The Concept Comparison Routine was a good Introduction review to Area and Perimeter. It was a good way for the students to show what they remembered about the concepts, as well as reinforce the usage of the new formula sheet. The students were able to go over the formulas and look for similarities and differences as they were completing the routine. This helped them to "dissect" the formulas.
What went well?The students were engaged during the process of completing the Concept Comparison Routine. They were eager to look for similarities and differences between area and perimeter even though the concepts are simple for pre-algebra students. By completing the routine, the students were able to dig deeper and look at the concepts from a different perspective and actually look for commonalities and differences.
What went wrong?By spending so much time on the Concept Comparison Routine, it took longer to get to the 8th grade part of the SOL, calculating area and perimeter of composite figures. The students will know the difference between area and perimeter, and this will help them when solving word problems, but they had difficulty with the actual solving of the math problems themselves.
What to Improve?This routine might be better served to be used with a concept that is more abstract in math, like sets of numbers in the real number system. Students have a hard time grasping this because they cannot see how the sets relate to one another. A Concept Comparison Chart might help to clear up the confusion.
What went well?The students were engaged during the process of completing the Concept Comparison Routine. They were eager to look for similarities and differences between area and perimeter even though the concepts are simple for pre-algebra students. By completing the routine, the students were able to dig deeper and look at the concepts from a different perspective and actually look for commonalities and differences.
What went wrong?By spending so much time on the Concept Comparison Routine, it took longer to get to the 8th grade part of the SOL, calculating area and perimeter of composite figures. The students will know the difference between area and perimeter, and this will help them when solving word problems, but they had difficulty with the actual solving of the math problems themselves.
What to Improve?This routine might be better served to be used with a concept that is more abstract in math, like sets of numbers in the real number system. Students have a hard time grasping this because they cannot see how the sets relate to one another. A Concept Comparison Chart might help to clear up the confusion.