This template is used for student-developed lesson plans in upper-level teacher preparation (UED) classes.

Your lesson
plan should be typed directly into this MS Word document. Boxes will expand to fit the amount of text in your plan.

Level II - Teacher Ed Lesson Plan Template (UED Courses)

Teacher (Candidate): Kelsey Brobst Grade-Level: 8 Lesson Date: 1/27-28

Title of Lesson: Pythagorean Review and Cooperating Teacher: Mr. Jeff Neely
SOHCAHTOA Introduction

Core Components

Subject, Content Area, or Topic

Geometry, Unit 7- Right Triangles, Trigonometry

Student Population
Period 4A (IB) Period 7A (IB) Period 4B Period 7B (IB)
27 students 25 students 16 students 25 students
11 males 8 males 8 males 9 males
16 females 17 females 8 females 14 females
2 non-binary
Learning Objectives
The student will use problem solving, mathematical communication, mathematical reasoning, connections, and
representations to
. S -Solve problems, including practical problems, using right triangle trigonometry and properties of special right
triangles. (a, b, c) 
II. -Determine whether a triangle formed with three given lengths is a right triangle. (a)
III. -Solve for missing lengths in geometric figures, using properties of
45°-45°-90° triangles where rationalizing denominators may be necessary. (b)
IV. -Solve for missing lengths in geometric figures, using properties of
30°-60°-90° triangles where rationalizing denominators may be necessary. (b).  
-Solve problems, including practical problems, involving right triangles with missing side lengths or angle
measurements, using sine, cosine, and tangent ratios. (c)   

Virginia Standard(s) of Learning (SOL)

G.8 The student will solve problems, including practical problems, involving right triangles.  This will include
applying
a. the Pythagorean Theorem and its converse;
b. properties of special right triangles; and
c. trigonometric ratios.
VDOE Technology Standards
Students use a variety of appropriate technologies, troubleshoot appropriate technologies, and transfer their knowledge
to explore emerging technologies.
English Language Proficiency Standards (WIDA Standards)
ELD-MA 6-8 Explain Expressive
Construct mathematical explanations that
 Introduce concept or entity
 Share solution with others
 Describe data and/or problem-solving strategy
 State reasoning used to generate solution
Materials/Resources
Pre-Assessment (Google Forms)
Pythagorean word problems worksheet
Pythagorean note sheet
McDonald’s Draft (2010). Modified by Kreassig and Gould (2014) for use with student teachers. Revised February 2021
This template is used for student-developed lesson plans in upper-level teacher preparation (UED) classes. Your lesson
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Google Slides
SOHCAHTOA (sine, cosine, tangent) worksheet
SOHCAHTOA note sheet
Youtube SOHCAHTOA song
Khan academy link in schoology folders
Classlink ->Desmos.com (students)
Chromebooks (Students)
High Yield Instructional Strategies Used (Marzano, 2001)
Check if Used Strategy Return
Identifying Similarities & Differences 45%
Summarizing & Note Taking 34%
Reinforcing Efforts & Providing Recognition 29%
Homework & Practice 28%
Nonlinguistic Representations 27%
Cooperative Learning 23%
Setting Goals & Providing Feedback 23%
Generating & Testing Hypothesis 23%
Questions, Cues, & Advanced Organizers 22%
Does your instructional input & modeling yield the positive returns you want for your students?
Check if Used Strategy Return
Teach Others/Immediate Use of Learning 95%
Practice by Doing 75%
Discussion 50%
Demonstration 30%
Audio Visual 20%
Reading 10%
Lecture 05%
Safety Considerations
N/A

Time
(min.) Process Components

*Anticipatory Set
Pre-assessment (In their schoology folder)
Go over this question if too many missed it (will be put on the slide)

When they looked for b, it is asking them about a special right triangle. This is
called a 45-45-90 triangle. “How does it relate to what you’ve already seen? This should be fairly
obvious…” Not many people got it right, but they know the symbols for congruent sides. Point out the
hash marks: What are these? So if one side is 2, b is…
This is something they knew but overlooked. Remind them to take their time on their assignments.
2 minutes *State the Objectives (grade-level terms)

