For the lesson on:

March 3, 2015

The lesson will be hosted

at:

Putnam High
School

The lesson will be taught

by:

Kari Dalia

The class the lesson will be

taught in:

Honors Geometry

Lesson plan developed by:

Kari Dalia, Tracey

Flaherty, Erin
Gilliam & Alyson
Stercula

Title of the Lesson

Modeling with Right Triangles

Research Lesson Theme

This lesson study aims to improve student motivation, understanding and
perseverance in modeling practical situations with mathematics, specifically using
right triangles to solve for angles of elevation and depression and distances.

Our Ideals
In five years from now, students will have the following qualities:
- Apply problem solving strategies to real life situations and to persevere to
solve the problems.
- Confidence in making assumptions and approximations to simplify a
complicated situation.
The Actual
Students have the following qualities now:
- Shut down at problems that require critical thinking
- Difficulty expressing reasoning, especially in writing
- Difficulty in visualizing a real life situation geometrically (seeing the right
triangles created from angles of depression and elevation)
- Waiting for the teacher to give the process and/or answer to a problem.
The Gap
The gaps we would most like to address are:
- Modeling the problem effectively

Applying real life situations to mathematical content

Standards
CCCS.HS.G - SRT 8: Use trigonometric ratios and the Pythagorean Theorem to solve
right triangles in applied problems.
CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP1: Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP4: Model with mathematics.
Goal of the Lesson
Our goal for this lesson study is for students to be able to:
Model practical situations given angles of depression or elevation and/or
distances by creating a visual representation
Identify each quantity involved in the problem and its location
Determine a solution strategy involving trigonometry and/or Pythagorean
Theorem
Solve the problem presented
Research Question
What is an effective instruction sequence that supports students understanding in
properly modeling angle of depression word problems such that 70% of students can
correctly model and solve an example in the lessons exit slip?
Situating the Lesson
Related to

prior learning standards (topics/objectives):

Apply trigonometric ratios to solve right triangles.
Apply inverse trigonometric ratios to solve right triangles.
Apply Pythagorean Theorem to solve right triangles.
Identifying and sketching angles of elevation and depression.

Related post learning standards (topics/objectives):

Derive and apply the Law of Sines to solve non-right triangles.
Derive and apply the Law of Cosines to solve non-right triangles.
Model practical situations with non-right triangles.
Instructions of the Lesson
(a) What the
students need to
learn [according
to your standards

Students need to learn how to:

Identify important quantities and the location
(sketch) of those quantities.
Identify relationships between quantities and use

and/or
curriculum]?

relationships to solve for desired quantities (angle,

opposite side, hypotenuse -> sine).
Use trigonometric ratios and the Pythagorean
Theorem to solve right triangles in applied problems.

(b) What the

students have
learned [from your
observations]?

Students have learned how to:

Apply trig ratios to solve right triangles.
Apply inverse trig ratios to solve right triangles.
Apply pythagorean theorem to solve right
triangles.

(c) What is the

major
focus (theme) of
this lesson?

Application and demonstration of conceptual understanding in

modeling practical situations of right triangles.

(d) The way to

help students
accomplish the
above objective.

Students will be able to demonstrate understanding of practical

right triangle situations and solve for various quantities (angles
of elevation or depression or distances) after participating in
the instructional sequence described below.

The Plan of the Lesson

Learning Activities,
Teacher Questions &
Directions

Anticipated Student
Responses, Questions &
Misconceptions

Teacher Responses to
Anticipated
Misconceptions.

Students will be curious about

the video. They might ask:
- Did that really
happen?
- What was wrong
with the plane?
- How long was
the plane in the air?
- Did anyone get
hurt?

On January 15, 2009 US

Airways Flight 1549, piloted
by Chesley Sullenberger
made an emergency landing
in the Hudson River in New
York.

INTRODUCTION (5 minutes)
Show the video.
https://www.youtube.com/wa
tch?v=imDFSnklB0k
Moderate discussion about
the video clip.
Answer student questions
about the video.

The plane had to make an

emergency landing because
it hit a flock of geese and the
geese caused both engines
to fail.

The plane hit the geese

about three minutes after
takeoff and landed in the
river about three minutes
after that.
No one was seriously injured.
Posing the Problem (10 minutes)
The teacher will lead the
class through the problem
using guided instruction and
questioning.
Post the problem on the
board:
If Sullenberger began his
descent into the Hudson
River from 3,000 feet above
the water at a 20 degree
angle of depression, how far
did the plane travel before
landing in the Hudson? Use
the diagram provided to
create a completed model,
write an equation based off
your model and solve the
equation. (Diagram is
located at the end of the
lesson plan.)
Solving the Problem:
- Ask the class
What would you add
or label first in the
picture?
- When locating
the angle of
depression, use
language BELOW the
horizontal line/
horizon line
- Identify the

Students might struggle to

determine which angle is the
angle of depression.
Students might struggle to
identify quantities involving
distance, including altitude
and how much further the
plane needs to fly on
diagram.
Students might struggle with
determining what method to
use to solve the problem (trig,
inverse trig or Pythagorean
Theorem).
Students might struggle with
properly labeling their model.
Students might have difficulty
choosing which trig function
to use to solve the problem.

