Constructions are an integral part of high school Geometry.
Teaching constructions well requires great assessments. You’ll need a deep knowledge of the construction process, and you’ll want quality construction tools, mainly a compass. Tips for making great constructions are really helpful, as well as having excellent methods for demonstrating the step-by-step procedures.
Go here to read more about how to make constructions.
Now that we know what all is involved, let’s get down to the basics.
The Right Construction Tools
In this article, we’re going to look at choosing a compass as well as getting them in your students’ hands!
Choosing a Compass…Not as Easy as It Seems
Finding a great student compass is not easy. My fellow Geometry teachers and I have tried at least 7 brands, and still aren’t completely thrilled. The ONE we loved has been impossible to find for several years.
Here are my picks from worst to first…😎
No. Just no. These are cheap in price and value. Most broke the first time kids used them.
Once you get past the pointed metal spike (which I’m still not crazy about), the old standard compass is a decent one. What surprised me with these was that the levers (that attaches the pencil to the compass) wouldn’t stay clamped so we ended up using tape and wrapping the pencil on to keep them steady. Not great.
Best Budget Classroom Set Compass
These usually come in large packs for classroom use and they’re actually decent. They don’t tend to break.
But….they do frustrate the kids. My students tended to just get really irritated by the way that you have to tighten/loosen it.
Best {Easy to Find} Compass Under $5
This is the most commonly purchased compass by my students. It (or ones essentially identical to it) is readily available at Walmart, Target, etc. It’s almost as good as the Fiskars one, but there’s one persistent problem. The compass doesn’t tend to keep its measure (its tightness once you set it) after several uses. Luckily, if you have a small Phillips head screwdriver, you can easily tighten it on the screw near the top. This will last a day or so–then make plans to do it again tomorrow. It’s not the end of the world, but it is “one more thing” to have to do.
Best {Hard to Find} Compass Under $5
The Fiskars brand ones are, as the name says, hard to find. Hopefully the link will work for you! I’ve had kids find them at Dollar General (surprising!) or Target, but it’s inconsistent at best. Make sure it says Fiskars! These have been great for student use!
And now for #1…drum roll, please…
Best Compass Over All
I’ve used this one for four years, and have never had any problems with it. Never has needed tightening, no problems swapping out the pencil, all good. I can easily recommend it the most.
You’ll see it in my videos–this is the one I’m using.😊
Click here for the best tips to give your students when they start the Constructions unit.
Getting Them For Your Students
Ideally, each student will purchase and bring to school a great compass and straightedge.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve never taught in an ideal situation!🙊
In my department, we’ve tried several strategies.
Here are the ones that I settled on after several semesters of trial and error:
- I put the compass and straightedge on the syllabus as a required material or Geometry, along with a specific calculator, highlighters, and a notebook.
Students could buy one or check one out from the school (same with the calculator), but they knew the expectation was that they bring one to class on the days it was assigned.
Pro Tip: Our Math Team sells calculators at the beginning of each semester as a fundraiser, so we added compasses to this. It’s a win-win for students…the buyers save a trip to town or buying a more expensive one (our compasses were $5), and the sellers made enough to go to their math tournaments.
These things increased the number of students who had their own, which of course lessened the number that the school needed to provide.
You’re a teacher, so you understand the math here:
a low school budget ÷ fewer students needing a compass = better compasses that we can purchase
2. At the beginning of the constructions unit, I checked out a compass and straightedge to any student who needed one that day, and they were responsible for it until the end of the unit.
This was a much better method than just having them grab one randomly as they came into the classroom…and return it at the end of the block…which we tried, unsuccessfully.
The “random grab” method resulted in many more broken compasses and several compasses that walked out the door, accidentally for 99% of them I’m sure, but lost nevertheless.
The “checkout” method also takes up much less instructional time than monitoring all that every single day.
Go here to read more about assessing constructions.
You’ve got this!