EngageNY
Conditions for a Unique Triangle—Three Sides and Two Sides and the Included Angle
Building on the previous lesson plan in the 29-part series, the ninth lesson plan asks individuals to construct a triangle given specific criteria. First, they are given three specific side lengths, followed by two sides and the included...
EngageNY
Congruence, Proof, and Constructions
This amazingly extensive unit covers a wealth of geometric ground, ranging from constructions to angle properties, triangle theorems, rigid transformations, and fundamentals of formal proofs. Each of the almost-forty lessons...
EngageNY
An Area Formula for Triangles
Use a triangle area formula that works when the height is unknown. The eighth installment in a 16-part series on trigonometry revisits the trigonometric triangle area formula that previously was shown to work with the acute triangles....
Virginia Department of Education
Congruent Triangles
Is this enough to show the two triangles are congruent? Small groups work through different combinations of constructing triangles from congruent parts to determine which combinations create only congruent triangles. Participants use the...
Virginia Department of Education
Similar Triangles
Pupils work in pairs to investigate what it takes to prove that two triangles are similar. They work through various shortcuts to find which are enough to show a similarity relationship between the triangles. Small groups work with the...
Virginia Department of Education
Special Right Triangles and Right Triangle Trigonometry
Right triangles are so special! Use special right triangles to discover the trigonometric ratios. Pairs construct special right triangles and find the values of the ratios of the sides. In the process, they discover the ratios stay the...
EngageNY
Drawing Triangles
Create concrete examples of triangle congruence for your classes. The eighth installment of the 29-part module sets the stage for studying triangle congruence. Given a set of criteria, math scholars use constructions to build a specific...
EngageNY
Unique Triangles—Two Sides and a Non-Included Angle
Construct an understanding of triangle congruence through a visual analysis. Young scholars find that given two sides and a non-included angle, sometimes two possible triangles are produced. Their analysis shows that if the non-included...
Mathematics Vision Project
Congruence, Construction and Proof
Learn about constructing figures, proofs, and transformations. The seventh unit in a course of nine makes the connections between geometric constructions, congruence, and proofs. Scholars learn to construct special quadrilaterals,...
Mathematics Vision Project
Module 6: Congruence, Construction, and Proof
Trace the links between a variety of math concepts in this far-reaching unit. Ideas that seem very different on the outset (like the distance formula and rigid transformations) come together in very natural and logical ways. This...
Mathematics Vision Project
Module 2: Congruence, Construction and Proof
Construct yourself a winning geometry unit. A set of lessons introduces geometry scholars to constructions and proofs with compasses and straightedges. It also covers triangle congruence through transformations. This is the second of...
EngageNY
Special Triangles and the Unit Circle
Calculate exact trigonometric values using the angles of special right triangles. Beginning with a review of the unit circle and trigonometric functions, class members use their knowledge of special right triangles to find the value...
Mt. San Antonio Collage
Congruent Triangles Applications
Triangles are all about threes, and practicing proving postulates is a great way to get started. The first page of the worksheet provides a brief introduction of the different properties and postulates. The remaining pages contain...
Illustrative Mathematics
Placing a Fire Hydrant
Triangle centers and the segments that create them easily become an exercise in memorization, without the help of engaging applications like this lesson. Here the class investigates the measure of center that is equidistant to the three...
Illustrative Mathematics
Are They Similar?
Learners separate things that just appear similar from those that are actually similar. A diagram of triangles is given, and then a variety of geometric characteristics changed and the similarity of the triangles analyzed. Because the...
Illustrative Mathematics
Extensions, Bisections and Dissections in a Rectangle
Gaining practice in translating a verbal description into a diagram and then an equation is the real point of this similar triangles exercise. Once the diagram is drawn, multiple methods are provided to reach the conclusion. An effective...
Mathematics Assessment Project
Deducting Relationships: Floodlight Shadows
Try to figure out what happens with shadows as a person moves between two light sources. A formative assessment lesson has individuals work on an assessment task based on similar triangles, then groups them based on their...
Radford University
Building a Recreation Center
It's all about location, location, location. Small groups work to find the best spot for a rec center to serve three different communities. Learners construct the inscribed and circumscribed circles of a triangle to find the best place....
Virginia Department of Education
The Pythagorean Relationship
Add up areas of squares to discover the pythagorean relationship. Small groups create right triangles with squares along each side. They calculate the areas of each square and notice the relationship. Groups construct other types of...
Illustrative Mathematics
Why Does SSS Work?
While it may seem incredibly obvious to the geometry student that congruent sides make congruent triangles, the proving of this by definition actually takes a bit of work. This exercise steps the class through this kind of proof by...
Radford University
Parallel Lines Cut by a Transversal
Use the parallel lines to find your way. After first reviewing geometric constructions and the relationships between angles formed by parallel lines and a transversal, young mathematicians write proofs for theorems relating to parallel...
Math Wire
Gingerbread Man Combinations
Gingerbread men are just like us—they're unique! Discover how many combinations are possible when constructing a gingerbread man with several choices for shapes and colors of eyes, noses, and buttons.
Key Curriculum Press
Triangle Inequalities
Properties about triangles are explored in this lesson. Geometers make conjectures about the length of a triangle's sides, the length of the angles in relation to the length of the sides, and the measure of the exterior angles of a...
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
Over the Hill
Can you hear me from there? Pupils determine the place to build a cell tower on a hill. The class uses constraints and creates a scale drawing on a coordinate system to calculate the exact location of the base of the cell tower.