What is an Angle

Angles in Geometric expression can be defined as the figure formed when two ‘rays’ meet at a common point. The common point is called as the ‘node’ or ‘vertex’ and the two rays are called as arms of the angle. Angle is denoted by the symbol ‘∠’.

Degrees of an Angle

Angle is measured in ‘degrees’ with the help of a protractor. The measure of an angle and its degree is determined by the rotation of the ‘rays’. Children are initially introduced to degrees 30°, 45°, 60°, 90°, 180°, 360° which they learn to measure with the help of a protractor.

Types of Angles

There are six types of angles in geometry which are as follows:

Acute Angle

Is formulated when the angle is between 0° to 90°

Obtuse Angle:

When the angle is more than 90° and up to 180°

Right Angle

This angle is exactly equal to 90° and the ray rises up vertically

Reflex Angle

The angle which is greater than 180° and less than 360°

Straight Angle

An angle exactly equal to 180° forms a straight line & is called a straight angle

Full Rotation

The complete rotation of angle equal to 360° degrees and makes a circle

Interesting Lesson Plans for Kids

Measure the Angles in the Picture

Draw or print a picture of an animal/object and ask students to mark out the different angles that they observe. Students will discover more than one angles in the image and they must use a highlighter to mark it and identify whether it is an acute, obtuse, reflex, or right angle. They can even measure the degree with the help of a protractor.

Tape It: Shape It

Use a floor marking tape and make patterns on the classroom floor with it. The free-hand patterns must form some sort of angle, that is identifiable. Make chits and write the names of different angles on them (acute, obtuse, right, etc.). Ask the child to pick up a chit and stand at the ‘vertex’ which forms the angle. For example, if the chit says ‘acute angle’ the child stands on the ‘vertex’ where the rays form an acute angle.

Art Attack

Take origami paper of different colors and make a fan shape by folding alternate folds in & out. Now if you want to show acute angle, then children will need to make an ‘acute model’ with the origami paper and stick the ends accordingly. To make a 360° full rotation, they will open the paper like a fan, such that it becomes a circle and then stick the ends of the paper.

Exercise Your Arm

This is like a workout session, where students have to adjust their arms to form the angle which the teacher calls out. So, for ‘right angle’, one arm is stretched vertically straight about the ceiling and the other is stretched out horizontally. When the teacher says to make an acute angle, one arm is stretched horizontally and the other slightly tilted lesser than 90°.

If you don’t have the time to devise these geometric activities to teach your child about ‘angles’, simply subscribe to the Mathletics app. Here you will find interesting ‘gamified’ tasks which intrigue the learners and drive them to attempt solving the ‘puzzle’ and in the bargain revising the concept of ‘angles’. This platform is pretty popular in UAE and other Middle East countries and parents are satisfied with the improvement in learning it brings to children.

Real-World Application of Geometric Angles

Construction of Buildings

The construction and engineering of dams, skyscrapers, and highways wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for those genius architects & civil engineers applying concepts of geometric shapes and angels while designing the structure on their drawing board.

Graphic Designing

A graphic designer has to visualize how the ‘printed standee or hoarding’ would look in different ‘angles’ once it is put up in place and for this he has to have basic knowledge about geometric shapes & patterns.

Artists

Abstract art that takes inspiration from geometric forms is intricately thought through by artists before they portray this self-expression & display it on a canvas. Therefore, even artists need to know a lot about ‘symmetric shapes’ for which the knowledge of ‘angles’ comes into play.

So now that we know how important it is for learners to understand the concept of ‘angles’ and to measure ‘degrees’, it’s time to subscribe to Mathletics and let children have fun while discovering this topic in detail.

Contact us

Observing the moon is one of the most fascinating activities on earth and not just for fellow astronomers worldwide but also for us. The moon evidently appears to change shape over time and this phenomenon leaves children gleaming with wonder, doesn’t it? In order to satiate their intrigue, schools across GCC, UAE, Dubai, and the Middle East are incorporating effective ways of teaching astronomy.

Throughout the month, the Moon appears to change its shape and this phenomenon is commonly known as ‘Lunar Phases’. The Carolina Building Blocks of Science® A New Generation: Sky Watchers is a unique kit that allows students to effectively understand the phases of the moon and analyze the repeating patterns. The kit comes with a special teacher’s guide, all the necessary supplies, and apparatus for a class of 24 students. Unlike other spectacles of the universe, the Lunar phases of the moon are strikingly obvious as they are simply the visible sunlit area of the moon, which makes learning about it further interesting. There are 8 phases of the moon and you will be able to immediately recognize them as soon as you learn about them.

1. New Moon: During the first phase, the side of the moon facing us is not illuminated by the sun so it is not visible to us at all. Not many of us know that during this phase, the moon is not up at night but in the day, however, we cannot see it with our naked eye.

2. Waxing Crescent: This is when the moon starts growing into its crescent phase. You will be able to see a silvery crescent in the sky right after dusk.

