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Lesson Plan
Note: This days lesson is Part 1 of 2 of an overall lesson introducing students to trigonometric ratios.
Grade: _______10th________
Date: ___________________
National/State
Standards
Materials/
Equipment
AL COS 19)
Understand that by similarity, side ratios in right triangles are properties of the
angles in the triangle leading to the definitions of trigonometric ratios for
acute angles.
[G-SRT6]
Key Vocabulary:
Right triangle, legs, hypotenuse, opposite, adjacent, theta, trigonometry
Starter: Problem Solving Task
Students will be in pre-assigned groups (of 3 or 4) for the whole class. There should be a maximum
of seven (7) groups.
Pre-Instructional
Activities
After the starter, have each group share their ideas with the class. Write down each idea on the
board.
Group Work:
Each group selects three or four ideas from the board to test outside (e.g. on the tallest building, a
flag pole, tree, etc.) Allow only 15 minutes for this part of the lesson. As students are
experimenting, prod students to try their ideas from different distances/angles from their
reference point.
Class Discussion:
Talk with the class about their findings from their tests. Were their methods very accurate? How
do you know? What were their limitations? Did standing at different distances or from different
angles make them question their original estimate?
Teaching
Lead a discussion that introduces the word trigonometry into the students vocabulary. Ask the
students to draw a model of their outside experiment. They should draw where they stood in
relation to the building/tree/flag pole outside. What sort of angle is formed between the ground
and their point of reference? (90) What sort of shape was created when they added themselves
to the drawing? (a right triangle). Estimating like we did (with triangles) is what led very early
mathematicians to work with trigonometry, which comes from the Greek words meaning
triangle measuring.
Announce that the class will now uncover trigonometry as the early mathematicians did. Remind
the students that this discovery will start today and be completed in tomorrows lesson. Hand each
group a Ziploc baggie of triangles and a Calculating Ratios for Similar Triangles worksheet.
Each arc-labeled angle is the students point of reference on each triangle. Discuss the meaning of
opposite, adjacent, and review the hypotenuse. Also tell students, that their point of reference
angle can be called theta ()
Closure
To end the lesson, have the students measure each of their eight triangles. They should fill in the
first three columns of their Calculating Ratios for Similar Triangles worksheet. They should also
fill in their theta-value in the angle size box on the worksheet. The remainder of this activity will
be completed at the start of class tomorrow.
Homework: None
Student
Engagement
Techniques
Accommodations
Bibliography
Brainstorming
Red and green group cards (Students put up a green card if they are fine and following
along or a red card if they are lost or have a question)
http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/secondary/mathematics/years7_10/teaching/trig.htm