Start of Year Info
Course syllabus
9th GRADE GEOMETRY
You may find the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) defined by the Texas Education Agency for this course here.
CISD 2025–2026 Calendar
| Grading Periods | Unit Names |
|---|---|
| 1st 9 weeks Aug. 13 - Oct. 9 |
Unit 1: Points, lines, and planes. Segment addition and angle addition postulate Unit 2: Consolidated into other units. Logic and reasoning. Unit 3: Perpendicular and parallel lines |
| 2nd 9 Weeks Oct. 14 - Dec. 18 |
Unit 4: Proving triangles congruent and triangle properties Unit 5: Special Segments in triangles, hinge theorem, triangle inequality theorem, Unit 6: Similarity and proportions |
| 3rd 9 Weeks Jan. 6 - March 13 |
Unit 7: Right triangles and trigonometry Unit 8: Quadrilateral properties Unit 9: Area of 2D, Surface area of 3D objects (2D and 3D are separated in the on-level classes) |
| 4th 9 Weeks March 23 - May 21 |
Unit 10: Volume Unit 11: Circles and their properties, heavy algebra 1 review |
As a part of our continual commitment to partner with our parent community, please know that I am available by email any time and am happy to schedule a parent-teacher conference with you if/when you need more information. My conference period is from 2:45 pm to 4:15 pm on B days. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or to schedule a phone call, virtual meeting, or in-person conference.
ALL YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT HONORS GEOMETRY
James Behlen: Room J106, 214-496-3800, Coppell High School 9th grade center, 1301 Wrangler Circle, Coppell, TX 75019, jbehlen@coppellisd.com
Course Description: The course covers geometric thinking and spatial reasoning, geometric figures and their properties, and relationships between geometry and other mathematics. Students will use a variety of representations (concrete & pictorial), tools, and technology to discover, explore and analyze geometric concepts. Application problems are used to help students connect geometric concepts to the real world.
Grade Weighting:
Summative Assessments (min. of 2) 45%
Performance Tasks (min. of 4) 55%
Textbook: None. All materials have been created by Coppell ISD math teachers. There are plenty of resources curated for our class. “Everything you need to ace Geometry in one big fat notebook” is a great supplement you can purchase if you want to have a book that covers our content, but not necessary.
CLASSROOM PROCEDURES
1. TARDIES and ABSENCES
I will follow the absence and tardy policy mandated by the school. I will count tardies for students that are not in the room when the bell rings. When a student is absent, he/she is responsible for turning in make-up work and getting notes from another reliable student in the class. If you are absent on the day of a quiz or test that you knew about, communicate to me your plan for taking the quiz or test. Students who miss class on learning days will be excused for the homework that day in the gradebook, but it is still very important you do the PDF. You need to know the information. If you get behind, it can be terribly hard to catch up. There is a calendar in schoology, so you know exactly what we covered and there are videos of every lesson I teach. Please check the schoology for information. MAKE UP WORK IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY; I WILL NOT CHASE YOU DOWN!!!
2. RESTROOM PASSES
If you need to use the restroom, please wait until we are done with our class discussion, activity, or notes for the day. Only one student may be out at a time and must have a pass and sign out.
3. BEHAVIOR IN CLASS
Students are always expected to be respectful to the teacher and other students. Students are expected to come to class prepared. They are also expected to be ready to learn and participate in the classroom activities. Students are expected to do their own work. A zero will be given on any assessment if a student is found cheating. If two people are involved, both will receive zeros. No warnings will be given, cheating is not tolerated. Distracting behavior such as talking out of turn, insulting other students, being disrespectful to me or anyone else in the room, or any behavior I deem inappropriate can result in contacting that student’s parents and possibly administration. Repeat offenders will be given office referrals.
5. HOMEWORK
There will be an assessment to submit every day our class is scheduled to meet. While it is best to submit work on the same day we have class, students will be given one additional school day to submit assessments. This means if your student has my class on A days , there is an assessment due every B Day. If your student has me for B Day, they have an assignment due every A Day.
For instance, if we have class on Thursday, an A Day, I prefer the student to turn it in on Thursday. However, submissions will be accepted until Friday, a B Day, before midnight for no penalty, but after that the assessment will not be accepted. If the assessment is given on a Friday, an A Day, the submissions will be accepted until Monday, a B Day, before midnight. Expect assessments to range from 15 minutes to 45 minutes. Assessments given will be recorded in the gradebook and will affect your ability to do well on quizzes and tests.
There will never be a due date on a non-school day. That means, there will never be a Saturday, Sunday, or Holiday due date. Thursday assignments are due on Friday, NOT SUNDAY.
The homework assessments are worth, on average, 8 points. If the student does not turn it in before the assessment closes on schoology, they will get a 0 for that assessment. Late work won’t be accepted in this instance. Students are expected to turn work in on time every time. It takes around 13 assessments to equal one full performance task grade, so the impact of an individual’s homework is minimal, but missing a few could negatively impact their overall average.
