Each group of students uses a tape measure to find the circumference and diameter of each object. Then we divide to find a pattern and thus discover pi. They can include anything they want, but the square footage of each area has to be listed and there must be at least one bathroom. This is a practical use of percents that everyone needs to practice. In order to identify polygons, students are given laminated pictures of buildings.
Students work in groups and use water-based markers to outline polygons found in the pictures.
Then they must name these polygons and list their properties. We continually use the terms from our master vocabulary list all year. As we come to specific terms in the textbook, we spend more time discussing them. I try to show students how knowing these terms can help on standardized tests. An example follows.