Math 67-211
Syllabus
Spring 2008
Instructor: Dr. Carol Seaman
Office: 111 Swart
E-mail contact: seaman@uwosh.edu
Phone: 424-1059
Office hours: 10:20am–11:20 MTWF or by appointment (don’t hesitate to ask – we will find a time
that works!)
Textbook: BIG Ideas in Mathematics for Future Elementary Teachers: Big Ideas in Geometry,
Carol Seaman & Jennifer Szydlik (available in the Bookstore)
Materials: Compass, protractor, scissors, and straightedge; tracing and graph/grid paper
Prerequisite: Math 67-110 with a grade of C or better.
Website: You will find the course site on D2L. Please check it regularly for course information,
assignments, announcements, and grades.
Welcome to Math 211, Fundamentals of Geometry and Measurement for Elementary and Special
Education Programs. Section 002 meets MWF from 9:10 to 10:10 am in Swart 325.
Course Outline & Goals
In this course you will have the opportunity to learn about geometry by doing geometry. This course
is first and foremost a content course. We will cover such topics as constructions, polygons,
polyhedra, tessellations, symmetry, motions, and measurement. The course will cover topics that are
intended to increase your mathematical awareness as well as topics you need to master to become
effective teachers of geometry in the elementary school.
Our approach will be intuitive and investigative and will center on problem solving. It is important
as future teachers to have the opportunity to hone your problem solving skills. Successful students
will be involved in investigation, questioning, and conjecturing. Reasoning, making arguments, and
writing about mathematics will also be important components. A course objective is for students to
gain an appreciation for the beauty, the importance, and the necessity of the teaching and learning of
mathematics. In addition, it is important to develop your mathematical background so that you may
successfully complete the requirements to earn a degree in elementary or special education.
Another goal for this course is for students to become more confident in tackling large problems and
in assessing the quality of their arguments independently (of the instructor). The problems you will
work on in this class will not be exactly like examples you’ve seen, and they will not be
immediately solvable. You will need to spend more time than you might expect simply
understanding what a problem is asking for! Most problems will require you to collect data from
several examples that you will choose yourself, or to investigate the definitions of concepts word by
word. You will need to visualize geometrical objects both in the plane and in three dimensions, as
well as to transform them and generalize from them.
In addition (as in other classes as well) I hope you continue to develop: (1) effective written and oral
communication skills; (2) skills related to critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity; (3) the
ability to understand symbol systems and use quantitative methods; and (4) inductive and deductive
reasoning skills.
Class time will be a combination of problem solving, group activities, mini-lecture, and discussion of
pre-assigned reading and exercises. Students will be expected to present solutions to problems, make
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conjectures and arguments, and provide summaries of activities for their classmates. It is important
that you come to class prepared to participate. Poor attendance, poor participation, and poor grades
usually go hand-in-hand. Besides, there is a grade penalty for excessive absences.
Assessment
We will have three exams – each worth approximately 20% of your course grade. The tentative dates
for the exams will be: March 6-7, April 10-11, and May 15-16. These exams will be offered over a
two-day period in the Testing Center, allowing you some scheduling flexibility and unlimited (up to 2
hours) test-taking time. Do not schedule travel or appointments that conflict with any of these dates.
In cases of extreme emergency, serious illness, or school-sponsored activity, if I am notified by the
scheduled exam day, you may make up one missed exam. I will give these make-up exams on
Friday, May 9, 2008 only.
Quizzes, written group and individual assignments, and class participation (includes regular
attendance, asking and answering questions based on reading assignments, participation in class
discussion of problems, active involvement in classroom group work, completion of non-graded
assignments, and utilizing office hours) will compose the other 40% of your grade. Each written
assignment (both individual and group projects) collected will be worth from 10 to 25 points. There
will be short unannounced quizzes based on homework reading and class notes, each worth 5 points.
Your class participation will be worth up to a possible 50 points. There will be no make-up quizzes,
and I will not accept assignments after the due date. However, assignments and quizzes may be
turned in early if your absence is caused by a school-sponsored activity or discussed with me in
advance.
The grading scale will be approximately as follows:
A:
94 – 100%
AB: 89 – 93%
B:
81 – 88%
BC: 78 – 80%
C:
68 – 77% (68 – 70% will revert to CD if participation is not close to 50 pts.)
D:
60 – 67%
F:
0 – 59%
You are expected to attend all classes. Excessive (more than three hours) absences will affect your
participation grade. If you are absent because of extenuating circumstances, it is your responsibility
to be in touch with me in a timely fashion. You are responsible for all material covered in class and
for all assignments (including readings), whether present or absent from a particular class meeting.
You may always check the course site on D2L or contact me by email for current assignments, due
dates, and announcements you may have missed.
Assignments
It is important that you read the text and other materials assigned. You should read about a topic
ahead of the classroom activities on it. This allows you to be prepared to digest what is presented and
gives you the opportunity to ask questions about ideas you struggled with in the reading. After each
class, you should go back through the section covered and review through rereading. You are
responsible for all material in reading assignments, whether discussed in class or not.
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Approximately every two weeks you will have a written assignment to turn in for evaluation. These
assignments will come from problems found in your text or the notes and occasionally from outside
sources. Problems solutions must be complete and well organized, with the mathematics explained.
The “why does this solution make mathematical sense?” question must always be addressed.
At times I will give assignments that are to be completed for participation points only. More
information about these assignments will be provided in class.
You are highly encouraged to work together on written assignments. Work together, learn from each
other, discuss the problems and concepts, investigate proposed solutions, but then be able to write up
the solutions on your own and in your own words. You may be given the choice to turn in written
homework assignments individually or in groups of 2 or 3 students on some assignments. If you
choose to work as part of a group it will be your responsibility to ensure that each member
contributes a reasonable share of the work toward the completed write-up, and that each member
understands all the solutions completely. All students in a particular group will receive the same
grade for the assignment.
There will be group projects assigned during the semester. These will also be written assignments
that are to be prepared according to the attached guidelines. These projects will differ from the other
written assignments in four ways: they are required to be done in groups, they are problems requiring
more intensive investigation, the write-up requirements are more extensive, and you will be given
one hour during class time to work on the project.
Simply reading or doing the homework doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve really learned the material.
You should be reflecting on what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. What is the process or
concept? How did we develop the process or concept? In what contexts does the process make
sense? How is this process or concept related to the other ideas in the course? Thinking and doing is
more effective than just doing. Mathematics is a subject that requires work, practice, reflection, and
concentration. Expect to spend a minimum of six to nine hours per week outside of class engaged
with the wonders of geometry.
An Invitation
Finally, let me encourage each of you to spend time with me during office hours. Good students take
advantage of the opportunity for one-on-one time with their instructors. We can talk about your
course concerns, about homework assignments, about quizzes and exams, or explore some aspect of
geometry or teaching you find exciting or challenging. My time is your time during office hours and
appointments to fit your schedule are always possible. Each of you is welcome! At other times, take
advantage of e-mail. I promise to check and answer e-mail each day – provided the system is “up!”
I am looking forward to an exciting semester of geometry.
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