6. iPad and other electronics
Private devices will not be allowed to be used in class and must be put in your personal pouch each day. School issued iPads are allowed for instructional use only.
7. TUTORING – In person
I am available every morning starting at 8:05 for tutoring. Some exceptions may be if there is a faculty meeting or some other obligation, but this won’t happen often. The geometry team will have a schedule for tutoring. The tutoring schedule is posted outside my classroom door as well as schoology with the times, locations, and the teacher available. I strongly encourage you to see me if possible before going to other teachers on the list. Afternoons are by appointment.
Geometry Retesting Policy
- Students may retest for a grade of no higher than 70
- It is mandatory you correct your original test and bring your corrections to the retest
- Retest should be done within 3 school days of student receiving the test grade
- No retakes on performance task grades
- STUDENT must initiate all communication about the retake!
About me:
- Graduated from Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics.
- I’ve been at CHS since 2008; I taught 2 years at Grand Prairie High School before coming here.
- I’ve been married since 2006 and have two kids, a 14-year-old and a 12-year-old.
- I play League of Legends, CS2, PUBG, RL, TFT, and some other fun games.
If you read everything, THANK YOU!!! We will have an awesome year.
James Behlen
Welcome letter
I am excited to be your child's honors geometry teacher this year. I am really excited to get the school year started. I have been teaching at CHS since 2008 and there has only been one year that I didn't teach a geometry course. It is my favorite subject and I know we'll all have a great time this year.
Many people feel geometry, especially honors geometry, is a tough class. For many students, this will be the first time they have been asked to think critically, develop problem-solving strategies, and execute mathematical skills with precision. We will be solving SAT caliber questions in this class. This means they will have multiple steps and conditions involving multiple skills and concepts. This requires students to understand the why not just the how. Students are often shocked at the scores they receive on the first few assessments. As students develop strong work ethics and study habits, I start to see big improvements. The course doesn’t get easier throughout the year, but students tend to improve their scores as they become better learners. For the best possible results, it is imperative that everyone follows the rules.
Here are my class rules:
- STAY FOCUSED
- STAY ON-TASK
- DON'T CHEAT
- PARTICIPATE
- NO FOOD
- COME PREPARED
Seriously, we work hard every day. You need your iPad with pencil every day. We will do warm ups, practice problems, and more practice problems. We will be working and helping each other all period long. You can't afford to lose 5 minutes of class time trying to find your devices! A huge part of staying focused is to not distract yourself with personal electronics. There is a direct correlation between electronic distractions in class and scores on assignments. Students are expected to leave their phone in their phone pouch the entire period.
Get help with homework! Be honest with yourself, if you don't understand something, get help, don’t just copy a friend. I am in my room almost every morning for tutoring, starting at 8:05. I am in my room after school occasionally as well. You can email me. You can get help from friends (get some contact information early!).
When learning new content, it is extremely important to do things correctly from the beginning. The more you work through problems the wrong way, the harder it will become to unlearn them! THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT: DO NOT JUST COPY WORK AND ANSWERS. FIGURE OUT WHY IT WORKS. Homework grades barely affect your overall average. You MUST use this time to try to understand concepts. If you just copy someone else's work to get the grade on homework, you are setting yourself up to fail on tests and quizzes. I don't care about answers, I care about understanding. You must understand the material to do a great job! Do not let the test be the first time you try to develop strategies and solve problems without any help. You must practice this as much as possible!
The biggest mistake I see students do in this class is stop practicing after they’ve done something correctly one time. If you are working through concepts and you get something correct without help and without mistakes, that means you have learned it. Practice starts AFTER you have learned it. Perfect practice makes perfect permanent. If you don’t practice perfectly many times, you are more likely to not be able to recall it later on. I BEG YOU TO KEEP WORKING ON STUFF EVEN AFTER YOU HAVE LEARNED IT!!! Science tells us that you need to “interrupt the forgetting” to master something. This means give yourself some time, perhaps a couple hours, after learning something and revisit it and do it from memory. Every time you interrupt the forgetting you strengthen your ability to recall that information correctly. This is the key to success in this course.
I want you to know that I will be working hard to help every child be successful in my class. If you feel I can do something better or if there are any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to send me an email. I want this class to be a good experience for everyone.
Thanks,
James Behlen
How to study
How to Study
DO: Recall from memory DON’T: Reread over and over
Why? Recalling from memory helps you remember information long term. Rereading has shown to have very short term gains but does not affect long term retention.
Examples: You have a lot of reading for a history or English class. Read for 15 minutes and give yourself a quiz about what you just read. Just do it mentally. What did you read? What was the main idea? What was interesting or important? Recapping information in your head helps you put things in your own words and remember things long term.
