Exploring Transformations through Modeling and Computer Games Lesson Plan

Description of Resource: This lesson plan allows students to explore reflections, translations and rotations.
Students participate in a modeling activity where they will learn the rules for transformations. Then students
will practice using these rules for transformations in the game Flip-n-Slide.

Technical & Cost considerations: Need to be a member in order to access lesson plan.

Evaluation
1. Learning Activity Types

 LA-Practice - practicing for fluency- There are activities that practice the transformations and used to
check for understanding.
 LA-Present - (read or attend to) presentation of new content/ideas
o LA-Present-Demo - demonstration- Teacher can demonstrated the transformations while students
present their thinking and ideas after their group discussions.
o LA-Present-Explain - explanation- Opportunity for teacher to go over the procedural rules for
transformations.
 LA-Explore - exploring/investigating mathematical ideas- Exploring of transformations occur while
students are using the technology game of Flip-n-Slide
 LA-Apply - applying mathematics to problems and situations- This occurs while students complete their
assessment activities and play the game while competing against other students in the class.
2. What mathematics is being learned?The intent here is to describe the mathematics being learned and how it fits
with your learning goals. Do this first by listing standards and proficiency strands and then with any additional
discussion of what is being learned.

StandardsNCTM Standards and Expectations

 Describe sizes, positions, and orientations of shapes under informal transformations such as flips, turns,
slides, and scaling.
 Understand and represent translations, reflections, rotations, and dilations of objects in the plane by using
sketches, coordinates, vectors, function notation, and matrices.
 Use various representations to help understand the effects of simple transformations and their
compositions.
Common Core State Standards – Mathematics
Grade 8, Geometry

 CCSS.Math.Content.8.G.A.3
Describe the effect of dilations, translations, rotations, and reflections on two-dimensional figures using
coordinates.

Proficiency Strands

 conceptual understanding- Students can use their understanding of operations and rule of each
transformation to determine their next sequence or movement within the game.
 procedural fluency- Fluency is practiced through the assessment activities to check for understanding.
  strategic competence- The tech tool requires students to formulate a plan on which transformations to use
and how to represent them in order to position the shape in the desired spot on the coordinate graph.
 adaptive reasoning- Students use logical thought to plan their movements in the game. Students reflect on
the rules that apply for each transformation.
3. How is the mathematics represented?The mathematical concepts are represented in a variety of ways. Students
use an online game to explore transformations and begin discovering rules for each transformations. Students use
think, pair, share and discussions to represent their thinking on rules for transformations. There are transformation
and reflection activity practice sheets to check students' understanding. There are also opportunities for reflection,
journaling, and extension activities.

4. What role does technology play?In this lesson the technology is used in a way that encourages students to learn
the concepts and procedural rules through exploration.

Affordances of Technology for Supporting Learning

 Computing & Automating - The tool performs the transformations for the students once they select the
action or actions.
 Representing Ideas & Thinking - The tools shows and performs the actions that students choose in steps
that allow representation of their ideas.
 Accessing Information -
 Communicating & Collaborating -
 Capturing & Creating -

5. How does the technology fit or interact with the social context of learning?The technology can be used
individually against the computer so can be set up to play against another student if both people are logged in.

6. Additional CommentsI really liked how this lesson provided multiple of ways for the material to be presented and
that it provided ways to extend the lesson and differentiate for students at different levels of understanding and
learning.