Detailed Lesson Plan Similar Figures:

Materials:
Copies of student handout (Make the first two pages single-sided so that the shapes can be cut out. It is
recommended that the first two pages be put on cardstock.)
Scissors
Protractors
Rulers (with inches)
Colored Pencils (optional)
Calculators (recommended)

Instructional Activities:
1. Put students into groups of 4.
2. Give students a copy of the handout. Have them cut out the triangles.
Modification/Time Saver: Cut out the triangles for the students.
3. Have them sort the triangles into groups based on similar characteristics. Following this activity, have the
students share with the class how they grouped the triangles.
4. Following the discussion, ask students what similar triangles are: same shape, different size. Now tell the
students to group the similar triangles together.
5. Now guide the students through labeling the triangles in the following way: 1a, 1b, 1c, 2a, 2b, 2c, 3a, 3b, 3c,
with the number being the similar groups: 1 – acute triangles, 2 – right triangles, 3 – obtuse triangles, and
the letter being the size: a – smallest, b – middle size, c – largest.
6. Have students take the groups of similar triangles and match up the corresponding angles so that they can
see that the corresponding angles of similar triangles are congruent.
7. Help students to label the corresponding angles in the groups of similar triangles. They can use different
colored pencils to mark the corresponding angles or they can mark the angles using arcs with one slash, two
slashes, or three slashes.
8. Once the triangles are grouped and labeled accordingly, proceed with the lab.
9. In the next part of the lab, students will discover that the angles in similar figures are congruent by matching
up the angles for each set of triangles.
10. After they have matched up the angles, tell them to answer question 2.
11. Next, tell them to determine the measure of all the other angles without measuring the angles, labeling the
triangles appropriately and filling out the chart.
12. Now they will use a protractor to measure the angles of triangles 1c, 2c, and 3c.
13. Using the discovery they made about angles in similar triangles, they will find all the other angles without
measuring them. They should label the angles of their triangles with the appropriate measurement.
14. Next, students will discover what a scale factor is. Discuss the concept of corresponding sides with the
students. Have them label the corresponding sides of each set of triangles. They can use different colored
pencils to mark the corresponding sides or they can mark them using slashes as shown below:

15. Guide the students through the remainder of the lab.