Parallel Lines Cut by a Transversal

I have always had a problem with remembering the proper terminology in math. Especially when it comes to the angles made by parallel lines and a transversal line. In class, we were given a few handouts that we put in our notebooks and they help you to define all the angles. I don't remember receiving any type of handouts in elementary school regarding transversal lines. A color-coded, easy-to-read, diagram that we could keep in our notebooks would have been extremely helpful when I initially learned this. Below I have attached a photo of the diagram from my notebook. I coordinated the colors with my definitions so they would be easy to identify.
If a transversal line cuts through a set of parallel lines, then the pairs of corresponding angles are congruent. Alternate interior angles and alternate exterior angles are congruent as well. Of course, none of this makes sense without knowing the proper definitions.
A transversal line is a line that intersects two or more lines at different points.
Corresponding Angles are two angles that lie on the same side of the transversal in corresponding positions on different lines.
Alternate Interior Angles are angles that lie on opposite sides of the transversal inside the parallel lines.
Alternate Exterior Angles lie on opposite sides of the transversal outside the parallel lines.
Vertical Angles are two angles whose sides form opposite rays.
Consecutive Interior Angles or Same Side Interior Angles are angles that lie on the same side of the transversal between two lines. ** These two angles add up to 180° **
Same Side Exterior Angles are angles that are on the same side and they add up to 180°.
Supplementary Angles are two or more angles that add up to 180°. 
The sum of two Complementary Angles is 90°.

Gumdrop Polyhedrons

The last station I visited during my last math class was station 2. This station was by far the most fun and it was the quickest. We had to make the polyhedrons we had identified at previous stations out of gumdrops and toothpicks. The shape I decided on was a triangular prism. A triangular prism is a five faced shape composed of two triangle bases and three rectangular sides. It also has six vertices, nine edges and is the basic shape of a roof. If and when I do this activity in class, I would give them a sheet for each polyhedron they needed to create and they would need to list three real life objects similar to a sheet we did in a previous station.
I used nine gumdrops and twelve toothpicks to make my triangular prism. If I used six gumdrops and nine toothpicks, I would have a pyramid so it is important to remember that a rectangle means the shape is longer. This is another hands-on activity that would allow the student to physically manipulate the shape and see the vertices and edges. I really enjoyed this station because you got to eat the gumdrops after you were done. Below is a photo of my rectangular Prism

Polyhedron Foldables

During our last class period, we got to do several activities. The first station I went to was station 3 and it had four different unfolded shapes that we had to cut out, fold and identify on fact sheets. Now, this activity can be very challenging if you have difficulty thinking spatially. I am fortunately pretty good at thinking that way, so the cube I had was easy to make. The octahedron was by far the hardest one because we didn't really understand what three-dimensional shape it was supposed to become. I really enjoyed this activity because it's hands-on and you get to build something.
Being able to hold the shape in your hands really helps with keeping track of the vertices and edges especially when it is a shape bigger than an octahedron. I know that I had a hard time working at station 1 with ipads because it had two shapes bigger than an octahedron and it was really hard to try and figure out how many vertices and edges they had since it wasn't tangible. Below are the classifications for each three-dimensional shape.

A cube is composed of six square faces, eight vertices, and twelve edges.
A Pyramid has one square face as the base and four triangle faces, five vertices, and five edges.
A Tetrahedron consists of four triangle faces, four vertices, and six edges.
An octahedron is made up of eight triangular faces, twelve edges, and six vertices.

Classifying Triangles

Sometimes understanding the differences between triangles can get a little difficult. There are two key parts to classifying a triangle; angles and sides. The three angles we use to classify a triangle are acute, obtuse, and right. The three side classifications we use are equilateral, isosceles, and scalene. First, it is important to know what all these words mean.

Acute triangle - ALL angles are less than 90°

Obtuse triangle - One angle greater than 90° but less than 180°

Right triangle - Exactly ONE 90° angle

Equilateral triangle - ALL three sides are the same length (Congruent)

Isosceles triangle -At LEAST two sides the same length (Congruent)

Scalene triangle - ALL sides are different lengths

We created a cutout that helped us understand the classification of each triangle. We folded in the sides to create three folds. We then made several cuts to make little windows for each word. We wrote down each definition and then drew a triangle to give a visual. Doing activities like these really help ingrain the information into your brain. I think this is a wonderful activity to do with students because it is easy to understand and easy to construct. 

My Acute Equilateral Triangle

Today, we started our section on triangles, and I was very excited because I feel pretty comfortable identifying and measuring triangles. We did several activities today, but one really stood out to me because it was a fun and engaging way to understand the angles of a triangle. In one of the activities we did, we drew a decently sized triangle on a piece of paper and then we cut it out. We needed to classify our triangle and write the classification on the triangle. After we had finished making our triangles, we then had to tear all three corners off. Believe me when I say that it was the hardest thing for me to do since I had made a beautiful acute equilateral triangle.
However cringeworthy it maybe have been, it was necessary to have one rough edge so you knew which part was the ends of the triangle. After that, we put the ends of the triangle together and it created a straight line. The purpose of this activity was to show that all three angles of a triangle will add up to 180 degrees which is the measurement of a line or a straight angle. I will definitely be using this with the fourth graders I am currently working with as well as in my future classroom. Below are photos of the activity.

Geometry Definitions Chart

So we recently started our chapter on Geometry. I don't really remember too much about geometry, but I do love shapes, especially when paired with art. The fundamental building blocks for ANY subject is definitions. Well, we all know how boring copying down those lengthy definitions are and they never really stick because they hardly make sense when you first see them. Upon starting this lesson we were given a sheet of paper that had a chart with six of the major words we needed to know. On the left side it says, Model, Describe how they are drawn, Named by, Facts, and Words/Symbols.
This really breaks down the definition into more manageable chunks that are easier to comprehend. We were also given a bag that had 30 color-coded pieces of paper that we had to place with the proper word. I really liked this activity because it's hands-on and you're really focusing and absorbing these definitions. I feel more confident going into Geometry fully understanding these definitions. I have attached some pictures of the assignment as well.