Beginning Portfolios

Homework: 23

Part One: Coordinate Summary

Understanding the coordinate system was critical in completing this unit. Throughout the lessons, I was constantly graphing different shapes, mostly circles, in order to figure out the solutions. Using these coordinates, I was able to develop different formulas involving distance, circumference, and area. By being able to physically see the math, through graphing, I was able to better understand the concepts that were being developed.

For example, When finding the distance between two points, on page 7 of my interactive notebook, I first graphed a picture in order to visually look at the math problem before generalizing it.

Part Two: Me, Myself, and Pi

What did you think of pi before?: 

Before starting this unit I knew what pi was, but never really took the time to think deeply about it. I knew that it was a number that began with 3.14 and went on forever without repeating. I also knew that it was an important part to several equations of circles. However, it wasn't until page 8 of my interactive notebook that I began seeing pi in a new light.

Misconceptions:

One misconception I had about pi before this lesson, what that pi was a number that was used because of a circle being made of 360 degrees. I was not exactly sure how pi correlated to circles, but knew that they had to be used in the formulas because I was taught to do so. Now, I know that when you take any circle and divide its circumference by its diameter, you will get the exact same number every time, pi.

Which activities were most helpful:

The activity that was most helpful in gaining this information, was the previously mentioned activity How Does Your Orchard Grow?. During this activity, I began to see the relationship between the radius, d=2r, and pi, c=pi(d). Being able to visually see the relationship through my drawings helped me to put pi into the proper perspective. By completing this interactive math program. I have not only practiced my math skills, but deepened my knowledge on concepts that I thought I understood.