My students need the Bare Books puzzles in various sizes and shapes to complete a project in math that deals with identifying polygons and tessellations.
Math is one of those subjects that our students just don't find the love with. They come to 6th grade with a built-in fear of math and the concepts that are included. We try to incorporate projects like these to get our students to learn to love math and not fear it!
I have the honor of working with two sixth grade classrooms that have a total of 60 students.
I am assigned to one specific homeroom that is identified as the Inclusion Room. Yes, I am a Special Education Teacher who works with 8 students who are currently classified as Learning Disabled and Emotionally Disturbed. I work with both classrooms because I believe all students deserve the best education they can possibly have no matter what. I also work in an inner city, low income school system. I am motivated to make sure that all the students in the 6th grade get the best possible educational opportunities available to them. This project would take abstract concepts and make them concrete and hands-on for all the students to understand and enjoy.
My Project
Students need to know what criteria is needed to classify a shape as a polygon. Then they have to identify a shape and tell if it is a polygon and why. These lines become confusing for some of our students. This project will require the students to draw the various polygons and label them on their puzzle. They will then have to display their polygon using a tessellation pattern incorporating various colors and patterns. The students will then take their puzzle apart and have a classmate put it together to determine what polygon is represented on that puzzle. Each student will get a turn putting together each others puzzle.
I have always struggled in the area of math even when I was in 6th grade.
I could never grasp those abstract concepts and I was embarrassed to ask for help because I thought it would make me look weak to my classmates. I can really relate to these students who are taking 6th Grade math. When I became a teacher, I wanted to tackle my fears of math so I could better understand and help my students. This project will let the students see how polygons and tessellations fit together.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Milks and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
