CEP Lesson Plan Form

Teacher: Mike Callahan Date: Feb 28, 2017

School: Rocky Mountain High School Room #: Content Area:

College Trig

Title: Law of Cosines Lesson #:__ of __

Lesson Idea/Topic and This college trigonometry class just finished learning
Rational/Relevance: about the Law of Sines which transitions nicely into the
What are you going to Law of Cosines. I will test their prior knowledge by
teach and why is this asking them to solve a non-right triangle that cannot be
lesson of importance to done with the Law of Sines. After the students realize
your students? How is it they cannot solve it, I will introduce the new equations
relevant to students of and briefly prove where they came from and why they
this age and background? are what they are. This lesson is important because both
Why are you teaching the Law of Sines and the Law of Cosines can be used in
this lesson now (what the real world to solve application problems. I am
came before/what will teaching this lesson now because after this lesson they
come after)? What will learn how to find the area of specific triangles. Some
teaching equations they use for finding the area derive from the
methods/strategies will Law of Cosines, so it is important to teach Law of
you use and why? Cosines first.

Content Standard(s) addressed by this lesson: (Write Content Standards directly from
the standard)

9-12.4.2.c.iii Use trigonometric ratios and the Pythagorean Theorem to solve right triangles in
applied problems

Understandings: (Big Ideas)

Recognize when to use the Law of Cosines vs. the Law of Sine

Students can apply the Law of Cosines to practical problems

Inquiry Questions: (Essential questions relating knowledge at end of the unit of instruction,
select applicable questions from standard)

How can the law of cosines be useful outside the classroom?

Why do most students prefer to use the Law of Sines opposed to the Law of Cosines

Evidence Outcomes: (Learning Targets) AND (Success Criteria)Using ABCD Objective

I can: College trigonometry students can determine whether to use the Law of Sines or the Law
of Cosines to solve a problem, given a combination of angle measures and side lengths of a non-
right triangle.

This means: Students will apply the Law of Cosines to solve problems involving right and non-
right triangles

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CEP Lesson Plan Form

List of Assessments: (Note whether the assessment is formative or summative)

Homework problems (formative) and ticket out the door (formative)

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CEP Lesson Plan Form
Name and Purpose of Lesson
Should be a creative title - Think of the
purpose as the mini-rationale
Approx. Time and Materials
How long do you expect the activity to
last and what materials will you need?
Anticipatory Set
The hook to grab students attention. To
put students into a receptive frame of
mind.
To focus student attention on the
lesson.
To create an organizing framework
for the ideas, principles, or
information that is to follow
(advanced organizers)
An anticipatory set is used any time a
different activity or new concept is to be
introduced.
How do you intend to engage your
students in thinking during the
Anticipatory Set?
Why are you using it at this point in
your lesson?
How will you know they get it?
Procedures
(Include a play-by-play account of what
students and teacher will do from the
minute they arrive to the minute they
leave your classroom. Indicate the length
of each segment of the lesson in minutes.
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Planned Lesson Activities
Law of Cosines
The purpose of this lesson is to introduce the Law of Cosines and have
students apply it to three different types of problems.
Approximate time is 30 minutes of lecture and the rest of the class will
be dedicated to working on homework.
Materials: Smart Lesson, laptops, textbook.
For the hook, I will give information for a SAS triangle and ask the
students to try to solve it. They will recognize they cannot solve it using
their prior knowledge of the Law of Sines so I will then introduce the
Law of Cosines. After introducing the necessary equations, I will briefly
go over the proof of why those equations are what they are. After the
proof, I will do one example using the Law of Cosines to solve a SAS
triangle and one example to solve a SSS triangle. After giving the
examples, I will assign homework problems and the students will have
the rest of the class period to finish the homework. Before leaving class,
I will have them complete a more difficult application problem for the
ticket out the door.
The strategy I intend to use is ___direct
teaching_______________________________
I am using this strategy here because: this concept is tricky to
understand without concrete examples.
My CFU?_Ticket out the door___________________________________________
Teacher Actions Student Actions
Define Law of Cosines ~1 minute Taking notes on definitions, proof,
Provide proof for Law of Cosines and examples. ~30 minutes
~5-10 minutes Work on assigned homework
Model the use of Law of Cosines ~ problems ~40 minutes
20 minutes Complete ticket out the door ~20
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CEP Lesson Plan Form

Indicate whether each is: minutes

-teacher input
-modeling
-questioning strategies
-guided/unguided:-whole-class practice,
group practice, individual practice, check
for understanding, other
How do you intend to engage your The strategy I intend to use is __Cold
students in thinking during the calling_________________________________
Anticipatory Set? I am using this strategy here because: cold calling keeps the students
Why are you using it at this point in engaged because they want to be prepared if they get called on to
your lesson? answer a question.
How will you know they get it?
My CFU?_Responses to cold calling___________________________________

Closure At the end of the lesson, the students will complete the ticket out the
Those actions or statements by a teacher door problem. This problem will be harder than the examples seen in
that are designed to bring a lesson class so they are encouraged to work in groups and ask questions when
presentation to an appropriate conclusion. necessary. By completing the ticket out the door, students will have
Used to help students bring things answered the essential question that is how the Law of Cosines can be
together in their own minds, to make applied outside the classroom.
sense out of what has just been taught.
Any Questions? No. OK, lets move on is
not closure. Closure is used:
To cue students to the fact that
they have arrived at an important
point in the lesson or the end of a
lesson.
To help organize student learning
To help form a coherent picture and to
consolidate.

How do you intend to engage your The strategy I intend to use is __Ticket out the
students in thinking during the door______________________________
Anticipatory Set? I am using this strategy here because: this will allow me to see where
Why are you using it at this point in students are with the content and how much they really understand.
your lesson?
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CEP Lesson Plan Form

How will you know they get it? My CFU?____Ticket out the door _____________________________________

Differentiation: There are different approaches to solving a problem using Law of

Cosines. I will give them one approach of the equation during the
Differentiation should be example problems and if they do not understand that format, I will sit
embedded throughout your down with them and go over a different approach one on one. One-on-
whole lesson!! one instruction will help the students that think the activity it too
This is to make sure you have difficult.
For the advanced students, I have an additional set of problems for
met the needs of your students them to try. This problem set expands on the ticket out the door and
on IEPS or 504 digs deeper into the Law of Cosines.
To modify: If the activity is too advanced
for a child, how will you modify it so that
they can be successful?
To extend: If the activity is too easy for a
child, how will you extend it to develop
their emerging skills?

Assessment Reflection: (data

Since the ticket out the door will be more difficult than the example
analysis) problems, I will know that students understand the learning targets if
How will you know if students met the
they can solve the ticket out the door. If they are really struggling to
learning targets? Write a description of
solve it then I will know that they need extra practice with applied
what you were looking for in each
problems.
assessment.

Post Lesson Reflection

1. To what extent were lesson objectives achieved? (Utilize assessment data to justify your level of
achievement)

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CEP Lesson Plan Form

2. What changes, omissions, or additions to the lesson would you make if you were to teach again?

3. What do you envision for the next lesson? (Continued practice, reteach content, etc.)

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