Download Document 8402420

 Dear Parents and Caregivers, Thank you for the support you give your child in learning mathematics. We would like to share some information to help you better understand Arizona’s College and Career Ready Standards. This is one in our series of letters intended to help you understand the work your child brings home. We will highlight some new language and strategies we will use to build understanding, help children make sense of numbers, and know the common methods we learned in school. This letter is about basic terms used in fourth grade geometry. End-­‐of-­‐year goals Your child will learn about some basic aspects of geometry in fourth grade, as explained in the chart that follows. Students will identify these characteristics in two-­‐dimensional (flat) figures. For more information on angles and triangles, please see the fourth grade parent letter titled “Angles and Triangles”. These are some basic terms for fourth grade geometry. Point: A point has no length, width, or height and is shown by a dot. We use an upper case letter to name a point. A point can be called point P. An example is a dot on a clock or a decimal point. •P
X
A Y Y
m Line: A line has no start and no end. The arrows indicate that it goes on forever, infinitely, in both directions and so cannot be measured. A line can be named by using one lowercase letter. For example, line m. Another way is to label two points on the line with capital letters and call it, for example, line XY. Y
B X
X
Line segment: Line segments are parts of those endless lines but they have beginnings and ends. These lengths can, therefore, be measured. A real world example is t h e line segment that shows the length of a book. Use any two upper case letters to name the two endpoints of a line segment A and B (see figure to the left). This line segment can also be called BA. Ray: Part of a line that has one endpoint and goes endlessly in one direction. An example is a ray of sunlight, originating from the sun (endpoint) and then extending infinitely into space. A ray is named by its endpoint and another point on the ray. The top drawing is the Ray XY. The bottom is the Ray YX. Ray XY is NOT the same as Ray YX since their endpoints are not the same and they extend in different directions. Mesa Public Schools/Grade 4/ Geometry/2013 Authorization to reprint or disseminate must be granted by Mesa Public Schools (February-­‐2014). vertex
acute angle
obtuse angle
right angle
X Y M N X M N Y Angles are formed when two rays have a common endpoint. The common endpoint is c a l l e d the vertex. The two rays are called the sides of the angle. Angles can be classified according to the m e a s u r e s of the angles. Angles formed by perpendicular lines make a ”square” corner, measure 90° and are called right angles. Angles whose measures are less than 90° are acute. Angles whose measures are greater than 90° are obtuse. Angles whose measures are exactly 180° are called straight angles. You can help your child recognize and identify angles in the real world. • Open the cover of a book or a pair of pliers just a little to form an acute angle. • A recliner chair leaning back forms an obtuse angle. So does a book opened wide but not flat. • Walls form right angles when they meet the floor and ceiling. Picture frames and notebook paper usually have four right angles. • Straight angles are lines. Parallel lines are on the same plane but will never touch nor meet. In words we say, “ Line XY is parallel to line MN.” Symbolically, we can write XY // MN. Ask your child to identify parallel lines around them. • Sides of a door, drawer, TV set, window, book, and napkin are parallel. • Railroad and light-­‐rail tracks are parallel. Perpendicular lines form right angles when they meet. In words, we say, “Line XY is perpendicular to line MN.” Symbolically, we can write XY MN. Ask your child to find perpendicular lines around them. • Where walls meet floor, table top meets legs, • Find them in ladders, graph paper, street maps, and boxes. How to help at home •
Ask your child to point out and give real-­‐world examples of where they can see angles, rays, parallel lines, and perpendicular lines. These are abstract concepts so it is important to help students make connections to real-­‐world representations. •
•
Discuss with your child the mathematics that he/she is learning. Remember, making mistakes is a part of learning. Mesa Public Schools/Grade 4/ Geometry/2013 Authorization to reprint or disseminate must be granted by Mesa Public Schools (February-­‐2014).