TCNJ Lesson Plan: Title: Using Similar Triangles To Interpret Slope Unit # - 1 - Lesson # - 3 - Day # - 3

TCNJ Lesson Plan
Title: Using Similar Triangles to Interpret Slope
Unit #_1_ Lesson #__3__ Day # __3__
Aim/Focus Question
Aim/Focus Question: Write out the Big Content Objective from the Unit Plan
How can we use similar triangles to explain why the slope of a line is the same between any two distinct points on a non-vertical
line?
Assessment(s)
Learning Objectives (SWBAT) with Standards Codes
How will you assess the students understanding of the learning objectives? Include on-going formative assessments and any
summative assessment.
Daily Content Objectives:
1.
Use similar triangles to explain why the slope m is

the same between any two distinct points on a nonvertical line in the coordinate plane.
(CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.8.EE.B.6)
1. Triangle Activity/Exit Ticket/Homework
Big Skill Objectives:

1.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Recall and activate prior knowledge

Reason abstractly and quantitatively
Group work
Model with mathematics
2.
3.
4.
Do Now/Triangle Activity: remembering the properties of

similar triangles
Triangle Activity: when collaborating on which triangles
are indeed similar out of the 6 in the envelope
Triangle Activity: when matching the triangles to the
graphs.
Student Understandings/Misunderstandings/Misconceptions
What do you anticipate your students already know going into this lesson, misunderstanding, and having misconceptions of?
Students have already learned about similar triangles in previous classes, so they should know the properties, but they may have
forgotten; hence, why we are going over the properties in the Do Now activity. From the way that it was taught two lessons ago
when graphing proportional relationships, students should be able to connect the triangles to slope; however, there may be difficulty
if students were either absent that day or were goofing off in class, as many do. To combat this, we are working with triangle
manipulatives so that students will remember them better than if we had just drawn the triangles on the graphs.
Beginning (Do Now/Opening/Hook)
Your beginning should engage students in the material for the day and be related to the objectives above. It is good to make your
beginning relevant to the students lives and to make an overt connection between the beginning and the objectives for the day.
Opening:
Think-Pair-Share:
On a piece of notebook paper, students will jot down at least 2 things they know about similar triangles. (2 min)
The teacher will pick Popsicle sticks to pair up students to share their answers and collaborate to make a bigger list. (2
min)
The teacher will bring the class back together to share what theyve come up with via class discussion (4 min)
o Popsicle sticks will be chosen to decide who will share one thing from his/her groups list.
List: corresponding angles are equal
Corresponding sides are proportional
Expected answer: They look exactly the same, except one is bigger/smaller than the other.
(total: 8 min)
Transition
Explicitly connect the discussion
of the Opening to the days
Aim and then to the first
Activity.
Transition: Now that weve reminded ourselves of what similar triangles are, as well as what
their properties are, were ready to use similar triangles to talk about slope. (<1 min)
Middle Context/Application (Mini Lesson, Activity, Guided Practice)