DO: Interrupt the forgetting DON’T: Forget
Why: Interrupting the forgetting is one of the most important ways to learn information for the long term. The idea is that you recall, from memory, as much as you can an hour or two after learning new material. Anything you forgot, look it up again and repeat the process.
Example: You learn two or three new concepts in geometry. An hour or two after the class, take a few minutes to recall, from memory, what they were, how they worked, what they looked like. Repeat an hour or two later. If you find you can’t remember anything and have to look it up, you may need to interrupt the forgetting in shorter intervals than an hour or two. If you wait so long that you forgot, this process won’t help!
DO: Mixed practice DON’T: Focus on single skills/topics
Why? When you do mixed practice you don’t get in a “groove” and start doing things based on rote memory. You must keep recalling how to do each skill and you may not know which skill you need to use, making you more aware of when and how to use the skills.
Example: In a math class, redo problems from class, picking a problem or two from each concept you learned that day.
DO: Practice after learning DON’T: Think you know something if you got it right one time
Why? After you recall from memory and get something correct, you have learned the concept. A lot of students will then check this off their list and move on, only to miss it on the test! Perfect practice makes perfect permanent. It is important to continue doing mixed practice with skills and concepts after you feel you have learned the concept to really lock it into long term memory.
Honors vs On-level
Calculator details
Calculator: Students need to own a personal, good graphing calculator. It is a big disadvantage to not have a good calculator. Phone and internet calculators are not good enough. These calculators will not be used in class until January, so you have time to get one. If, for any reason, you can’t get the following calculator let me know and I will make arrangements with your student.
Casio Prizm fx-CG50 (varies in price, typically $90) from Amazon or Wal-Mart.
MP1 Calendar (subject to change)
Honors Geometry — 2025-2026 First 9-Weeks Calendar (MP1)
| Week | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | August 4 | August 5 | August 6 | August 7 | August 8 |
| — | Staff Professional Development — No School | ||||
| Week 1 | August 11 Staff Prof. Dev. — No School | August 12 First Day of School Class expectations Get to know each other | August 13 Points Lines and Planes Intro | August 14 | August 15 |
| Week 2 | August 18 Points Lines and Planes Intro | August 19 Points Lines and Planes — notation matching | August 20 | August 21 Distance and Midpoint | August 22 |
| Week 3 | August 25 Angle definitions and properties | August 26 | August 27 MAP TESTING | August 28 REVIEW ALL | August 29 |
| Week 4 | September 1 District Holiday | September 2 REVIEW ALL | September 3 Unit 1 Quiz | September 4 Unit 1 Review | September 5 |
| Week 5 | September 8 Unit 1 Review | September 9 Unit 1 Test | September 10 | September 11 Intro to algebraic and geometric proofs | September 12 |
| Week 6 | September 15 Angle pairs, parallel lines, and transversals Triangle angle properties | September 16 | September 17 Factoring equations, apply parallel line properties | September 18 Parallel and Perpendicular proofs | September 19 |
| Week 7 | September 22 More geometry proofs | September 23 More geometry proofs | September 24 | September 25 Quiz Review | September 26 |
| Week 8 | September 29 Unit 3 Quiz | September 30 Unit 3 Review | October 1 | October 2 Unit 3 Test | October 3 |
| Week 9 | October 6 Unit 3 Test | October 7 Triangle Classification | October 8 Proving Triangles congruent SSS, SAS, AAAS, ASA, HL CPCTC | October 9 | October 10 Professional Development |
Bell and Lunch info
(See Coppell High School 9th Grade Center bell schedule and lunch information posted by the school.)
Tutorials
Mr. Behlen will be available every morning, with almost no exceptions. During this time, Mr. Behlen will offer retesting/make-up testing (7:45 am) and tutoring (8:05 am). Mr. Behlen will check the north doors, the area sandwiched between the JHALL exit and big gym.
TIMES:
DOORS OPEN PROMPTLY AT 7:45 (retesting/make up tests) and 8:05 (tutoring) every morning.
MP2, MP3, MP4 Calendar
(Subject to change — posted in Schoology and updated as the year progresses.)
Unit 1's toughest concept
Unit 1’s primary objective is to learn about points, lines, planes. We will also talk about segment addition postulate, angle addition postulate, angle properties, distance, and midpoint.
Where will your student struggle the most?
Most students find the concept of planes tough to understand.
The phrasing “determine a plane” and the word “coplanar” are similar but different.
For example, in the following figure A, B, and F are coplanar, but they do not determine a plane. Infinite planes hit the three points A, B, and F. However, A, B, and C are coplanar AND determine a plane because only one plane hits all three points, A, B, and C. To determine a plane, you must have 3 non-collinear points.
What is the most used content we learn about this unit?
Distance and midpoint. Students will be finding the distance between two points and the middle of two points for the entire year. All the way to the last unit. Understanding how to do these two things quickly and efficiently is critical. Here is a worked out example:
(Worked example shown in the original document.)