Uncovering the Hidden Math in Nature

Uncovering the Hidden Math in Nature

Presented by Cyndi Blankenship & Donna Kouri

Purpose

Using images from nature, your students will locate, identify, label, and create a presentation

showing geometric objects.

• Inexpensive

• Immediate and unlimited images

• Easily duplicated and stored

• Digital cameras embedded in everything

Digital

Why ?

Create

Evaluate

Analyze

Apply

Understand

Remember

• Photographs “freeze” the image

• Allow students to focus

• Intent focus invites inquiry

• Inquiry demands context

• Context is the scaffolding of knowledge

Inquiry-Based

To begin with inquiry based learning, we need to start with a base of what we know.

We know that we can identify shapes by their characteristics and properties. We know a shape

with three sides is a triangle.

Take at least 10 pictures in nature that represent geometric shapes.

Following are some suggestions:

Are You Ready?

This is an example of a close-up

Geometric shapes are shown nicely in this photo.

This could be an example of a photo that is fun!

Take at least 10 pictures in nature

You will need to return to your seat by: _________

Ready?

Use cable to connect device to computer

SD card into computer

Look for device as “additional drive”

Drag to your desktop

Device Download

What is hidden in this picture?

SQUARE

This Queen Anne Lace shows many? Triangles

This hawk will reveal…?rhombus

The pelican is eating a fish, but I see _______.

circle

ParallelLines

What is the first thing you see? I know what I see?

Hmmm? What shall I find amongst these leaves?

AnglesRight angleAcute Angles

Obtuse Angle

What lies within this photograph?

A line is a collection of points going on and on infinitely in both directions. It has no endpoints.

Intersecting Lines

What type of line has one end point in common?

Power Point Open power point program

Download your photos

Size photos to frame

Then, begin to view one photo at a time to look for geometric figures

If at first you do NOT see something…skip it and come back later!

Demo

… using knowledge and understanding

Animation encourages…

applying

analyzing

creating

evaluating

--think Bloom’s

Rubric

Adapted from Science and Children magazine, A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words, January 2009

Benefits of Digital Photography in the Classroom

• Promotes active engagement

• Student-directed instruction

• Instant feedback for students and teachers

• Connects the classroom with real world

• Promotes collaboration between students: provides a bank of photos to be used in the future

What do you see here? Everyone might see something differently.

Schedule

• Introduction 10 minutes

• Taking photos 15 minutes

• Download photos 10 minutes

• Examples of math in photos 10 minutes

• Power Point work 30 minutes

• Conclusion & door prizes 5 minutes