UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST

DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS AND ICT

EDUCATION

EMA 335: DEVELOPMENT OF INSTRUCTIONAL

MATERIALS IN MATHEMATICS

UNIT 5: TEACHING GEOMETRY

Objectives:
1) to begin to develop a sense of area on the
geoboard.
2) to develop a working knowledge of order
attributes with respect to area of triangle,
squares and irregular polygon.
3) to experiment with geometric pattern making.
4) To reflect, translate and rotate points/objects
5) To make symmetric figures.
Activity 1
Make a square on your geoboard. What is its area?
Activity 2
Make a rectangle on your geoboard. What is its area?
Activity 3
Make another right triangle on your geoboard and
determine its area.
Activity 4
Find the area of each figure.

a. 6 sq. units

b. 1 sq. unit

c. 5 sq. units

d. 4.5 sq. units

e. 6 sq. units
Activity 5
Complete this table using figure a, b and d in activity 4.

Figure a Figure b Figure d

Base (b)/ units

Perpendicular height
(h)/units
Area (A) /sq. units

Figure a Figure b Figure d

3 2 3
Base (b)/ units
Perpendicular height 4 1 3
(h)/units
Area (A) /sq. units 6 1 4.5
Activity 6

Observe the values in the table and deduce a

formula for finding the area of the triangle (A) in
terms of the base (b) and the perpendicular height
(h).…………………………………………………

Expected Answer
Area of triangle = 1/2bh
Activity 7
The base and perpendicular height of a triangle are
x cm and (6+ x) cm respectively. Calculate the base
and perpendicular height of the triangle if its area is
8 cm2.
Area of triangle = bh

Therefore
The base is 2 cm and the perpendicular height is 8
cm
 Activity 8
What is the area of the shaded region below?

Area of the shaded region = 16 sq. units - 4 sq. units = 12 sq. units
Activity 9
Find the perimeter of each of the square in
activity 8

The perimeter of the smaller square is 8 units

The perimeter of the bigger square is 16 units

Activity 10
Make similar triangles of areas 1 square unit, 2 square units and 4.5
square units.

2 sq. units
1 square unit
4.5 sq. units
 Activity 11
(a) Make squares of area 4 sq. units, 9 sq. units

(b) Make a rhombus of area 2 sq. units and 13 sq. units.

13 sq. units

2 sq. units

9 sq. units

4 sq. units
 Activity 12
Continue this pattern of right triangles on a 10 x 10 geoboard and complete the
table

Base 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Area (A) 1/2 2 9/2 8 25/2 36/2 49/2 64/2 89/2
Number of boundary pegs 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27
(b)
Number of interior pegs (i) 0 0 1 3 6 10 15 21 28

Activity 13
Write a formula of the area (A) in terms of the number of boundary pegs (b) and the
number of interior pegs (i).
 𝑏
𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 = + 𝑖− 1
2

Activity 14.
Use the formula you have generated in activity 10 find the area of the
following figures.

10
5 + 6 −1=10 𝑠𝑞 .𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑠
8 + 0 −1=1.5 𝑠𝑞 .𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑠 2
+1 −1=4 𝑠𝑞 . 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑠 2
2
Activity 15
a) Draw an isosceles right triangle of equal sides of
3cm on a dotted centimetre paper.

b) Show that the sum of the squares on the two equal

sides of the isosceles triangle is equal to the square
on the third side (hypotenuse).

See the next page for expected answer

Square Dot Paper (1 cm

18 sq.units

9 sq.units

9 sq.units
 Activity 16
(a) Draw a square of sides 4 units on the dotted
sheet below and translate it by the vector
3
 .
  4
 

(b) Rotate your figure in a 900 clockwise

about a point O (2 cm below the figure).

see next slides for expected answer.

Activity 16 (Expected Answer

(a)Draw a square of either 4 sided on the dotted sheet below and translate it by the vector
3
 .
  4

D C
A

D1
A C1 B

A1 B1
 Activity 16 (Expected Answer
(b) Rotate your figure in a 900 clockwise about a point O (2 cm below the figure).

D C
A

A
B

A1 D1
O

B1 C1
Activity 17
a) Draw a square of side 4 cm on a centimetre dotted paper.
Divide the square into exactly two equal halves. Draw more
squares and divide each differently into two equal halves.

b) Use two or more line segments to divide more squares into

two equal halves.

c) Use line segments to divide a square into two equal but non
symmetric halves.
 Activity 17 (Expected Answer
•Draw a square of side 4 cm on a centimetre dotted paper. Divide the square into exactly two
equal halves. Draw more squares and divide each differently into two equal halves.

•Use two or more line segments to divide more squares into two equal halves.

•Use line segments to divide a square into two equal but non symmetric halves.
Activity 18
a) Make a shape with paper, not more than 3 cm long and 2 cm wide, with two
sides perpendicular.

b) Trace the outline on two intersecting vertical and horizontal lines. Reflect the
shape in both lines. What kind of symmetrical shape have you created?
c) Place the shape in 18a in different position and repeat reflections in 18a.
d) Place the shape in 18a around the sides of a square and trace the outline. What
kind of figure do you have?
e) Place the shape in 4a around the sides of an equilateral triangle and trace the
outline. What kind of figure do you have?
SQUAR
E