A WebQuest for Middle School Math Students
Designed by
David Dander
Introduction | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits |
Introduction
Any closed shape on a plane with three
or more sides is a polygon. Examples
of some common polygons include
triangles, rectangles, squares,
pentagons, hexagons, octagons,
rhombuses and trapezoids. Polygons
are regular if all the sides of the
polygon are congruent (the same
length) and all the interior angles are
congruent (the same measure). If
however, the sides of a polygon are not
all the same or if the angles are not all
congruent, then it is called an irregular
polygon.
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The Process
Task 1) Part A
For questions 1-3 use information by from the link below.
http://www.teachers-connection.net/misc/quest/Wqstu.htm
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RIGHT CLICK ON LINK AND SELECT “OPEN HYPERLINK”
 WHAT'S A POLYGON? 
1. Explain why a cube is not a polygon.
2. Determine if this shape is a polygon or not and explain your answer.
3. Explain why a circle is not a polygon.
Have you ever wondered where the names for the different
polygons came from?
All the polygons start with prefixes that mean a certain number in
the Greek language. The chart below gives examples of how these
prefixes are the beginnings of the words we have for polygons,
angles, rulers of countries, length in the metric system, groups and
events.
Table 2: Greek-Prefixed Numerical Words
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Numeral
en
dyo/duo/di
treis, tria
tessera
pente
hexa
hepta
okto
9 ennea
10 deka
Prefix
mono
di/dy
tri
tetra
penta
hex
hept
oct
Polygon
N/A
N/A
triangle
tetragon
pentagon
hexagon
heptagon
octagon
enneagon,
ennea
nonagon
dec(a) decagon
Polyhedron
N/A
N/A
N/A
tetrahedron
pentahedron
hexahedron
heptahedron
octohedron
Angle
N/A
N/A
triangle
quadrangle
pentangle
hexangle
heptangle
octangle
Ruler
monarch
diarch, dyarch
triarch
tetrarch
pentarch
hexarch
heptarch
octarch
Meter
N/A
dimeter
trimeter
tetrameter
pentameter
hexameter
heptameter
octameter
Group
monad
dyad
triad
tetrad
pentad
hexad
heptad
octad
enneahedron *enneangle *ennearch
*enneameter ennead
decahedron
decameter
decangle
decarch
Event
N/A
biathlon
triathlon
tetrathlon
pentathlon
*hexathlon
heptathlon
*octathlon
*enneathlon
decad(e) decathlon
Task 1) Part B
Use information in the table above to identify the names of each of the types of
polygons in column #1 of the chart below.
Refer to the definitions below to answer each question in columns 4,5 & 6 of the
chart below.
http://www.teachers-connection.net/misc/quest/Wqstu.htm
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A Regular Polygon is a polygon for which all of its sides of
are congruent
(the same length) and all the interior angles are congruent
(the same measure).
(For example, a regular quadrilateral is referred to as a square.)
Similar Polygons are two or more polygons for which all
corresponding angles are congruent and all corresponding
sides are proportional in size.(For example, in the chart below,
the triangles in column 3 of the chart below is similar to the triangle in
column 5. They are both equilateral triangles with angles measuring
60˚ and each of the side lengths of the triangle in column 3 is twice the
side length of the corresponding side of the triangle in column 5.)
Congruent Polygons are polygons for which all
corresponding angles are congruent and all corresponding
sides are congruent.
http://www.teachers-connection.net/misc/quest/Wqstu.htm
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Column
Column
1
2
Use the chart Number
above to find of sides
the missing
names of the
polygons?
Column
3
Figures
Column
4
Is the polygon in
Column 3 a
regular polygon
or an
irregular
polygon?
Column
Column
5
6
Is the
Is the
polygon in
polygon in
this column this column
similar to
congruent to
the polygon the polygon
in Column in Column 3?
3?
Triangle
3
Regular Polygon
Or
Irregular Polygon
yes or no
yes or no
Quadrilateral
4
Regular Polygon
Or
Irregular Polygon
yes or no
yes or no
5
Regular Polygon
Or
Irregular Polygon
yes or no
yes or no
6
Regular Polygon
Or
Irregular Polygon
yes or no
yes or no
7
Regular Polygon
Or
Irregular Polygon
yes or no
yes or no
Octagon
8
Regular Polygon
Or
Irregular Polygon
yes or no
yes or no
Nonagon
9
Regular Polygon
Or
Irregular Polygon
yes or no
yes or no
Also referred to as a
Tetragon
also referred to a an
Enneagon
http://www.teachers-connection.net/misc/quest/Wqstu.htm
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Regular Polygon
Or
Irregular Polygon
yes or no
yes or no
Task 2
Click on the link below to answer the questions that follow.
http://www.teachers-connection.net/misc/quest/Wqstu.htm
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RIGHT CLICK ON LINK AND SELECT “OPEN HYPERLINK”
 TEST WHAT YOU KNOW

“What shape is a …” IN THE SECTION LABELED
“MathsNet Sketches”.
THEN CLICK THE TAB THAT SAYS,
Experiment with the various shapes to answer these questions:
1.
What is the difference between an equilateral triangle and an isosceles
triangle?
2.
When can a kite be a rhombus?
3.
When can a rhombus be a square?
4.
What does a rectangle have that a parallelogram doesn’t have to have?
5.
When is a quadrilateral also a trapezoid or trapezium
6.
Which of the following are quadrilaterals?
a. a kite
b. a rhombus
c. a parallelogram
d. a rectangle
e. a trapezium or trapezoid
NOW CLICK THE TAB THAT SAYS,
“MathsNet Sketches”.
SELECT
“Investigate” IN THE SECTION LABELED
“Types of Quadrilaterals” AND SEE HOW YOU DO WITH THIS QUIZ.
IF YOU THOUGHT THAT WAS EASY THEN SELECT “Types
HOW YOU DO.
of Triangles” AND SEE
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http://www.teachers-connection.net/misc/quest/Wqstu.htm
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Evaluation
Task 1
0
1
2
3
Did not complete any of the
task correctly
Completed one question
correctly.
Completed two question
correctly
Completed three questions correctly.
Com
Did not complete any of the
task correctly
Completed one question
correctly.
Completed two or three
questions correctly.
Completed four questions
correctly.
Com
Students will accurately
answer all the questions in
the task
Task 2
Students will accurately
answer all the questions in
the task
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Conclusion
You have now practiced with and investigated many types of polygons. You know
where the names for polygons came from, how to distinguish between regular and
irregular polygons and how to differentiate between several individual polygons such as
triangles and quadrilaterals. So when you become old and gray and someone tells you
that you’re a rhombus with equal angles, you’ll know what you’ve really just been called!
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Credits & References
Task 1 link, “What’s a Polygon”:
http://www.mathsteacher.com.au/year7/ch09_polygons/05_polygon/pol.htm
Task 2 link, “Test What You Know”:
http://www.mathsnet.net/dynamic/cindy/index.html
http://www.teachers-connection.net/misc/quest/Wqstu.htm
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Irregular polygon chart:
polygonshttp://jwilson.coe.uga.edu/EMT668/EMAT6680.F99/Estes/Unit/Day1/polygons
3.html3.html
Table of Greek prefixes:
http://phrontistery.info/numbers.html
Web site format
Put the Title of the Lesson Here.doc
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Based on a template from The WebQuest Page
http://www.teachers-connection.net/misc/quest/Wqstu.htm
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