Advice on Unit Planning (1)
An effective unit plan for geometrical reasoning will allow you to incorporate the activities and approaches introduced in the previous study units in a coherent and linked series of lessons. This page and the next one describe some of the features of effective unit plans.
Mathematical content objectives
For example:
- identify alternate and corresponding angles
- understand a proof that the angle sum of a triangle is 180°.
Mathematical processes and application objectives
For example:
- visualise and manipulate dynamic images
- pose questions and make convincing arguments to justify generalisations or solutions.
An appropriate balance between content and process objectives, describing how these are introduced in the various phases of the unit.
For example:
- this unit of work might focus primarily on the development of mathematical process skills
- the mathematical content objectives could revisit material taught in previous units.
The distinctive nature of the learning in the various phases of the unit
For example:
- in this unit, the first phase could have visualisations as the main content, giving an opportunity for pupils to work with mental imagery and informal geometrical manipulation
- next, pupils could formalise geometrical arguments, using build-ups
- as a final phase, the class could tackle some of the sample exercises to consolidate their learning and build independence.