Lauren

Grimes

Audience
Description

Lesson 1

9/14

Lesson Title

This is an 8th grade math class with 19 students. The class is 2nd period
and is a basic 8th grade math class, so students range in abilities. There is
one student that needs to constantly be reminded to do what the class is
doing. For the most part the class participates well and has few to no
behavioral issues. The desks are set up as singles facing the front of the
room.
Using Similar Triangles to Explain Slope

Length of Lesson

47 minutes (9:00 9:47 AM)

Objectives

SWBAT:
1. Define what slope is and that it is constant throughout a line.
(Understanding)
2. Draw a line based off of the equation y=mx+b (Applying)
3. Use algebra to solve for the variables in the equation y=mx+b
(Evaluating)
4. Given two points, find the slope (Evaluating)
5. Be able to use the skills they learned to finish the Mini Murder
Mystery Worksheet (Applying)

Standards

8. Expressions and Equations.

Understand the connections between proportional relationships, lines, and linear equations
6. Use similar triangles to explain why the slope m is the same between any two distinct
points on a non-vertical line in the coordinate plane; derive the equation y = mx for a line
through the origin and the equation y = mx + b for a line intercepting the vertical axis at b.

Anticipatory Set

Incorporation of
Other Subject Areas
Lesson Activities
(30 mins)

Display rise over run cartoon on board Ask students if they know what
this has to do with math?
-If they know then the correct response should have to do with slope or
graphing.
-If they dont know, then explain that by the end of this class this cartoon
will make sense to them because it has to do with todays topic
Geometry is incorporated when we use similar triangles to prove that the
slope of a line remains consistent.
1. Display on the board a grid in front of the class through a
projector.
2. Ask the students to take out a pencil and paper so that they can
take notes for todays class.
3. Draw a line going through the origin, that has a slope of 1
4. Ask the students, is this line very steep? (they should say no)
5. Ask the students what the word steep means to them.
- hopefully they say something about how quickly it goes up or
down, like a mountain
6. Say, Today we are going to learn how we can find out the
steepness of different lines on a graph.
7. Introduce the concept of slope, and explain that slope represents

Lauren Grimes

Lesson 1

9/14

the steepness of a line. We write slope as rise/run, or change in y/

change in x. (hopefully this is a review)
8. Find the slope of the line on the board. Do rise over run.
9. Put the equation y=mx+b on the board, say that this is Slope
Intercept Form. Tell the students that this definitely needs to go
in their notes.
10. Explain to the students that m=slope, and b = wherever the line
crosses the y access. Ask the students where the line on the board
crosses the y access. (they should say 0)
11. Plug zero into b. Ask what number we should plug into m? (they
should say 1)
12. Explain that this equation, y=1x+0 is the equation of the line on
the board.
13. Now I will take down the projector grid off of the board and just
draw an x and y access without any grid marks. I will draw a line
that does not go through the origin, and label the point at which
the line crosses the y-acces as (0,4). Tell the students that we
know the slope of this line is (2/3). Draw a triangle with one
vertex at (0,4) that rises 2 then runs 3. Have the students plug in
the y-intercept and the slope into slope-intercept form. They
should get y=2/3x+4.
14. Ask, How do we show that some point on this line (x,y) also has
the same slope? Draw a triangle over the original that is larger.
Label the vertex on the line (x, y) and keep the label on the yintercept (0,4). Explain that we need to use algebra to show that
these triangles are similar and have the same slope.
15. Label the new triangles side on the y access as a question mark.
Label the side reaching from the y-access to the point (x,y) as x.
16. Show on the board that the question mark is simply (y-4) because
we know the line intersects the y-access at (0,4).
17. Remind the students that slope is simply y/x, so we know that the
slope of this new triangle is (y-4)/x=(2/3). Solving for y we get the
same equation of y=2/3x+4. This shows that we can use similar
triangles to show that slope is constant.
18. No matter which points we choose on a line, the slope remains
constant.
19. Erase everything on the board, making sure that the students
wrote what they needed in their notes.
20. Put the grid back on the board and plot the points (2,1) and (4,5).
Draw a line through these points. Ask, How do you think we find
the slope for these points mathematically?
- Show that to find slope we take (y2-y1)/(x2-x1).
- Solve the slope for these points (5-1)/(4-2) = 2
21. Draw a line on a grid on the board that passes through (0,5) and
(6,10). Ask the students to find the slope and write the equation of

Lauren Grimes

Lesson 1

9/14

the line in slope intercept form. I will walk around and formally
assess the students work.

Modifications

The students are working in partners so that the boy that does not
participate has someone to keep him accountable. Working with partners
is good for him.

Closure (15 mins)

1. Pass out Mini Murder Mystery worksheet. Tell students to work

on these with the person next to them and to pull their desks
together.
2. During this time I will formally assess my students by walking
around and looking at their work, checking for understanding and
correctness.
3. I will announce when there is 3 minutes left of class so that they
can pack up their worksheet, and I will ask them to get out a piece
of paper.
4. The points (2,6) and (3, 12) will be on the grid on the board. I will
ask the students to write their names on the sheet of paper and
mathematically find the slope of the two lines. This is an exit sheet
so I can formally assess if the students understand how to find
the slope when given two points.
5. The worksheet will be due first thing tomorrow during class. It
will be a participation grade, but I will look over their answers.
6. Say, Tomorrow we will continue this topic.
7. (If the students did not understand the cartoon in the anticipatory
set, put it back on the board and ask them to explain it.)
Projector, grid, dry erase markers, dry erase board, paper, pencils,
worksheets
1. The first summative assessment would be an assignment over
drawing a line given an equation, solving for slope, and solving for
b. This would be given after the next class period.
2. There will be a quiz after 3 days, covering the same ideas listed
above.

Resources
2 Summative
Assessments

Mini Murder Mystery Straight line graphs

One of the following 6 people has murdered one of the others.
Each has made 4 statements about these 2 graphs.
The murderer has made 3 errors, the victim made 0 errors.
The other suspects made 1 or 2 errors

Claire says
Line 1 is steeper than line 3
Slope of line 3 is 0.5
(1,0) is on line 3
(2,3) is on line 1

Lucy says
The slope of line 4 is 1
The slope of line 2 is -1
The y intercept of Line 3 is 1
(4,3) would be on line 3

Duncan says
Lines 1 & 2 are perpendicular
The slope of line 4 is 3
(0, -1) is on line 1
Line 3 is steeper than line 4

Jack says

The slope of line 2 is -1

(0,2) and (2,0) are both on

line 2

(2,5) is on line 4
The slope of line 3 is 2

Josh says
Slope of line 1 is 2
(-2,1) is on line 4
(0,-3) is on line 4
(-1,-4) is on lines 3 & 4

Ashley says
Line 4 would be parallel to y = x
(0.5,0) is on line 1
(4,-2) is on line 2
Slope of line 3 is 2

Accusation,,________________________ murdered ______________________