Have students create an

angle of depression and
angle of elevation using their
arms.
Remind students about the
phrase SOHCAHTOA to help
with setting up trig
equations.
Remind students to label
everything in terms of the
reference angle
Remind students to use trig if
they know one non-right
angle and one side length of
a right triangle
Remind students to identify
the hypotenuse to help with
identifying everything else
Remind students about the
previous days video about
elevation and depression
angles and the terminology
used - looking up and looking
down

location of the other

given quantity
(altitude).
- Identify the
location of the missing
quantity.
- Determine a
process (trig) to solve
the problem and why
we use this process.
- Create
connections to
previous material,
such as other right
triangles, trig, and
Pythagorean Theorem.
SOLVING PROBLEM (20 minutes)
Teacher will propose
directions for the next
portion of the lesson.
- You will visit
four stations,
spending five minutes
at each station. Read
the problem, work
together to create a
model or diagram,
write an equation and
solve the problem.
Check in with me after
you draw the diagram
and before you solve
the problem to make
sure you are moving
along the right track.
Provide an answer
rounded to the
nearest tenth. Then
check your answer. If
it is incorrect, rework
the problem as a
group or check in with

The students will choose a

strategy, such as
trigonometry, inverse
trigonometry, or the
Pythagorean Theorem to
solve the problem after
modeling it.
Students might struggle to
identify location of quantities,
both angles and sides.
Students will struggle to
choose an appropriate solving
strategy - to use a trig,
inverse trig or pythagorean
theorem.

Provide support through

observation, conversation,
and questioning.
Remind students about the
phrase SOHCAHTOA to help
with setting up trig
equations.
Have students create an
angle of depression and
angle of elevation using their
arms.
Remind students to use trig if
they know one angle and one
side length of a right triangle

Students might write a correct Remind students to use

inverse trig if they need to
equation involving trig but
find the measure of an angle
use the calculator functions
incorrectly.
Remind students they can
use Pythagorean Theorem to
solve for the unknown third

me if youre stumped.
Youll have
approximately 4
minutes at each
station, and then you
will rotate.

side of a right triangle

Remind students to label
everything in terms of the
reference angle
Remind students to
determine the hypotenuse to
help in labeling everything
else

Check in with me after you

draw the diagram and before
you solve the problem, will
also be written on the board.
Four Stations
1) Angle of
Elevation
2) Angle of
Depression
3) Solving for an
Angle
4) Pythagorean
Theorem
Students will be split into
three groups.move
independent of teacher,
roles, extra problem, color
cups
COMPARING AND DISCUSSING (5 minutes)
Compare and contrast the
problem types.
The teacher should ask the
group:
- What questions
were similar? Why?
- What questions
were different? How
were they different?

Students might fail to make

any connections between the
types of problems.

If students struggle, the

teacher will lead the
conversation through
questioning.

Students might make

incorrect connections
between the types of
problems.

Encourage students to help

each other in explaining as
opposed to taking over

Students might not

adequately communicate
their understanding of the
similarities and differences in
the problems

If students need
encouragement, the teacher
could ask more specific
questions such as:
- What problems

Students might highlight how

they chose to solve the
problems and not why they
chose the select strategy to
solve them
Students might struggle to
communicate what key words
helped them pick a strategy

involved solving for a

distance?
- Find a problem
that required solving
for a distance and a
problem that required
solving for an angle.
- Find two
problems that both
used trig equations,
but one used inverse
trig and one use
regular trig.

Summing Up (10 minutes)

In summation, students will
solve an angle of elevation
or depression word problem
in an exit slip.
Teacher will give directions
similar to the following.
- Now that you
have seen and solved
different practical
situations that can be
modeled using right
triangles, lets solve a
similar problem
independently. Use
your experience from
class today to help
you solve the problem
presented on your exit
slip before you leave.
Teacher will grade the exit
slips and students will
compare theirs with their
partner in the next class.
Evaluation

Students might incorrectly

model or solve the problem.

Teacher will not respond to

student questions during this
part of the lesson, as
students are being assessed.

70% of students will correctly model and solve the angle of depression word problem on the
exit slip.