Last year my good friend and collaborator, Steve Kelly, came up with a phenomenal activity for trig verification. However, he implemented it a few weeks after I had already completed that unit in my class. This year, as we approached simplification and verification I made sure to borrow his activity and it’s definitely worth sharing.
It’s difficult to share the materials for this activity but I will try to explain it as clearly as possible. Students break into groups of 2 to 3. They then choose one of six folders, which each contain a different verification problem. The folder contains all the steps to the problem on separate sheets of paper. The students then have to organize the the steps in the correct order to complete the proof. (This was done on the floor in order to have enough space to show all the steps.) Once they think they have all the steps in the right order, they must get it checked with the teacher. If it is correct, they go grab another problem and work through it in the same way. Once they complete all the problems they move on to collaborative whiteboard work, then independent work.
I put this activity right after my students got through simplification. This was their first exposure to verification. I liked that for their first exposure to the topic they had all the steps they needed and had to reason their way to the solution in a collaborative situation. This meant no students felt in over their head or completely stuck. Also, they were able to see some of the techniques play out, without a formal lecture on the common techniques.
Here are a few pictures from the activity. If you have any questions about how it went or any feedback please let me know! Also, if you aren’t following Steve on Twitter already make sure to give him a follow! This is just one of his brilliant ideas!
UPDATE: Here are all the materials for the activity, including the instructions, whiteboard problems, and colored stations.
Reflections on Holes in Graphs and Reasoning 