Disciplinary Text-Set

I have collected a text set of 8 different non-fiction texts related to finding the volume of different shapes. These texts could be used to build background knowledge and/or supplement any lesson related to volume in the geometry content area. (Note: For complexity info I used a resource called Story Toolz that I found easy to use and it mostly agreed with what I thought for each text's difficulty level.)

TEXT 1

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Bibliographic Info: "What Is Geometry? When Do You Use It In The Real World?" TeAchnology. Teachnology, Inc., Web Access. 20 July 2014. <http%253A%252F%252Fwww.teach-nology.com%252Fteachers%252Fsubject_matter%252Fmath%252Fgeometry%252F>.

Summary: This is an article I found online that describes the importance of using geometry in the real world. I began with this text in my text set because it focuses on the "big picture" of geometry that encompasses a wide range of ideas within. This article mentions the importance of volume and how it is used in the real world. "The most basic form of geometry is the so called Euclidean geometry. Lengths, areas, and volumes are dealt here."

Complexity: The Story Toolz text complexity of this text was about 10th grade, although I think if properly introduced this text could be used anywhere from 9th-12th grade. Some of the main concepts of how geometry is used in the real world may be unfamiliar to students. While the wording and sentence structure is relatively easy, the concepts and main ideas are what make this text a little more challenging for some students. Additionally, there are no visuals included with this text which may have helped make it easier to understand certain topics.

Why Use This Text? This text would be great as an introduction to any geometrical concept. It discusses where geometry can be seen in the real world and summarizes many different aspects of geometry. It would be great to use to get students excited and interested in the topic! That being said, it could also be utilized at the end of a geometry class to summarize what has been taught. With a better knowledge base of geometry students will be able to see how what they've learned is applicable. Either way, this text would be a great resource in a geometry classroom.

Questions for Students to Consider: Which of these examples are you already familiar with?  Likewise, which are you unfamiliar with that you would like described/clarified? Can you think of any other real-world examples of where geometry is use? How about specific to the idea of volume?

TEXT 2

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Bibliographic Info: "Solid Geometry Wiki." Web log post. Solid Geometry Wiki. William K. Bradford Publishing Company, 2005. Web. 20 July 2014. <http://solid-geometry.wikia.com/wiki/Solid_Geometry_Wiki>.

Summary: This is a handy table that shows 6 important volume formulas including that of a cube, rectangular prism, sphere, right circular cylinder, right circular cone, and right square prism.

Complexity: Some important things to consider in something like a table or image like this one are the font size and colors (since there are few words). Since volume formulas are typically learned in any grade from about 7-10th grade I am giving this a wide score for complexity. If I had to choose, it is about a 2 on my personal complexity scale of 1 to 5 (1 being the least complex). The large font and well-organized nature of this text are why I gave it a 2. Depending on when the students are learning these formulas, the complexity of this text would differ (according to the grades I mentioned previously).

Why Use This Text? I think this text would be a great supplement for any geometry classroom that is learning about volume. Since it covers a number of common shapes it would be useful to have displayed somewhere in the room or for each student to have a copy of it somewhere with them. It is a quick and easy reference tool that is relatively easy to follow along with (see complexity rating above).

Questions for Students to Consider: What are some similarities you notice between the different formulas? Can you describe what each variable in the formulas stands for? Do you see any references to AREA within these volume formulas?

TEXT 3

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Bibliographic Info: Pachuta, Rebecca M. "Blog 3 Screencast: Exploring Volume." YouTube. YouTube, 16 July 2014. Web. 20 July 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke8n2ep4tc8>.

Summary: This is the video I created and featured in my blog post from last week titled Visualizing Meaning via Screencast. It goes through 4 important volume formulas of a rectangular prism, cylinder, cone, and sphere. Each component of the formulas is mentioned and labeled. It also goes into detail about what exactly pi is and how it can be used in a volume formula.

Complexity: I am giving this video a similar complexity rating to Text 2, above. Again, since volume formulas are typically learned in any grade from about 7th to 10th grade I am giving this a wide complexity rating. If I had to choose, it is about a 2.5 on my personal complexity scale of 1 to 5 (1 being the least complex). The large font, easy to see graphics (rotating figures, for example), and in-depth descriptions are why I gave it a 2.5. The additional .5 was because of the explanation of pi, which makes this text a little more challenging than Text 2. Likewise, depending on when the students are learning these formulas, the complexity of this text would differ (according to the grades I mentioned previously).

