Content
Name: Brandt Laverick
Lesson Plan Title: Understanding properties of diagonals using the TI Nspire CX
Subject Area: Geometry
Grade Level: Sophomore (10th Grade)
Objectives:
 The students will be able to understand the differences in the properties of diagonals.
 The students will be able to determine a particular shape when given a certain set of
properties of the diagonals.
Indicators - Common Core Standards:
 HS – G – MG #1: Use geometric shapes, their measures, and their properties to describe
objects.
Prior Knowledge/Prerequisites
 The students should know what it means to have two segments that are perpendicular
bisectors.
 The students should know the properties of certain parallelograms including rectangles,
rhombi and squares.
 The students should know the properties of kites and trapezoids.
Pedagogy
Identify and Discuss Pedagogical Decisions
Assessment
Pre-Assessment
I will conduct a quick pre-assessment of my students during the first few minutes of class
using the quick poll feature of the TI-Nspire CX. It allows the teacher to ask a multiple choice
question to the students. It sends the answer the teacher computer and shows the results of the
quick poll only to the teacher. I will ask the students questions about diagonals using the quick
poll. For example, I will ask them what kind of shape I could make with perpendicular diagonals.
Then I will ask them what kind of shape I can make with diagonals that are bisectors. I will use
this data collected at the beginning of class as a review of what the key terms (bisector,
perpendicular, etc.) mean as well as taking a look at the student response to see what kind of
shapes we can make.
Formative and Summative Assessments
How will you evaluate the students?
Formative – The TI NSpire CX software that comes with the class set of calculators and
the navigator system allows the teacher to see every calculator screen that is in use at any point
in time during the lesson. I will conduct a formative evaluation just by looking at their screens to
see if they understand the process of the lesson and that they are following along.
Summative – After the lesson and unit on quadrilaterals is over, I will give the students a
paper and pencil test where they will have to demonstrate their knowledge of properties of
diagonals and what shapes they can make given certain properties.
Why have you chosen these methods?
I chose these methods because they are both convenient and efficient. The TI navigator
software allows for easy formative assessment while the paper and pencil test allows for students
to show their knowledge applied outside of the calculator.
Is technology used for or included in the evaluation process?
Yes, technology is included in the formative evaluation process using the quick poll
feature of the calculators, but technology is not included in the summative evaluation process.
Pedagogy
How will you share data with students/others and why?
I will share the responses of the quick polls immediately with the students because they
will guide the instruction. After the paper and pencil tests, I will share the percentages with the
students so that they know how they performed in relation to everyone else in the classes.
Models of Instruction/Instructional Strategies
Identify the instructional models or strategies you will use for this plan.
Direct Instruction – I will instruct the students on how to use the calculators and how to
work through the lesson.
Exploratory Learning – the students will work through the lesson on their own so that
they can understand the differences between the shapes and how their diagonals work.
Closing and Reflection – I will discuss their findings so that they can all find out what
everyone explored. The students will discuss with themselves and they will report back to the
rest of the class.
Procedures/Activities
What activities have you planned? Include detailed description of the activities and how the
resources are being used to support learning.
 I will have each student pick up a calculator and a wireless adapter. Each student
will login with their calculator so that they can upload their files onto their
handheld. The students will then open up their document for the lesson. I will
show the students around the calculators and show them where each of the
buttons they will be using are. I will prompt the students to answer a few quick
poll questions to guide the pre-activity discussion. The students will guide
themselves through the document and explore the properties of diagonals and how
they relate to the shapes that they create. Once the students have progressed
through the lesson, the students will then report on their findings to the rest of the
class. This activity will allow the students to drag around diagonals with set
properties so that they make different shapes. The students will see the differences
between the shapes and should recognize patterns of the diagonals and how they
relate to the shapes.
Technology/Resources
Identify and Discuss Technological Decisions
Resources
What resources do you need to support the activities?
 One class set of TI Nspire Calculators
 One TI Navigator Unit
 TI Nspire Teacher Software
Technology/Resources
How do the resources help students achieve the objectives?
The class set of TI Nspire calculators have the functionality to have the students interact
with the shapes that they are studying and learning about.
The TI Navigator unit allows the students to work collaboratively and send images of
their screens to the teacher.
The TI Nspire teacher software allows the instructor to create documents and send them
to the students’ calculators. It allows the teacher to customize the lessons for the students.
Technology Resources
List technology resources and describe specifically why they were chose, how the resources help
students achieve the objectives and how the use will be evaluated.
 One class set of TI Nspire Calculators - The class set of TI Nspire calculators
have the functionality to have the students interact with the shapes that they are
studying and learning about.
 One TI Navigator Unit - The TI Navigator unit allows the students to work
collaboratively and send images of their screens to the teacher.
 TI Nspire Teacher Software - The TI Nspire teacher software allows the instructor
to create documents and send them to the students’ calculators. It allows the
teacher to customize the lessons for the students.
If technology is used for evaluation or data collection, describe how it will be used.
The TI NSpire CX software that comes with the class set of calculators and the navigator
system allows the teacher to see every calculator screen that is in use at any point in time during
the lesson. I will conduct a formative evaluation just by looking at their screens to see if they
understand the process of the lesson and that they are following along.
Lesson Reflection
After learning about TPACK how has this knowledge influenced the way you developed this
lesson?
I have studied TPACK throughout the course of the master’s work for the UA. Before
creating this lesson plan, I knew what was to be done to make it a lesson based on the principals
of TPACK. I had to take into account how the technology connected with the content while
thinking about what the best practice for teaching the content would be.
How is the development of your planning with the use of technology changed in terms of how
you integrate technology into your classroom?
I don’t believe my thoughts on planning for the use of technology has changed because of
this lesson. I have thought and do think that technology should only be a part of any lesson if it
truly enhances learning and understanding. The students deserve to learn through the technology
and learning about the technology. The content should be the underlying theme throughout the
whole lesson.
How do you measure the impact that technology has on your student learning?
It is hard to measure the impact of student learning based solely on the technology. To
understand how the technology affected student learning, I would have to examine a group that
did not have technology to enhance the learning so that I could see the difference in the affect.
Student Examples:
Example screen shot from teacher software:
Student example of screen 1.1:
Student example of screen 1.3:
Student example of screen 1.10: