7th Grade Geometry Unit

Plan
ED 5650

Adam Staiger
4/1/2014





I. Introduction
The topic for this unit is geometry. From the earliest known origins stemming from ancient
civilizations, geometry has been the foundation of logical and rational thought. By
examining the basic principles of geometry, the student will slowly build on the math skills
he or she acquired in previous math units, and also expand on these skills into other content
areas.
The rationale for teaching this unit is that the concepts extend beyond the classroom.
Geometry helps develop the logical thinking steps and critical thinking skills that one must
develop and improve on. This is useful in future classes, but is also useful in the real world
setting. Depending on the students future career, geometry may be extremely important
to his or her success. If geometry is not in the future, the critical thinking skills and logical
thinking patterns can be useful and tailored to any type of career.
II. Goals
a. The goals of this unit are:
The students will understand the terminology associated with geometry
Students will be able to identify the appropriate tools and steps used in geometry
Students will be able to apply the learned formulas to solve certain problems
presented in geometry
Students will be able to take the knowledge acquired and apply it to real world
scenarios, and also apply the skills to other content areas of study
b. The goals of this unit are a reflection of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The
standards are as follows:

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.G.A.1
Solve problems involving scale drawings of geometric figures, including computing
actual lengths and areas from a scale drawing and reproducing a scale drawing at a
different scale.
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.G.A.2
Draw (freehand, with ruler and protractor, and with technology) geometric shapes with
given conditions. Focus on constructing triangles from three measures of angles or
sides, noticing when the conditions determine a unique triangle, more than one
triangle, or no triangle.
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.G.A.3
Describe the two-dimensional figures that result from slicing three-dimensional figures,
as in plane sections of right rectangular prisms and right rectangular pyramids.
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.G.B.4
Know the formulas for the area and circumference of a circle and use them to solve
problems; give an informal derivation of the relationship between the circumference
and area of a circle.
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.G.B.5
Use facts about supplementary, complementary, vertical, and adjacent angles in a multi-
step problem to write and solve simple equations for an unknown angle in a figure.
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.G.B.6
Solve real-world and mathematical problems involving area, volume and surface area of
two- and three-dimensional objects composed of triangles, quadrilaterals, polygons,
cubes, and right prisms.
c. Performance objectives:

The performance objectives relate to the goals as follows
1. Over the course of the lessons, students will learn three to five new words in
association with geometry
2. By using formal and informal assessments, students will demonstrate their mastery
and understanding of the concept of geometry
3. Using formal assessments, students will demonstrate their understanding and
mastery of the formulas in geometry and their applications to appropriate settings.
4. Using projects, assessments, and discussions, students will demonstrate their
mastery and understanding of the content in this unit and its applications to the real
world.

III. Subject Matter Outline

Provided here is an outline (via graphic organizer), as how the class will be formatted











Pre-assessment/pre-requisite knowledge
Inquire as to how much students know
about geometry
Level of ability with using equations and
solving equations
1.Segments
2 Drawings
3 Area/
circumference of a
circle
4 Area,
volume,
surface area
6
Construction
5 Angles



1. Learning the key pieces of geometry, including line segments, and the concept of
congruence, and proper written notation
Some Key Terms: Point, Segment, line, congruence
2. Working with drawings in terms of scale, and learning how to adjust drawings based on
word problems
Some Key Terms: Scale
3. Apply the concepts of area and perimeter to circles, and determining these values with
any size circle
Some Key Terms: Pi, circumference, radius
4. Taking the previously learned concepts, and applying them to real world objects, and
also showing methods to finding volumes of odd shaped objects.
Some Key Terms: Volume, cubic units
5. Examining the idea of angles and introducing methods to find measurements.
Some Key Terms: Supplementary, Complementary, Vertical, postulate
6. Taking the sum of this unit and begin the construction of 2d and 3d shapes
Some Key Terms: Prism, isosceles, constraint
After each section there will be a small quiz to assess the understanding and mastery of the topics that
will be covered. At the end of the unit, a project will be presented to the students that ties in the
material they learned with a topic in the real world, or associated with another course of study.
IV. Starting the Unit
As outlined in the graphic organizer above, two possible methods to introduce the unit to
the students. One such idea is to present the label of the unit to the student, and have
them build what is their definition of geometry, based on their own personal experiences. A
second way to introduce the unit is to present some of the formulas and have the students
solve the problems. With this method, two objectives are being accomplished. The first
objective is the student is demonstrating his or her ability to solve a problem, and from
there assessing the strength of their problem solving skills. The second objective is the
students are getting a familiarity for some of the formulas, before they see the shapes, and
then can build associations later on. The third type of introduction is giving a brief history of
geometry and tying in real life applications of geometry to students. By doing this third
method, you can see if some of the students can chime in on some examples they might
have seen, and one can also gauge from the interest level of the history if the students have
any familiarity.

The reason the introduction can be done by these three methods is the following. As stated
before, you get to identify the strengths and weaknesses the students might have coming
into this unit, and will be able to differentiate instruction to the students. The second as to
present in this way is to plant seeds as to their future projects. By doing it this way, the
student unconsciously starts to get ideas, and then can use them when the project idea is
presented.
V. Lessons (See future attached lesson plans)

VI. Culminating Project

For the culminating project, the students will design a scenario as to which they will have to
solve the problem at hand, or a problem will be presented to them. This aspect accesses
Blooms Taxonomy at the higher levels, as it promotes the analysis of the problem,
evaluating on how to solve, and also create the ties necessary that did not exist before. The
second idea of the student demonstrating learning is using the creative aspect to solve a
problem. This access the students who may be artistically gifted, and can present a solution
via graphics or art that can satisfy the solution to the problem, but would have to explain
the image he or she drew as to help distinguish the thought process they might have had.
The third way that the student demonstrated a mastery or understood learning the topic is
seeing the effort they have put into the project. By gauging the level of engagement, the
instructor can see if the student is fully presenting at their full capability.

VII. Methods of Evaluation
Along with the project, the student will be evaluated by checking of homework assignments,
small quizzes, a test, and informal discussions. By checking the homework, the instructor
can see if the student is struggling at any part, and can have the student come in for extra
help to overcome that difficulty. The idea behind the small quizzes is to take a snapshot to
see at different times the level of learning that might be taking place, and also to see the
level and pace the students may be at. From this, the instructor can differentiate his or
instruction to help get the class to the same level. The idea behind the test is to see the
summation of learning involved via the traditional methods. The informal discussions with
the student enables the instructor to discuss with the student as to find out any difficulties
they might be having with the material that cannot be measured by quizzes or tests.

VIII. Resources
Khan Academy
Class Provided Text
Mathisfun.com
CCSS
YouTube
Input from other instructors.

Khan Academy, mathisfun.com and YouTube would be technology based. The State
Standards, the class provided textbook and input from other instructors would be suitable
depending on the level of the students.