How to measure angles: a step-by-step guide
In the next lesson, I wrote down the steps of how to measure the angles on my whiteboard:
- Find the baseline of the protractor and line it up with the baseline of the shape or angle
- Place the midpoint of the protractor on the vertex of the angle
- Line up one side of the angle with the zero line of the protractor (where you see the number 0)
- Read the degrees where the other side crosses the number scale
After reading these instructions to my class, I decided to pop on my handy visualiser and told them we would be re-measuring all polygons from our workbook following the step-by-step instructions on the board. My learners moaned but I repeated my instructions until eventually everyone was on task and engaged in making corrections in their workbooks themselves.
Following that 20-minute recap, I felt the class could move on to the next lesson with greater confidence (as I had previously planned).
The third lesson set my learners up for even more angle-measuring practice and gave them some slightly more accessible shapes to measure. They also had the opportunity to measure angles on a straight line. This was something they really enjoyed, and they were keen to start using their newly-found protractor skills.