Stop motion is a perfect way for students to slow down steps in math to demonstrate their understanding of abstract concepts. In a recent lesson with 7th graders, students used iStopMotion video creation App on the iPad to assess their ability to derive the formula for a circle. Some standards, like this 7th grade math standard, can be difficult for students to grasp and even harder for teachers to assess.
The use of Stop Motion forced students to walk through each step in the process of deriving the formula for area of a circle and highlighted areas where they struggled enabling teachers to provide targeted support. This project could easily be adapted to other geometry standards and can be extended to include computer-aided design. Read on to learn more about this project and access printable instructions and student exemplars.
Project overview
- Before the project, students will be shown how the formula for the area of a circle can be derived from the circumference of a circle by rearranging sectors of the circle into a parallelogram.
- At the start of the project, students watch a short video to help them visualize how this can be shown in a stop motion video. https://youtu.be/YokKp3pwVFc
- Students use ipads and the iStopMotion App to create stop motion videos to show how to derive the formula for the area of a circle.
Sample Student Video
Lesson Resources
- iStopMotion App Printable Instructions for students to use as a reference. Includes screenshots and step by step instructions for video creation as well as how to save to Google Drive
- Lesson Handout for Students showing each step and reminders for deriving area of a circle formula
- Slideshow overview of iStopMotion App to help with whole class instruction
- Using Gravit.io + Silhouette paper cutter to create & cut circles for student use (optional)
