Virginia SOL 7.MG.4.b
The Standard
Sketch the image of a dilation of a polygon limited to a scale factor of 1 4 , 1 2 , 2, 3, or 4. The center of the dilation will be the origin.
Virginia Standards of Learning for Mathematics · The student will apply dilations of polygons in the coordinate plane.
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students treat the origin as the fixed center. They multiply each vertex's coordinates by the given factor, plot the new points, and connect them in order.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students accurately plot every image vertex and connect them in the correct order. They recognize that factors greater than one enlarge and factors between zero and one reduce.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may add the scale factor instead of multiplying. Some multiply only one coordinate or lose negative signs. Others confuse fractional factors with enlargements rather than reductions.
How to Assess It
- Give triangle vertices (-4, 2), (2, 2), and (2, -4). Ask students to plot its image using a scale factor of one-half.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
On graph paper, have pairs draw rays from the origin through each vertex, then mark scaled distances with rulers and connect the points.
Ask students to explain why multiplying both coordinates by one-half moves a point toward the origin without changing its direction.
Play Coordinate Relay: teams transform one vertex at a time, pass the marker, then check whether the completed polygon keeps its shape.
Place a pixel-art logo on a coordinate grid, then resize it by a given factor for a poster or thumbnail.
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Printable 7.MG.4.b Worksheet
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Related Standards
- 8.MG.3.d
Sketch the image of a polygon that has been translated vertically, horizontally, or a combination of both.
- 8.MG.3.f
Sketch the image of a polygon that has been translated and reflected over the x- or y-axis, or reflected over the x- or y-axis and then translated.
- 7.MG.4.a
Given a preimage in the coordinate plane, identify the coordinates of the image of a polygon that has been dilated. Scale factors are limited to 1 4 , 1 2 , 2, ...
- 7.MG.4
The student will apply dilations of polygons in the coordinate plane.
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