Be sure that your middle section includes a balance of instructional time and time for application.
Include transitions (in italics) when moving to another topic/activity.
Make sure that all activities have clear instructions for the students (written down and delivered) and that you model activities for
the students, when needed. It is useful to list/outline the instructions.
Instructions:
Triangle Activity: Students will be given cut-out paper triangles with numbers on them in a Ziploc bag. They will work with the
people sitting near them to try and figure out which ones are similar given the guidelines that they decided on from the Do Now
activity. (10 min)
The teacher will then ask the class which numbered triangles go together and will write such on the board (Q1). Then, the teacher
will go through each pair of triangles and ask for volunteers to explain why they are similar. Their reasons should come from the list
created in the Do Now of the properties of similar triangles. (4 min)
Once this has been completed, the students will be given 3 graphs on a piece of paper. Their job is to use the triangles to find which
set of triangles relates to each graph. They will then be asked a couple follow-up questions asking about why they matched the way
they did. They wont be told this at first, but to do this, they will have to match up the hypotenuse of the triangles with the line on
the graph. The teacher will allow them time to think about the problem and if they are having trouble, only then will he/she tell
them how to go about doing this. (5 min)
The teacher will pick Popsicle sticks to decide who will present their answers to the class. The presenters will be asked to hold up
both the graph and triangles associated with it, and show why they matched them up. (3 min)
Once three different people have presented the three answers, the teacher will give each individual student a new problem
concerning the number of cookies baked from a given amount of sugar. They will be asked to create a ratio table, graph it, and find
the slope of the graph between two different sets of points using the similar triangle method. (8 min)
The teacher will then ask the following questions to get the class to come up with the fact that the points they used to find the slope
can be used to create similar triangles:
(Q3)
(Q2)
The teacher will go over all of these answers with the class and ask them to write the answers to these questions on the back of
their worksheet.
Well come back to this later, but for now, Im going to pass out the laptops so that you guys can do some i-Ready lessons.
(< 1 min)
i-Ready: Students will log on to their respective i-Ready modules for the second half of class. Students will be given 3 i-Ready
lessons to complete for the last 35 minutes of class. They will be required to pass 2 of these lessons in order to receive credit.
(mandatory 35 min Kilmer allotment)
SAMPLE QUESTIONS
What questions will I ask
during the activity/ lesson?
Include anticipated student
answers in parentheses.
Above, write where in the
instructions the question will
go, using parentheses (ex. Q1).
Knowledge Questions:
(Q1) Which numbered triangles are similar to each other? (1 and 4, 2 and 6, 3 and 5)
Application Questions:
(Q2) How could we have used what we learned about similar triangles to find the slope? (If the
similar triangles hypotenuse lies on the line itself, then the vertical leg represents the change in
the values on the y-axis and the horizontal leg represents the change in the values on the x-axis)
Critical Thinking Questions:
(Q3) Why is the slope the same between any two points? (The slope relates to the unit rate and
the unit rate is the same between any two entries in a ratio table. Also, since the hypotenuses of
the similar triangles lie on the same line, the slope must be constant)
Differentiation
Struggling
Baseline
Accelerated
These students will be given the ratio table

for the cookie problem and will only need
graph and find the slope.
These students perform the activity as

directed.
Early finishers will be given an additional

worksheet for practice.
Transition
Connect the Application with
the Conclusion.
Transition: Weve now seen how similar triangles relate to slope. Now lets bring together
everything weve done thus far and reflect. (<1 min)
End /Conclusion of the Lesson

End each lesson together as a class to sum up the material for the day and bring the class back to the Learning Objectives and
Aim for the day.
Students will be asked to talk to their neighbor(s) to come up with a one-sentence summary of what we did in class today. (2 min)
A student will be picked via Popsicle sticks to report to the class what they and their partner came up with. (1 min)
The teacher will clarify anything that may have been left out (1min)
Exit Ticket: Students will be given an exit ticket containing a graph. Students must use at least two similar triangles to show that
the slope is the same at any two given points. (5 min)
A student will be called via Popsicle sticks to come up to the board and draw out their similar triangles on the graph I have already
drawn on the board. (2 min)
Homework
What is the students homework to help them apply the knowledge they have learned from the days lesson?
Students will be given a worksheet containing 3 problems. In the first two, the students are to create a graph from a ratio table and
use at least two similar triangles to show that the slope is the same given any two points chosen on the graph. The last one is a trick
question. The graph in a vertical line. With vertical lines, the slope is undefined.
Materials
List any materials you need for the lesson.
Cut-out paper triangles

Ziploc bags
Worksheet containing the three graphs for the Triangle Activity
Worksheet with cookie problem
Additional practice worksheet for early finishers
Exit ticket
***Add handouts/resources below***

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TCNJ Lesson Plan

Title: Using Similar Triangles to Interpret Slope

Unit #_1_ Lesson #3 Day # 3

Learning Objectives (SWBAT) with Standards Codes

Use similar triangles to explain why the slope m is

1. Triangle Activity/Exit Ticket/Homework

Big Skill Objectives:

Recall and activate prior knowledge

Do Now/Triangle Activity: remembering the properties of

Beginning (Do Now/Opening/Hook)

Middle Context/Application (Mini Lesson, Activity, Guided Practice)

These students will be given the ratio table

These students perform the activity as

Early finishers will be given an additional

End /Conclusion of the Lesson

Cut-out paper triangles

Add handouts/resources below

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