Teacher Candidate:

Molly Frantz Subject: Math

Date: November 11th, 2010 Grade Level: 7th

Unit Title: Pythagorean Theorem

Essential Question(s): How are right Triangles a part of daily life? How can we find the length of something without directly measuring it? Lesson Title/Number Lesson Question (s) Pythagorean Theorem Lesson 2 (Differentiated Instruction) Where does the Pythagorean Theorem come from and why does it work? What are the relationships between the lengths of the three sides of a right triangle? State Standards and Performance Indicators 7.G.6 Explore the relationship between the lengths of the three sides of a right triangle to develop the Pythagorean Theorem.

Lesson Objectives
(Blooms Taxonomy)

1. The students will be able to explain the relationship between the lengths of the three sides of a right triangle to develop the Pythagorean theorem.

---------------------Acceptable Evidence 1. Evidence that students have achieved the objective will be from their group presentations at the end of the lesson showing their understanding of the derivation of the Pythagorean theorem. Their presentation will include a written and verbal explanation of the proof, which will be evidence as to whether or not they fully understand the theorem.

Bell Ringer and Prior Knowledge Tap

The students will be shown a problem from the previous lesson that uses the Pythagorean Theorem. The students will have a few minutes to complete the problem and then we will discuss it very briefly as a class. This will be used as a brief review and to get the students thinking about the theorem. The teacher will then start a class discussion about where the formula comes from. The teacher will explain that in class today we will explore the relationship among the lengths of right triangles to derive the formula.

_______________ Procedure
Teacher input, development, instructional method(s), modeling, guided practice, independent practice, and/or activities

________________________________________________________ 1. The teacher will hand out the Pythagorean theorem proof activity. The teacher will go over the directions with the class and then ask two students to repeat the directions. (Visual/Auditory) 2. The students will cut out the triangles and arrange them according to the directions. They will trace the necessary shapes, find the areas, and think about the relationship among the sides and areas, while keeping in mind the Pythagorean theorem. (Kinesthetic) (RBIS-Nonlinguistic representations) 3. Students will work independently at first and then after a few minutes they will be allowed to talk with a neighbor and compare thoughts and ideas. (RBIS-Cooperative Learning) 4. The teacher will then lead a class discussion on how and why this proves the theorem. (Auditory) 5. The teacher will then use famous duos and trios cards to divide the class into groups of two or three. 6. The teacher will hand out the group assignment sheet and go over the directions for the project. The teacher will have two students repeat the directions to check for understanding. 7. Each group will have class time to choose a way in which they would like to present and explain the proof of the Pythagorean theorem. The teacher will supply a list of different choices that they can choose from or they may speak to the teacher if they have an original idea. This list will also include the main points that they need to include in their presentation. 8. The groups will have class time (depending on how many days are available for this lesson) to prepare their presentation. (RBIScooperative learning) 9. The students will present their presentations to the rest of the class. 10. As an exit slip the students will briefly explain the Pythagorean theorem in their own words.

*Accommodations for learning modalities are required. Labelvisual, auditory, and kinesthetic

Checks for Understanding

1. During the proof activity, the teacher will move around the room and check for understanding by observing the students work and answering any questions. (Content) 2. Before the students begin the first proof activity and before the students begin working in groups, the teacher will check for understanding by having at least two students repeat the directions. (Directions) 3. The teacher will check for understanding based on the class presentations. (Content) 4. The teacher will read the responses from the exit slips to check for understanding. (Content)

Assessment

1. The students will be assessed on their presentations to the class. (Authentic/Summative) 2. The students will be assessed on the responses from their exit slip. (Formative)

Closure

The teacher will briefly review the Pythagorean Theorem and explain that now when they are faced with a problem involving the Pythagorean Theorem they will know where the formula came from and why it works. The students will fill out an exit slip where they will briefly explain the Pythagorean theorem in their own words.

Accommodations Proof Template/Directions Scissors Famous Duos and Trios cards

Materials Duration

1-2 days

Pythagorean Theorem Proof Directions: 1. Cut along the lines to create 4 equal triangles. 2. Place one triangle in the center of a blank piece of paper and trace around it. 3. Label the longest side C (hypotenuse) and the other two sides A and B. 4. Use the cut-out triangles to form perfect squares along each side of the triangle that you drew. Trace around each of the squares that you make. 5. Assuming that the Area of each triangle is 1 unit, find the areas of each square that you made. (Note: A= length x width) 6. Think about how these measures relate to the Pythagorean Theorem.

Pythagorean Group Project In your small groups you will give a short presentation of a proof for the Pythagorean Theorem. You may choose from the following ideas or you may create your own (discuss with the teacher your own idea before you begin). 1. A poster/illustration of another proof of the theorem. 2. Use Geometers Sketchpad to show the theorem. 3. Use an online interactive application to show the theorem. 4. Use tangrams to show the proof (this must be different from the one we just did in class). 5. Other. When creating your presentation, remember that you are explaining the proof. You are NOT doing an example problem using the theorem. You will be teaching your proof to the rest of the class so be sure that you can explain it! Along with giving the presentation to the class you will need to hand in all materials (illustrations, posters, or a printout of the Geometers Sketchpad page). You will also need to turn in a written explanation of your proof.

Exit Slip In your own words, explain the Pythagorean theorem (how and why it works). You may use your proofs from the presentations or the proof activity with the tangrams to explain it.