Lesson Plan

Day: Tuesday Date: 5/9/2017 Lesson Duration: 50 min

Year: 11 Strand: Mathematics Applications Unit 2 Topic: 2.2 Applications of trigonometry

Curriculum Content Description ACARA Code:

1
2.2.2 Determine the area of a triangle, given two sides and an included angle by using the rule area= ab sinC , or given three
2
sides by using Herons rule, and solve related practical problems.

Purpose of Lesson
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To determine the area of a triangle given two sides and the angle between them using the formula area= ab sinC .
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Students Prior Knowledge & Experience What the students already know about the topic
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Students are familiar with finding the area of a triangle using the formula area of triangle= base height
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Students have experience with using trigonometry to determine the length of an unknown side or size of an angle of a right triangle

Learning Objectives On completion of the lesson students will be able to:

Objective Blooms Taxonomy Level of Complexity
1 Define the formula for finding the area of a triangle using trigonometry Understand
2 Apply the formula for the area of a triangle to determine the area, size of an angle or length of a Apply
side of a triangle

Evaluation How will you know the lesson objective has been achieved
1 Students will complete and hand in the exercises in the textbook associated with trigonometry for triangles

Preparation & Resources

Students will need: Textbook: Mathematics Applications Unit 2. A.J. Sadler
Teacher will prepare:

Catering For Diversity what adjustments or considerations will be made to ensure equitable outcomes for all students
Prior to the class I will have a discussion with the teacher to identify if there are any students with special needs/requirements with respect
to adjusting the learning experience or the learning environment and if there are any students on an Individual Education Plan or Behaviour
Management Plan.

Timing Lesson Experience

1. Introduction how will I engage the students?
5 min Ensure students have textbooks
2. Sequence of learning activities how will the students gain the skills and knowledge to meet the lesson objectives?
25 min 1
Recall general formula for finding the area of a triangle: area of triangle= base height
2
Show example where triangle has two given sides and an angle (no height), prompt students for a method to find
the area
Discuss 2 step process of finding height then plugging into formula is clunky
Look at how we can reduce the process
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Show example of a general triangle use trigonometry and algebra to derive formula area= ab sinC
2
Example - 2 sides and angle in between given, find area
 Acute vs obtuse angles check formula works for obtuse angles
Example 2 sides and area given, find angle
Example I side, angle and area given, find side
Example 3 sides given
a+ b+c
Herons Formula area= s( sa)( sb)( sc) where s=
2
20 min Textbook exercises

3. Conclusions summarise the learning and relate it to learning objectives

When we are given a triangle with 2 sides and an angle between them, we can use trigonometry to find the perpendicular
height of the triangle. The calculated height used with the length of the base can be used to determine the area of the
triangle. This two-step process can be further reduced to a single calculation resulting in the formula
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area= ab sinC .
2

Lesson Evaluation reflect on what did/didnt work, what would you change, why?
How did I feel the lesson went?

The lesson went well. This was the first time I had taught this particular group of students so they were not accustomed to my teaching
style. Initially, only a couple of students responded to my prompts and questions, however, over the course of the lesson the remainder of
the students became more and more interactive. This was also evident when I asked them to get out their calculators to compute a
solution. Initially only three students participated, however, by the end of the lesson almost all the students picked up their calculators
when prompted and attempted to solve the problem.

I have developed an appreciation of the teacher-student relationship. When I am first introduced to a new group of students I find them
particularly reticent. I think this is due to both a lack of familiarity with me personally and an uncertainty of my expectations. In all the
lessons I have taught, I have found that over the course of the lesson the students appear to feel more comfortable and are quick to figure
out that I am looking for student input/answers/interaction. In all cases, I have found the participation levels increase noticeably by the end
of the lesson. I look forward to teaching in a scenario where I have the same students over a period of time so they are familiar with me, my
teaching style and my expectations.
Were potential problems predicted?

From my previous lessons I have learned to become conscious of how many notes I write on the board. For this lesson, I only wrote
information on the board if I felt it was something the students themselves needed to write in their notebooks. My lesson plan contained
the additional notes that I spoke about or discussed once the pertinent information was on the board. I think this worked well and I did not
have the problem I came across earlier in the week where I needed to stall the lesson in order for the students to copy all the notes.
What were the most effective elements of the lesson? Why?

I am finding it effective to begin a lesson with a recap of the foundation and/or previous knowledge the students are building on in that
lesson. I dont assume they all remember previous content, instead, I begin the lesson by prompting them as a group to recall the relevant
information. This brings the topic to mind, consolidates what they already know and builds confidence by talking about something they are
already familiar with.

I try to reduce the amount of passive learning where possible. I believe an effective way to keep them engaged is to involve them where
possible as I am writing on the board. I achieved this in my lesson by prompting for formulas, prompting for values for variables in formulas,
prompting for what step comes next in the process and prompting them to use calculators to solve an example problem.

I have found when I prompt students to use their calculators to compute a solution, it is more effective to ask several students what answer
they got and treat it as though I am going with the consensus. I think this is better than simply asking one student because it often tends to
be the same student. Also, if the students know I am likely to ask several of them for their solution, they are more likely to have a go rather
than leave it to someone else to solve.
What were the least effective elements of the lesson? Why?

My lesson plans have all followed a similar layout where I recap previous knowledge, stand at the board and teach the new theory, then the
students apply the new theory to practice problems. Generally, I have spent about 25-30 minutes on the theory portion of the lesson. My
mentor suggested trying a technique where I deliver a chunk of the theory, then let them do a couple of examples, then return to the board
to continue with the theory. I think the length of time a student can effectively concentrate and learn during this lecture style of teaching is
dependent on the age, ability and interests of the student, however, I think in all cases there is an advantage to breaking up the theory
component to scaffold the new knowledge with practical applications.
Was your lesson plan effective for managing the class? How did your students react? Was there a high level of participation?

The lesson plan worked to meet the lesson objectives. As mentioned previously, it would have been more effective to break up the theory
component with some practice problems, however, there were no classroom management issues resulting from sequence of activities.
Were you satisfied with your timing?
Yes.
If I were to repeat the lesson what would I change? How could I improve it?
 At the completion of the theory, I asked the students to do two specific exercise questions. Instead of waiting until the end of the lesson, I
would deliver the first section on deriving the formula, and then follow this with the two exercise questions. This provides an opportunity to
immediately put the theory into practice and also breaks up the passive component of the lesson. On completion of the two questions I
would resume the theory.
At the beginning of the lesson, I lead the students through a process of combining two areas of knowledge to determine a new application
of the theory. On reflection, I believe I missed an opportunity to utilise a think-share-pair technique to allow the students to develop the
new theory themselves.