LESSON PLAN

Name: Terry Mulhollan

Title of lesson:

     Origami water bombs: construction and symmetry

Date of lesson:

Length of lesson:  50-minute session

Description of the class

                          Course Title: Geometry

                          Grade level: 10th

Source of the lesson: Self as part of a group project focused on using Origami to express geometry and algebra

TEKS addressed:  111.34. Geometry

(b)2(A) The student uses constructions to explore attributes of geometric figures and to make conjectures about geometric relationships.

The Lesson:

I._Overview

The purpose of this lesson is to make an origami water bomb from a blueprint.  Students will be encouraged to unfold their water bomb and speculate on the type(s) of geometric shapes seen in the folds

II.  Performance or learner outcomes

*Students will be able to fold an origami construction (water bomb) from blueprint plans.

*Students will be able to use symmetry to reduce the number of calculations to find the dimensions of the water bomb.

III. Resources, materials and supplies needed

Source book: Paper folding fun, Origami in color by ZŸlal AytŸra-Scheele

Color transparencies: folding instructions from source book


Five-E Organization

Teacher Does                                                             Student Does

Engage:

Geometry, trigonometry and algebra are all interconnected sub-disciplines within mathematics. 

To prove this to ourselves, we are going to employ the ancient paper folding art of origami to construct water bombs.

Q1.  Has anyone ever constructed an object using origami?

Q2.  If you have already built objects with origami, did you later unfold your object to observe the geometric pattern revealed by the creased paper?

Students are not focused at this point.

Students are now focused. {Did teacher really say "water bombs"?}

                                                                                Evaluate

*A show of hands indicating some prior origami experience could identify possible student-teachers for classmates that are having difficulty understanding the folding pictures.

Explore:

Instruction to students: Overhead transparencies of photographs with subtext rather than line-drawn construction blueprints will be used to guide you through the two construction phases of the water bomb.

Follow along as we build the Basic Shape together in the first phase.  Remember to be very precise with each fold; also crease each fold sharply.

I will not be guiding you through the second phase of the building process. This is because I want you to practice your visual and verbal skills without my interference.  

Collaboration can be helpful, so you may work with a partner. 

[At this point, teacher hands out origami paper and places the first transparency on the overhead. 

After completing the Basic Shape, the second transparency is placed on the overhead.   10 minutes total time for folding the water bomb.]

Students are listening to the instructions.

Students have one sheet of origami paper in hand.  They should be reading along with the teacher and folding Basic Shape V.  Students will finish folding the water bomb without direct instruction from the teacher.

     Evaluate

*Inspect paper folds early on for precision and sharp creases.  This is critical in helping students discover that ALL the triangles in this construction are isosceles.

*Students who appear stymied by reading the instructions can be teamed up with others who have completed the construction. 

Explain:

[This section is not used for this lesson plan]

  

Evaluate

*

Extend/Elaborate:

As you were folding your paper, did you take notice of the symmetry? 

From your algebra I class or 7th grade biology class, you were introduced to symmetry. 

Q1:  Can you identify at least 3 different types of symmetry?

Q2: Identify the symmetry of an un sharpened No.2 pencil, a piece of square paper. a sheet of 8.5 x 11 green copy paper,  and the face of your watch.

Q3:  If you were required to determine the volume of your water bomb, how do you think symmetry would help you reduce your mathematical calculations?

Vertical, horizontal, radial, diagonal

Symmetry would tell you if the object was a cube or rectangular block. If the object is a cube, then the length of only one side be determined.  If the object is a rectangular block then the length of two sides needs to be determined.

     Evaluate

*Collect miscellaneous articles from the classroom and project their shadows onto the overhead screen.  Have students copy into their notebooks the shapes and related symmetry. Review notebooks before end of class.