Why Use This Text? This text is useful because it is something students can use on their own for clarification and further explanation. As a video, it is a little more exciting than simply reading these formulas in a text book. Each shape's volume formula is described in detail and would be a useful tool for any student learning about the different volume formulas one may encounter in a geometry classroom.

Questions for Students to Consider: What are some similarities you notice between the different formulas? What is the relationship of pi to a circle?  What abbreviation of pi is most common when utilizing these volume formulas?

TEXT 4

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Bibliographic Info: "Volume of Mixed Shapes." Math Worksheets 4 Kids (2014): n. pag. Web. 20 July 2014. <http://www.mathworksheets4kids.com/volume/mixed-prism-level2-hard3.pdf>.

Summary: This is a worksheet composed of 9 different 3D shapes in which students are to find the volumes of. The shapes are shown directly on the paper and all dimensions are given.

Complexity: As an exercise or assessment tool in the classroom I would rate this a 3 on a scale of 1 to 5 (same conditions as previous texts above). I had to rate this on my own scale because this text was composed mostly of images and the only words on the page were the values given for the dimensions. I am considering this text a 3 because students are going to need some prior knowledge about calculating volumes before they can complete the worksheet. If I were to choose a grade level for this text to be used I think it would be best suited for a high school geometry class - so around 9th or 10th grade - because of the number of different shapes used. As an assessment tool this text is easier to rate as a quantitative assessment of how much the student knows about finding volume.

Why Use This Text? This text is a good practice activity for the students or can even be used as an assessment tool. This text would be used after the students have gained some knowledge about how to calculate the volumes of formulas. I like how there are different shapes represented and each is labeled well. This will give the teacher an idea of how much their students know.

Questions for Students to Consider: What formulas are you using to calculate volume for the different shapes? Is any extra information needed for the shapes in order for you to complete the problems? (Such as needing to know the correct volume formulas).

TEXT 5

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Bibliographic Info: "The Perfect Fit: Take-Home Activity 3." Teachers. Scholastic Inc., 2014. Web. 20 July 2014. <http://www.scholastic.com/content/collateral_resources/pdf/smp/actuarial/actuarial4_activity3.pdf>.

Summary: This is a take-home activity in which students analyze items they have at home and apply volume formulas. One example is having the students calculate the volume of their bedroom and closet. There is even a bonus activity included at the bottom that has students working backwards to find the height of a can of juice if they are given its radius and volume.

Complexity: Using Story Toolz I found that the readability of this text averages about a 6th grade level. While the reading is easy, the students will find this text more challenging if they are not properly  focused and aware of the geometry/volume references being asked of them. On a personal scale I rate this a 3 for similar reasons to my 4th text above. Students are going to need some prior knowledge about calculating volumes before they can complete the problem set on their own. If I were to choose a grade level for this text to be used I think it would be best suited for a high school geometry class - so around 9th or 10th grade as mentioned above - because of what is being asked of the students. There are some visuals in the text which is helpful for giving the students an idea of what to do. The text also provides formulas for the students to use which helps to make it less complex than if the volume formulas were not given.

Why Use This Text? I think this text would be a fantastic activity and project for students to do once they have learned how to apply volume formulas. It is challenging in that it gets them to think outside the box. They are looking at real-life examples, not just 3D shapes drawn 2D on a piece of paper. It doesn't get any better than seeing what you've learned being applied to real life (Something a math teacher would definitely say!).

Questions for Students to Consider: What other objects around your home do you know how to find the volume of? Which part of the problem set was most challenging for you to complete? Did you have fun figuring out the volume of places that you spend a lot of time in? Using the methods and tools you had for these problems, what is the volume of our classroom?

TEXT 6

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Bibliographic Info: "Volume Conversion Table." Volume Conversion Table: Milliliter Liter Cubic Feet Pint Quart Gallon Barrel Cubic Meter. GlobeFeed, 2009. Web. 20 July 2014. <http://metricunitconversion.globefeed.com/Volume_Conversion_Table.asp>.

