Amber Ayscue

Taylor Cox
Richard Oppelaar
Algebra I: Chapter 6.6
Exploring Parallel and Perpendicular Lines (90 minutes)
Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
Analyze the relationship between parallel lines to find how their slopes are
related.
Analyze the relationship between perpendicular lines to find how their slopes are
related.
Given two lines, determine if they are parallel, perpendicular or neither.
Given the equation of a line and an exterior point, write an equation of a line
parallel to the given line and that contains the exterior point.
Given the equation of a line and an exterior point, write an equation of a line
perpendicular to the given line and that contains the exterior point.
Construct parallel and perpendicular lines using slope.
Common Core State Standards Being Addressed:
Creating Equations:
Create equations that describe numbers or relationships.
1. Create equations and inequalities in one variable and use them to
solve problems.
2. Create equations in two or more variables to represent
relationships between quantities; graph equations on coordinate
axes with labels and scales.
4. Rearrange formulas to highlight a quantity of interest, using the
same reasoning as in solving equations.
Reasoning with Equations and Inequalities:
Understand solving equations as a process of reasoning and explain the
reasoning.
1. Explain each step in solving a simple equation as following from
the equality of numbers asserted at the previous step, starting
from the assumption that the original equation has a solution.
Construct a viable argument to justify a solution method.
Solve equations and inequalities in one variable.
3. Solve linear equations and inequalities in one variable, including
equations with coefficients represented by letters.
Mathematical Practices:
1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of
others.

4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Model with mathematics.

Use appropriate tools strategically.
Attend to precision.
Look for and make use of structure.
Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

Materials:
Lecture:
For Instructor: whiteboard, dry erase markers, eraser
For Student: paper, pencil (for notes)
Activity:
10 piece of string, yarn, or rope (1 for each group)
Colored masking tape (for floor)
If there is not enough floor space for the number of groups in the class,
instead, bring one poster-board and two 2 pieces of rope for each group.
Review and Warm-Up (15 minutes):
Ask students a few questions to help them recall previous knowledge about parallel and
perpendicular lines. Generate a list on the board or overhead of the characteristics students
give for each.
What do perpendicular lines look like?
Perpendicular lines are two lines that intersect at right angles.
What do parallel lines look like?
Parallel lines are lines in the same plane that never intersect.
Now give the students a few minutes to look at some different lines. For each line, ask them
to put the equation in slope-intercept form and then to identify the slope of the line.
What are the equations of the given lines in slope intercept form? Find the slope of
the given line.
y=x
already in slope-intercept
slope= 1
2y = 0.5x + 44
y = .25x + 22
slope=.25
y = 62
already in slope-intercept
slope=0
2y/5 = x
y = 5x/2
slope=5/2
0 = .2y 1.2 x + 24
y = (1.2x + 24)/.2
slope=-1.2
Once the students have had a chance to work on these five problems, go over the answers
and address any misunderstandings the students may have had.
Activity (30 minutes):

Students should be in groups of at least 4 and each group should be given one 10-foot string.
Coordinate grid must be laid out on the floor with tape.
Assuming a tile floor, use the tiles as units and outline a coordinate plane from -8 to 8 on
both the x and y-axes.
If for some reason a coordinate grid cannot be placed on the floor, have students get into
groups and have them draw a coordinate grid on a piece of poster board. (Materials will
need to be adjusted to accommodate the changes.)
On the board:
Find a line perpendicular or parallel to the given line and containing the specified point.
Each group will have their own set of points to work with:
Find Parallel Line:
1 Line: (-5, -5), (5, 5) Point: (-2, -5)
2 Line: (-1,4), (-3, 0) Point: (0, 0)
3 Line: (5, 0), (0, 5) Point: (-5, 4)

Find Perpendicular Line:

4 Line: (-3, 3), (2, -2) Point: (-1, 1)
5 Line: (1, 5), (-1, 5) Point: (0, 0)
6 Line: (5, -3), (-5, 2) Point: (-1, 0)

Explain to the students that the two points following Line: indicate where two students
holding either ends of a string should stand on the coordinate plane. The point following
Point: indicates where a third student should stand holding one end of a second string. A
fourth group member should take the free end of that second string and as a group students
should determine where that fourth person should stand on the grid in order to make the
lines perpendicular or parallel. Students should be recording the slope for the line given and
the one found to be perpendicular or parallel as well as any work they needed to do to find
their answer. Each group will share their answer with the class.
Questions for During The Activity:
Students will make up lines for the activity.
If students figure out a line that is parallel to the given line:
How do you know that the line you found is parallel to the one given?
The lines will never cross.
How do you know that they will never cross?
Students may say that Lines that are parallel have the same slope and these
lines have the same slope.
If the students cannot make that connection:
How did you find the line that you did?
We went to the point given. Then we followed the same pattern of up one
unit and over one unit until we formed a line.
When you mean up one unit and over one unit, what mathematical term are you
referring to?
That is rise over run and this refers to slope.

