others, both orally and in writing.

E. Representation

1. Create and use representations to organize, record, and communicate mathematical ideas.

Pictorial representations (e.g., diagrams, charts, or tables)

F. Technology

1. Use technology to gather, analyze, and communicate mathematical information.

Gregorc’s Learning Styles

Students of each learning style will benefit from different aspects of this WebQuest. The table below lists the activities which will most appeal to each style.

Gardener’s Multiple Intelligences

Throughout the WebQuest, many activities are provided to appeal to all intelligences. The following activities will allow students to learn the topic using their strongest intelligence.

• Verbal/Linguistic – putting their opinion in writing; sharing their plan with their group; presenting the final model

• Logical/Mathematical – researching formulas; calculating area, perimeter, volume, and surface area

• Visual/Spatial – watching the video clip; looking at pictures of the solids; building the model

• Bodily/Kinesthetic – web travel through links; constructing the model

• Musical/Rhythmic – listening to the video clip

• Interpersonal – working with their group

• Intrapersonal – individual research

Emotion and Motivation

When both emotion and motivation are present in a lesson, students are more likely to retain material. Students are given opportunities for emotional attachment throughout the WebQuest. Right from the start, this WebQuest engages students emotionally by presenting them with the exciting challenge of designing a home for a new town called Geo Town. Following this introduction, students’ emotions are stimulated by the prospect of being featured on the television show "What’s With That House?". Because the final goal of creating a house for the show is made clear early on, the students will be motivated to work towards this goal.

With the design of this WebQuest, students are now motivated by seeing how math is used in a real life situation. They will no longer feel like they are doing boring calculations. Before the students have even begun working on the process, their positive emotional response will have them eager to get started. Throughout the process, students are working individually and with group members to achieve the final goal of constructing a three-dimensional model. At the conclusion of the WebQuest, the students will feel an emotional sense of achievement upon completing the task that was presented.

Bloom’s Taxonomy

This WebQuest stimulates learners’ thinking on a variety of levels. Bloom’s Taxonomy was used as a guide to encompass the following categories:

• Knowledge – Finding (researching) each of the formulas

• Comprehension – Calculating area, perimeter, surface area, and volume

• Application – Sketching a model of the solid

• Analysis – Explaining the pros and cons of each design

• Synthesis – Modeling the sketch in three-dimensions

• Evaluation – Justifying their model as the best one for the TV show

Helpful Resources

Formulas for Shapes and Solids

New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards for Mathematics

Note: if the video clip located on the task page does not properly play, you need to download the codec's from here.

Authors: Alison Marzocchi, Liza Mekhlin, Richard Then

Last Updated: May 4, 2007