Geometry: Circles Name

_____________________________
Performance Assessment Date________________
Period _______

Objective: Derive the various formulas for circumference, diameter, pi, and area of a
circle.

Part 1: Deriving formulas for Circumference, Diameter, Radius, & Pi

Define in your own words each of the following vocabulary terms:

Circumference: __________________________________________________________________

Diameter: _________________________________________________________________________

Radius: ____________________________________________________________________________

Pi ( ): ______________________________________________________________________________

Materials:
5 Cylindrical Objects
Tape Measure
Ruler
Calculator

Directions:
- Consider the five cylindrical objects you brought in from home.
- Use the tape measure to measure the circumference of each cylinder.
- Use the ruler to identify the diameter of each object.
- Divide the circumference of each object by its diameter.
- Record the results of each measurement on the table provided.

Object Circumference Diameter Circumference

C D Diameter
C

D

What can you

conclude about the
relationship between a circles circumference and its diameter?

__________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________

Use the data from the table to derive formulas for:

Circumference ____________________ Diameter _________________________

Radius ____________________________
__________________________________

Part 2: Deriving the formula for the Area of a Circle

Materials:
Poster Board
Compass
Ruler
Scissors
Glue

Directions:

(1) Using a compass create a circle on your poster board and cut it out.

(2) Trace this circle three times, cut each of those circles out.

(3) Draw a diameter across the first circle and cut the circle in half along the diameter.
Then cut each of
the resulting semi-circles in half again.

(4) Arrange the four pieces, alternating in such a way that they mimic a parallelogram.

(5) Draw a diameter across the second circle and cut the circle in half along the
diameter. Then cut each
of the resulting semi-circles in half again and then each of those pieces in half once
more. This will
 result in 8 sectors. Arrange them in an alternating fashion just as you did with the
first circle.

(6) Repeat step 5 with the third circle except cut each sector in half one additional time.
This will result
in 16 sectors. Arrange them in an alternating fashion just as you did with the first
circle.

What would the figure look like if we continued this process?

__________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________

Recall the formula for the area of a parallelogram. Area=(base)(height)

(a) Consider the formula that you developed for the circumference of a circle.
How long is the base of the parallelogram we created from the circle parts?
_____________________

(b) What is the height of this parallelogram? ______________________________________

(Hint: reassembling your pieces into the original circle can help you determine these
measurements)

(c) Substitute your results from questions a & b into the original formula for a
parallelogram (A=bh) and
simplify.

(d) Area of a circle: ______________________

Part 3: Application Problem

Directions: Use the formulas that you derived to solve the following application
problem.

You have a new puppy, Charlie. You want him to play in your yard but there is currently
no fence installed, therefore you would like to keep him on a leash while he plays
outside. You decide you put a peg in the ground and tie a leash to the peg and to
Charlies collar so he can run around.
(1) Choose the length of Charlies leash. What part of the circle does the leash
represent? ________________

(2) Determine how far he would run if he ran eight full laps with the leash fully
extended. _________________

(3) If he starts with his leash fully extended and walks straight across to his water bowl
on the other side
of the yard, how far would he have traveled? _____________________

(4) You want to lay sod in the area that he will be playing.
How many square feet of sod will you need? __________

Part 4: Final Project

Directions:
- Create a poster to showcase your discoveries from the previous activities.
- Be sure to include key components from parts 1, 2, and 3, including the vocabulary,
table, and the
formulas for the circumference, radius, diameter, pi, and the area of a circle.
- Glue your sectors from part two onto your poster in sequential order.
- Be prepared to give a brief presentation of each of your findings.

Category 4 3 2 1
Vocabulary Vocabulary words are Vocabulary words are Vocabulary words are Vocabulary words are
defined and show defined and show defined and show defined and show
complete understanding substantial some understanding of limited
of the meaning of each understanding of the each word. understanding of each
word. meaning of each word. word.