Summary: This text is a volume conversion table that includes milliliter, liter, cubic meter, cubic inch, cubic foot, pint, quart, gallon, and fluid ounce information. The volume conversion factors are not exact and some of them are rounded to limit the number of digits. The text also includes two examples that can be used to help one understand how to use the table.

Complexity: According to Story Toolz the average grade level for readability of this text is "grade 15" or college, as I know it. One reason I think Story Toolz rated this text so high was many different units were used - both metric units and English units. It also might be challenging for students to figure out how to actually use the table which makes it more complex. I think with proper focusing and directions high school geometry students will be able to utilize the table. A teacher would have to go through a number of examples with them, perhaps, but it is definitely doable. When I was in high school I know we learned about how to "read" and interpret tables, so I have faith that other high school students can successfully use this text as a resource. Because of the complexity and different nature of this text I give it a personal rating of 4 - meaning it is challenging, yet learnable.

Why Use This Text? I think this text could be used as a great resource in the geometry classroom when learning about volume. It brings up great info about conversions and the different units that can all be used to measure volume. This text opens up many ideas and could be supplemented with different problems and examples to help students consider types of measurement they have not before. Additionally, this text could be used in other math or science classes. So by introducing this text to students and teaching them how to properly utilize it, a teacher would give them access to knowledge that they can apply elsewhere.

Questions for Students to Consider: Which measurement types in this table are you unfamiliar with? Can anyone show me how to convert ______ to ______. (Fill in the blank with any measurement unit!). Where might you see similar tables to this? What other kind of conversion tables do you think exist for other types of measurement?

TEXT 7

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Bibliographic Info: "Base (geometry)." Definition of Base (geometry). MathIsFun, 2014. Web. 20 July 2014. <http://www.mathsisfun.com/definitions/base-geometry-.html>.

Summary: This text describes the meaning of a base in geometry. Specifically referring to finding the volume of 3D shapes. This text includes a short written definition as well as a couple pictures to aid in the description. (This resource can be used for other math-related definitions, I chose base because it is very relevant to volume and this specific text set).

Complexity: The average readability grade level that Story Toolz gave for this text was 6th grade. I would have to agree that the readability of the text is at that level. That being said, you could easily use this in a high school geometry class to give students a reminder of this definition. It is a tool for them to use rather than a text for them to analyze and gain deep insight. For my personal scale I would rate this a 2. The pictures aid in understanding and clarification while the vocab is reasonable. If students had a little geometry background knowledge (such as the geometry they would learn in middle school) they would be able to use this text and most likely would not find it too complex.

Why Use This Text? This text would be a great additional resource for students in a geometry classroom (or any math class, for that matter). Having access to these definitions that include picture descriptions along with the written description has potential to be very helpful. This text would serve as something supplementary to whatever is being learned in the classroom at the time and it is easy to use.

Questions for Students to Consider: What other volume-related vocab words can you find on this website? What other shapes can you think of that have 1 base? How about 2 bases?

TEXT 8

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Bibliographic Info: "Volume." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 22 July 2014. Web. 23 July 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volume>.

Summary: This is the Wikipedia page for Volume. It includes some useful introductory material as to what volume is and why people use it. It contains a lot of information about the units related to volume as well as more about volume formulas and even volume formula derivations for the more advanced viewers.

Complexity: The complexity of this text according to Story Toolz is a readability of grade level 14 (college). I think this is because of the dense information that encompasses a wide variety of volume. Derivations, for example, are very complex compared to just the volume formulas on their own. Though difficult, this text could be used in a high school geometry class if introduced appropriately. Perhaps even only utilizing the information that was relevant to what was being taught at that time. I would rate it a 4 on my personal scale (from 1 to 5) because it is a challenging text full of a lot of information.

Why Use This Text? This text would be useful in giving students important background information on volume. It encompasses a lot of information and could be used in any way the teacher saw to be useful. Certain parts could be taken out of the text and analyzed on their own or the text in its entirety could be shown to an advanced class looking for a challenge.

Questions for Students to Consider: What info in this text are you familiar with? Does anything in this text strike you that you would like to learn more about? What can you tell me about the different units used for volume?

These texts would work well together in a geometry classroom that was focused on finding the volume of any 3D shape. Together the texts act as resources, tools, and examples/problem sets for calculating volume. I hope that I was helpful in creating some ideas for a geometry classroom studying volume!