Angles Are All Around Us

Fourth grade has been busy learning about angles.  After learning about lines, line segments and points, they delved into an exploration of right angles, acute angles and obtuse angles.  They learned to use the corner of a piece of paper to identify whether an angle was right, acute or obtuse and practiced making and measuring a variety of angles.

Fourth graders then created each of these types of angles using mini marshmallows and uncooked spaghetti.  Fourth grade families might have seen these come home recently (unless they got eaten first!)

We also ventured outside to search for angles. What could be a better hunting ground than the sidewalks outside the Lower School and gym?  We assigned students to color coded angle teams.  Equipped with sidewalk chalk and a piece of paper for checking the veracity of a right angle, we headed out in search of right, acute and obtuse angles.  Students decided on a key that would allow pedestrians to make sense of their findings.  One revelation students came away with was that if an angle is obtuse on one side of a straight line, it had to be acute on the opposite side.  Our campus sidewalks quickly became walking math puzzle waiting to be solved by those who passed by.