Table & Data Data on table shows Data on table shows Data on table shows Data on table shows
Analysis complete understanding substantial some understanding of limited understanding
of the measurement understanding of the the measurement of the measurement
procedures and measurement procedures and procedures and
relationship between procedures and relationship between relationship between
circumference and relationship between circumference and circumference and
diameter. circumference and diameter. diameter.
diameter.
Derivation of Uses an efficient and Uses an effective Sometimes uses an Rarely uses an
formulas for effective strategy to strategy to identify effective strategy to effective strategy to
circumference identify each formula. each formula. identify each formula. identify each formula.
, radius, Shows complete Shows substantial Shows some Shows limited
diameter, & understanding of solving understanding of understanding of understanding of
pi. an equation for a given solving an equation for solving an equation for solving an equation for
variable. a given variable. a given variable. a given variable.
Use of Uses manipulatives as Uses manipulatives as Sometimes uses Does not use
manipulatives instructed. Assembly of instructed. Assembly manipulatives as manipulatives as
paper cut outs closely of paper cut outs instructed. Some instructed. Assembly
 mimics the shape of a mimics the shape of a assembly of paper cut of paper cut outs does
parallelogram. parallelogram. outs mimic the shape not represent a
of a parallelogram. parallelogram.
Relationship Correctly identifies the Correctly identifies the Does not identify the Does not identify the
between base relationship between the relationship between relationship between relationship between
of a base of a parallelogram the base of a the base of a the base of a
parallelogram and the circumference of parallelogram and the parallelogram and the parallelogram and the
& a circle. & Correctly circumference of a circumference of a circumference of a
circumference identifies the relationship circle. & Identifies the circle or does not circle and does not
of a circle / between the height of a relationship between identify the identify the
relationship parallelogram and the the height of a relationship between relationship between
between the radius of a circle. parallelogram and the the height of a the height of a
height of a radius of a circle. parallelogram and the parallelogram and the
parallelogram radius of a circle. radius of a circle.
and the radius
of a circle.
Derivation of Uses an efficient and Uses an effective Partial identifies the Does not identify the
the formula effective strategy to strategy to identify the formula for the area of formula for the area of
for the area of identify the formula for formula for the area of a circle. a circle.
a circle. the area of a circle. a circle. All work is shown. No work is shown.
All work is shown. All work is shown.
Application All four questions are Three of the four Two of the four None of the four
Problem correctly answered and questions are correctly questions are correctly questions are correctly
show complete answered and all answered and all answered and shows
understanding of how to answers show answers show some minimal understanding
identify the substantial understanding of how of how to identify the
circumference, diameter, understanding of how to identify the circumference,
radius, and area of a to identify the circumference, diameter, radius, and
circle. circumference, diameter, radius, and area of a circle.
diameter, radius, and area of a circle.
area of a circle.
Poster The work is presented in The work is presented The work is presented The work appears
(neatness & a neat, clear, organized in a neat and in an organized fashion sloppy and
organization) fashion that is easy to organized fashion that but may be hard to unorganized. It is hard
read. is usually easy to read at times. to know what
read. information goes
together.
Poster Diagrams and/or Diagrams and/or Diagrams and/or Diagrams and/or
(diagrams & sketches are clear and sketches are clear and sketches are sketches are difficult to
sketches) greatly add to the easy to understand. somewhat difficult to understand or are not
reader's understanding understand. used.
of the procedures.
Presentation Explanation is detailed Explanation is clear. Explanation is a little Explanation is difficult
and clear. difficult to understand, to understand and is
but includes critical missing several
components. components OR was
not included.

This performance assessment is for a ninth and tenth grade Geometry Course. Bookhart and Nitko

(2015) explain, The more clearly you specify the learning targets, the more directed your teaching

efforts and your students learning efforts will be (p. 19). The learning target that is associated with

this performance assessment states that by the end of the lesson they will be able to use the

measurements of a circle to explain how the formulas for circles were developed hundreds of years

ago. This learning target is stated in a student friendly language but its complexity will evolve as the

assessment progresses. It is student-centered and addresses both the cognitive and psychomotor

domains. I chose this particular lesson for a performance assessment because it offers up a lot of
opportunities for the students to demonstrate their understanding through a hands-on approach and

their own personal discovery. Students must use a variety of materials to complete each part of the

assessment and demonstrate their understanding through application problems and through the use

of manipulatives. This lesson uses a variety of pre-requisite skills but also requires students to use

their logical thinking skills to solve complex problems, both components make this lesson

developmentally appropriate for the high school classroom.

Prior to implementing this performance assessment, students will be asked to bring in 5 cylindrical

objects from their homes. (Examples include: Soup cans, Oatmeal containers, Coffee tins,

Pringles packaging, Mason Jars, etc.). Their first task is to measure the circumference of

each object and divide that number by the measurement for the diameter of each object.

Interestingly enough, regardless of the size of the circle they measure, each answer

should be almost identical; this will allow students to conclude that the circumference

C
divided by the diameter of any circle will always yield . ( = ) Students will then
D

be able to manipulate this equation using their algebra skills to identify formulas for

circumference and diameter.

The next discovery activity will help student understand the validity behind the formula

for the area of a circle (A= r2). This requires students to cut a circle into sectors and

arrange them in such a way that mimics a parallelogram. Based off of this visual

component students will be able to derive a formula for the area of a circle based on

their pre-requisite knowledge of the formula for the area of a parallelogram

(Areaparallelogram=base*height). Consider the sample below. The smaller the sectors of the

circle, the more closely the newly constructed figure resembles a parallelogram.
The third component of this performance assessment is an application problem that uses

the skills they developed in the previous parts of the lesson. What makes this

application problem unique is that they will be choosing the length of the radius

(represented by the dogs leash) and this will give each student unique solutions but

each student will be practicing the same skills. Real life application problems help the

students make connections between the mathematics and the real world and help them

to see the validity behind each lesson.

Lastly, students will have to create a poster that highlights each of the key components

from this lesson and present their poster to the class.