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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
LIU Chunyun
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DOI:10.17265/2161-623X/2026.06.007
Experimental School of Jiangsu Xishan Senior High School, Wuxi, China
Hands-on work in junior high school mathematics has instructional value when it draws students into mathematical questions rather than stopping at finished products. Taking the lesson “Geometric Relationships in Paper Folding” as a case, this paper discusses how a sequence of folding tasks can be organized around creases. Students begin with familiar paper shapes, make and mark creases, compare the relationships they see, and then explain parallelism, symmetry, equal sides, and transfer under changed conditions. The chain is arranged as situational activation, operational generation, relationship discovery, mathematical explanation, and transfer application. The crease becomes the hinge between action and reasoning: It starts as a physical trace, is read as a geometric line, axis, bisector, or boundary relation, and finally serves as evidence in explanation. When students are required to record their folds, name relationships, and check their reasons, paper folding can remain open-ended while keeping a clear mathematical focus.
junior high school mathematics, comprehensive and practical activities, paper folding, task chain, mathematization
LIU Chunyun. (2026). From Hands-on Practice to Mathematical Inquiry: Task-Chain Design in Junior High School Mathematics Comprehensive and Practical Activities—A Case Study of Geometric Relationships in Paper Folding. US-China Education Review A, June 2026, Vol. 16, No. 6, 451-458.
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