3. First Quarter: 7 days after the new moon, it enters the first quarter. In this phase, only half of the moon is visible to us in the evening and then it sets shortly after. With The Carolina Building Blocks of Science® A New Generation: Sky Watchers kit, students all across GCC, UAE, Dubai and the Middle East are able to analyze this transition in detail and understand the moon’s pattern.

4. Waxing Gibbous: This phase of the moon is as interesting as its name. The moon appears to turn into a gibbous shape and almost all of it is visible except for a dark silver line. During this phase, you will be able to notice the moon in the afternoon as well.

5. Full Moon: During this phase fellow earthlings can see the entire surface of the moon that faces the earth as the sunlight falls upon it completely. It rises just as the sun sets and it is the brightest phase of the moon which is often a beautiful sight to see. The Super Moon is another phenomenon that takes people by surprise because the moon looks larger than usual, as it is the closest in its orbit to earth.

6. Waning Gibbous: Right after the beautiful full moon, the shape starts to get a little smaller. You will be able to sport the waning gibbous later at night and in the early mornings.

7. Last Quarter: Similar to the first quarter, only half of the sunlit surface of the moon is visible in this Lunar phase. However, the interesting part is that it can be easily spotted in the daytime sky as well.

8. Waning Crescent: This is the last phase before it enters the new moon. Only a small silver line is visible from earth and towards the end of the 28-day cycle, it vanishes almost entirely.

Lunar Phases are a beautiful display of the universe’s phenomenon and it indeed evokes a sense of wonder among early learners in turn giving birth to a whole new generation of skywatchers.

Contact us

As a student, one of the best habits you can instill is reading. With limitless topics, you can explore the world of fiction, non-fiction, history, biographies, etc.

Developing the habit of reading is a crucial step that needs to be taken care of at both the institution and at home. It is teamwork that will lead to such great results.

Apart from making it a habit, it is also a requirement to attain knowledge. Any student enrolled in any grade, even at primary levels, needs first to develop the recognition of letters, alphabets, word formation, etc. It will enable them to read and write in their future levels and life in general.

It is scientifically proven that reading benefits the reader in more than one way. It also develops a creative cognitive part in the reader’s mind. It helps them be more creative than the people who are less prone to reading.

Being the global hub, Dubai, GCC, UAE, and Middle East encourage schools to employ technologies that enable the students to benefit. One such helpful application is myOn. It is an application that the schools can buy and let the students use it.

MyOn

myOn is a digital library. It has more than 6,000 enhanced books from various genres and is available online. It has books and reading material appropriate for students of all grades and levels.

All users can personalize it. They can set up the app as per their interests, and this virtual library will have unlimited books to suit the individual’s interest. The myOn® reader is a student-oriented, customizable literacy environment.

This app also has a variant that is called myOn News. It can be bought in a bundle with myOn or separately.

The app is easily available in Dubai, GCC, the Middle East, and UAE. With an ever-growing population of immigrants and natives, the wards admitted in schools are also increasing. It makes a larger market for apps like myOn. But the first step is to implement the app in schools and promote it to students.

Benefits of Reading

It is a habit that benefits students, but it leaves a positive impact on people of all age groups. The benefits are also for the society as a whole as more readers mean a more literate society. Most of the benefits are long-term and can be passed on to others, such as;

• Strengthens the Reader’s Brain: It helps the brain retain new knowledge gained via reading stories & biographies. It will help the student in their academic life and the long term.
• Vocabulary Building: New words are added to the person’s vocabulary.
• Creative Thinking: The Reader has more knowledge compared to non-readers. They can be more creative with ideas and other work in their daily lives and projects and assignments.
• Reduces Stress: It is a great way to divert attention. If the reader is facing any stress or issues, reading for a few minutes will let the mind relax and think clearly.
• Opens Areas of Interest: Reading material with information about general knowledge develops students’ interest in current affairs. Children who read stories about the inner lives of characters better understand the feelings and beliefs of others.

So do your children a favor by getting the MyOn app, and help them build a more defined character, based on good habits – because every book matters.

Contact us

We are a part of the digital revolution where everything is getting digitized. Be it payment to vendors, reading e-books, or even watching movies on platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime. All your source of entertainment and learning has been concised in downloadable apps available via subscriptions. Innovation especially during the lockdown period is at its peak and many new start-ups have introduced EdTech solutions that can be made conveniently available to students at home. Mathspace is a forerunner in this space and is providing a competitive edge by offering interactive Math lessons digitally, without completely eliminating the comfort of the paper & pen format.

Learning from Physical Textbooks

The good old Math textbooks looked colorful with graphs and pie-charts and students could actually use a pen to scribble, make notes, underline, and solve sums on paper. Preserving the textbooks in good condition until end of last semester exams is a thrilling experience, which today’s generation may not understand. Let us highlight some Pros and Cons to debate on this topic.

