Student Work Analysis

Ellen McGrath
Sample 1: Kuta Software worksheet on creating transformations
In contrast to other work that asks students to analyze, compare or truly
engage with the topic, this worksheet helps students practice the math skill
of drawing transformations on graph paper. It was one of their first pieces of
student work on the topic, and was intended to help them get a handle on
how to create transformations.
Suggestions: While I didnt want to bring a higher level of analysis into this
work, as it was solely intended for practice of the skill, there are a few things
I could have done to help students take control of their learning. I would have
been helpful to include a model or example on the worksheet, so students
could have been reminded of how to perform each transformation. I also
could have provided an answer key, or an answer key for only the odd
numbers so that students could check their work along the way and make
sure that they are practicing the skill correctly.
Sample 2: Exit Ticket on Transformations
This exit ticket asked students to first define the three types of
transformations. This was designed to help students incorporate these words
into their vocabulary, and continue their exposure to math language. Then
students were asked if shapes were still considered congruent once they had
undergone a transformation. They were asked to explain their reasoning.
This was by far the most analytic piece of the short assessment, as students
had to connect their ideas about congruence to what was happening during
a transformation. Some student correctly identified that since
transformations were about changing location, not shape or size, the shapes
did remain congruent. Finally students had to show one type of each
transformation by sketching.
Suggestions: While I like the first two components of the exit ticket, I think
the sketching component could have been made stronger by having the
students do precise transformations on graph paper, as they did on the Kuta
Software worksheet. While my goal was to check that students knew what
each transformation looked like, the exit ticket would have been more
rigorous if I had asked students to draw precisely what each kind of
transformation would look like.
Sample 3: Proving Congruence in Triangles Practice
This exercise was designed to help students begin to develop proofs on their
own, while providing a scaffolded introduction. Students were given a
plethora of whole class examples and then asked to fill in the blanks of their
own proofs and finally to complete two proofs on their own. The back page
was entirely blank and students had to come up with every part of the proof.

Suggestions: I think the scaffolded front worked well and students felt
confident that they could fill in a statement or reason into our tables.
However, I made the transition from guided practice to totally independent
logic too sudden, especially as most of my students were just learning
proofs. I should have provided at least a few filled in portions for the proofs,
and maybe given students a filled in example for their own reference.