Saturday, August 2, 2014

QR Code Scavenger Hunt: Lines and Angles

Part of my job next year involves working with a team of teachers on instructional technology.  I've been browsing blogs this summer, gathering ideas for our work next year.  I've been curious lately about activities that involve QR codes, and so I decided to make one so I could think about both the technology and the organizational steps involved.  Below is my first attempt, designed around the vocabulary of angles formed by two lines cut by a transversal.  I also added in review vocabulary such as complementary angles, vertical angles, etc.  All feedback is appreciated.

I've set up this activity so that you can start at any problem number.  The first step is to go to any of these problems, and scan the code to get your first clue.  If you are doing this activity with a class, the following ten papers will be displayed on the walls around the classroom.  Below the pictures in this blogpost is an organizer that students can use to record their work.  If you want to try the scavenger hunt first, scan any of the codes below and get your first clue.  The clue will give you a description for a pair of angles, and then you are to find the picture that meets your description.  When you have located the correct diagram, scan the code below to get your second clue.  Repeat this process until finished.  You can check your answers below when you are finished (or skip ahead if you aren't ready to play with QR codes yet.  An easy to use QR code reader is Inigma).












First things first.  The answer key is as follows:

QR code 1 sends you to problem 10, QR code 10 sends you to problem 7, then to 6, 2, 5, 3, 9, 4, 8, and QR code 8 sends you back to problem 1.  This way you can have students start at any QR code and they can make their way around the room back to where they started.  

The student record keeping sheet consists of a table, with the first row below:


This entry is to be used with the clue that matches diagram 1.  Students will label the diagram with the correct angles.  Next they will write their clue as a statement.  I chose this as a next step because students would be able to refer back to this activity later if needed, and the writing won't take that long.  The third column is a possible extension.  I was thinking to give students a word bank of angle vocabulary, and they can pick from the word bank when choosing the relationship for angles f and g.  This activity has the potential for many extensions.  Please share if you have an idea.

Since this activity focuses on vocabulary and is at the lower level in terms of depth of knowledge, this can be used as an opportunity to incorporate math practice standards.  Set the expectation that students will explain their thinking to a partner as they go through the problems, and count this as part of the activity score. 

I'm sure there are some things that will go wrong when I try this activity in a few months.  One thing I wonder about is whether the diagrams will be too small to have posted on the wall.  This made me wonder if it would be better to have students browse the diagrams as we have in this blogpost.  I also wonder if the conversations will be better if students aren't wandering the classroom.  Students also need to know that the QR code reader needs to be facing the right way.  Sometimes it is the simple details that make the difference!  

Below are the resources if you'd like to try this activity.  And if you try it, please let us know how it goes.



















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