So what can you say about the slopes of the lines?

The slopes are the same.
Try starting on a different point and making another parallel.
Students will make another line.
How did you make this line?
We started at a different point and used the slope to make the line.
What do you notice about all three parallel lines?
All three parallel lines have the same slope.
If students figure out a line that is perpendicular to the given line:
How do you know that the line you found is perpendicular to the given line?
When the lines intersect they form a right angle.
How do you know that the line you found forms a right angle?
The line that we found forms a right angle because the lines cut two 90
squares in half. Then the 45 angles added together equal 90.

Okay so now that you know that the angle is a right angle, what do you notice about
the lines?
They are perpendicular.
Yes. But what besides them intersecting to form 90 degree angles makes them
perpendicular? Think back to the parallel problem before. How did you know that
the lines were parallel?
The lines had the same slope.
So if the slope affected the lines of parallel lines, do you think it affects the
perpendicular lines? Do the other two examples the way that you have done this one.
See if the slope plays a factor in perpendicular lines as well.

Students will do other two examples and study the equations. Students will then see that the
slope for perpendicular lines is a negative reciprocal. If not, they may soon figure this out
during lecture.
Students may have a hard time figuring out how to construct perpendicular lines on the
coordinate plane. Students may think that they have the correct answer because they have
formed a line that looks like a right angle to the given line. If students are completely lost,
have a group that is finished help direct the group that is having trouble.
Questions for After the Activity:
Bring the class back together as a whole, not split up into their groups.
What was harder, finding parallel or perpendicular lines? Why?
How did you find lines that were parallel? Explain your strategy.
What do parallel lines have in common?
Slope. At least one group should have found this.
How did you find lines that were perpendicular? Explain your strategy.
How are the slopes of perpendicular lines related?
Opposite reciprocals. If no groups got this answer, then do not explain yet.
Direct Lecture:
Review of Multiplicative Inverse (i.e. Reciprocal)
What are opposite reciprocals?
Two numbers that when multiplied together equal -1.
Ask students for examples of two numbers that are multiplicative inverses.
e.g. and 2
Write those examples on the board and add to the list if necessary.
Perpendicular Lines
Define: two lines are perpendicular if their slopes are opposite multiplicative inverses.
Example:

Instruction:

y = 2x

Graph a straight line on the board (or with alternative display

method) and give its equation.
Ask the students what the slope of the given line is.

Ask for the slopes multiplicative inverse, and then for the
opposite of that inverse.
Graph a line with that opposite inverse as the slope to show the
perpendicular line.

2
-

Repeat the above steps with different examples as necessary. (e.g. y = 3x , y = 2 3 x + 2 )

Parallel lines

Define: two lines are parallel if their slopes are equal.

Graph a straight line on the board (or with alternative display method) and give its
equation. (The line given in above example may be used.)
Ask the students what the slope of the given line is.
Ask what the slope of a parallel line would be.
Graph a new line with that same slope.
Repeat the above steps with different examples as necessary.
State the slopes of the lines parallel to and perpendicular to the graph of each equation:
(Practice problems from book)
6x 5y = 11
y = ( 2 3 )x ( 4 5 )
3x = 10y 3

parallel slope: 6 5
parallel slope: 2 3
parallel slope: 310

perpendicular slope: 5 6
perpendicular slope: 3 2
perpendicular slope: 10 3

Determine whether the graphs of each pair of equations are parallel, perpendicular, or

neither: (Practice problems from book)

3x 7y = 1, 7x + 3y = 4
5x 2y = 6, 4y 10x = -48

perpendicular
parallel

Closure (15 minutes):

For the last few minutes of class, ask the students what they have learned in class. This is an
opportunity for them to reflect on the discoveries they made during the activity and to
connect it to the lecture material. During this period of time, ask probing questions to help
the students to make connections if they are having trouble. This should be a discussion
guided by the teacher but fueled by the information that the students supply. (The teacher
could add to the list of characteristics from the beginning of class!)
Make sure that students have met the learning objectives by asking specifically about the
slopes of parallel and perpendicular lines.
References:
Idea for activity http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/3084