Advantages:

• Research suggests that students who learn Math or any other subject from a physical paper-back textbook are able to recall the matter more effectively.
• Students showcase greater confidence in exams after studying from textbooks
• Physically tuning pages, highlighting important points, and running fingers over the lines, helps enhance a photographic memory, which is possible only in physical format books.
• Students are away from access to digital devices, and therefore there is full focus
• One can read the textbook without connectivity and WiFi connection

Disadvantages:

• The cost of printing a physical textbook is expensive
• One needs to handle the paperback book carefully and keep it in good condition all through the year
• Used books are discarded and it ends up in the dustbin, leading to wastage of resources
• Trees are cut in order to make paper and hence unfit for the environment
• Can’t provide an interactive learning experience

Learning from E-Books & Apps

The e-books and apps provide a fun-filled learning experience with colorful graphics that make the learning process even more seamless. Children love to interact with characters and undertake quizzes, that subtly tests their understanding of concepts. Let’s go through some points that favor this digital learning method, versus its drawbacks.

Advantages

• Very cost effective, as parents don’t need to invest in buying books
• Testing students through in-app games, quizzes, and challenges
• Positively reinforce the efforts of students by incentivizing the question & answers
• The learning can be personalized to match the individual pace of students
• Parents and educators are kept in loop and get to track the progress of kids

Disadvantages

• Too much time spend on devices may lead to fatigue eyes and spoil health
• Child may get distracted and open other tabs on the internet instead of studying
• Seriousness associated with studying might be diluted • Real retention & learning may not happen

Mathspace is an all-in-one learning app which integrates video lessons and textbooks, to make children independent learners. This platform has gained much popularity in Dubai and UAE regions, and their standardized curriculum lessons support hands-on GeoGebra applets. Giving learners dual advantage, parents have an option to print matter or choose to study on a device. Due to its personalization, schools in GCC countries and the UAE, recommends this approach to students.

Contact us

What is LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime?

A robot or kit designed for middle school students to help in education and assignments. It was launched recently and is a kit that links LEGO® bricks to sensors, motors, and coding and wraps all these into lesson plans. The primary purpose of Lego® SPIKE™ Prime is to keep students engaged in playful activities that allow them to think and come up with solutions to complex problems.

It is also beneficial to enhance the learning level. The main components of Lego® SPIKE™ Prime are to combine the colorful Lego® elements, coding language, and easy-to-use hardware. This new education system is designed for students of age ten and up, from sixth to eighth grade. This solution was introduced in April 2020 by Lego® Education, an education-focused toys building manufacturer.

Covid-19 instigated the makers to introduce this idea for a smooth educational process, especially in GCC, Dubai, UAE, and the Middle East.

Why Education is Challenging in the Covid Pandemic?

During Covid, GCC, Dubai, UAE, and the Middle East adopted a
stay-at-home policy. Continuing education with the same spirit and keeping the creative phenomenon on. As a result, online classes were introduced. These online classes posed a challenge to teachers and as well for parents. In those difficult times, an educational toy manufacturer company introduced Lego® Education SPIKE™  Prime to continue education without any hassle and disturbance.

It is crucial to provide engaging and relevant learning experiences that help students develop resilience. Educators worldwide try to cope with the disruption in their pupils’ education due to the pandemic.

What is the Hybrid Model?

Managing class and making lesson plans is always an important and challenging task. Still, during Covid, it became more challenging due to online classes in GCC, Dubai, UAE, and the Middle East. So at Lego® Education, hybrid learning methods were adopted to support education from home by delivering kits to the student’s house and conducting classes online, until it is safe to get back to school in full swing. The hybrid model has different lesson plans that give students an authentic learning experience.

How Lego® Education SPIKE™  Prime Provides a Solution?

When schools were closed in GCC, Dubai, UAE, and the Middle East for students and teachers, then Lego education came up with the solution of Lego® Education SPIKE™  Prime to build confidence and prepare students for life beyond school. Lego education provides the ultimate solution while adopting a classroom set or buying a personal kit for home use. If the school doesn’t have a playful learning STEAM experience, students can buy that system for home use.

Lego® Education SPIKE™  Prime gives the robotic system to teachers and students to continue education in Covid times in GCC, Dubai, UAE, and the Middle East.

What is Included in Lego® Education SPIKE™ Prime?

Lego® Education SPIKE™ Prime has all the elements that make the education process easy and smooth as Lego® Education SPIKE™ Prime comes with over 600 LEGO elements, including large wheels, gear racks, a color sensor, and a large motor, plus a unique maker plate for accessible building with your choice of single-board computing devices such as (SBC).

The set also has a Lego® Education SPIKE™ Prime Set (45678) and the free SPIKE™ App that helps launch students and teachers into the exciting world of robotics competitions, with over 10 hours of curriculum-based competition-ready learning. This Lego® Education SPIKE™ Prime solution brings ease and creativity to the educational system.

Contact us