-I can apply the Pythagorean Theorem to find missing sides of right triangles
-I can evaluate a triangle to choose between using sine, cosine, and tangent
-I can apply inverse sine, cosine, and tangent principles to find missing angles
30-40 *Instructional Input, Modeling, or Procedures

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minutes
Part 1 (20-25 minutes): Pull the students aside who did not show understanding of Pythagorean Theorem
(list on next page). They should be at the front of the class. If any comments are made that they are
getting extra help, “There’s a lot of things to remember, they may remember things that you don’t. The
Pythagorean theorem is important, just want to make sure everyone is understanding it before moving
forward with right triangles”

While this instruction is occurring, students not on this list will be handed a worksheet of
Pythagorean theorem word problems. If they want to work with others that is good, but if they do not
keep the volume down, they will be asked to work alone. It is important for those who need the teacher
instruction to be able to hear. Tell them If they feel they need more time with Pythagorean, they can pay
attention to the instruction instead.

For this instruction, the students in this lesson will be given a note sheet. TTW display the notes on the
board and walk them through Pythagorean theorem. This should be a refresher, but this is the time to
ensure their understanding. Ask frequent questions, tell them to type in the answers, they should be able
to tell you the formula used for every question: a2+b2=c2. It needs to be understood that the longest side is
ALWAYS the hypotenuse. Take them through a couple questions regarding a set of three numbers, Does
the squares of the two smaller numbers equal the square of the largest number? Next do the same with a
triangle and finding missing sides. Show them one, maybe two, before having them do it themselves and
only doing it when they give an answer.
When this is done, call all students back to the front. For classes 4A and 4B, they will now go to lunch.
When they come back, move to next lesson. For 7A and 7B, they can switch to next instruction directly.

Part 2 ( 50-60 minutes total)

Hand out note sheet for sine, cosine, and tangent (encourage note taking)
In Google Slides, present Sine, Cosine, and Tangent PowerPoint. This first section (about 10-15 minutes)
will be only on sine.
Explain the goal, “we can find the missing side lengths and angle measures of right triangles. The
Pythagorean theorem that you were doing can help with sides, but only if you have two already, and it
can only help you with angle measures in very specific scenarios. Sine, cosine, and tangent can help you
as long as 1. It is a right triangle 2. You know at least two sides or one non-right angle and one side.
Today we are only finding sides.”

We are looking at DEGREES not RADIANS

- If they are using desmos, in the top right corner there is a wrench (settings). At the bottom of the
drop-down menu, you can switch to degrees. If they are using radians, the degree measures will
not make sense. They should ask themselves if they can have a 98-degree angle in a right
triangle… no just two of the three angles will be over our 180.
- If they are using a graphing calculator, the steps are mode->degrees. It may already be
programmed, but they need to check It should become a habit to check for degrees

Discuss opposite, adjacent, and hypotenuse. Have them guess on the given triangle before showing the
definitions.
Sine: (also written sin, always pronounced sine)
Explain the formula is opposite over hypotenuse. When you have your golden angle you are targeting
around (in this case, 53) Your opposite side is the only side that is not touching the golden angle. Your
hypotenuse is always opposite to the right angle. Therefore, in a sine problem, you need to write “Sin of
the angle measure is equal to the length of the opposite side over the length of the hypotenuse”. In this
problem, sin (53)= x/15. “What is the next step?” They will hopefully explain that you multiply by 15. If
not, ask “What are we solving for?” (x) “How do we get x by itself?” (Bring 15 to the left side by
multiplying). Ask them to put this new equation into desmos. (Every student is expected to type these
problems into desmos to ensure they are using degrees over radians. If they are getting a different answer,
check if they are using radians)
The answer should be:
11.979…
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But, what if the x is not on the top?

Complete the next problem. If they understood the first, they should understand the second.
As soon as you know the function (sine=opposite over hypotenuse) all you have to do is plug in. So now,
having the equation, how do we get x by itself? (They may say cross multiply, they may surprise us and
describe it another way which is alright as long as they show comprehension)
Ask for them to find the answer on desmos and report it back to you.

Check for understanding with questions 1-2 on SOHCAHTOA WORKSHEET

After a few minutes or when it looks like the majority is done, ask for a volunteer to teach the class how
they did the problem. They are allowed to check the answer key in their folder but ask for a student to
come to the front and write out what they did. Someone else can do the next problem. Stay near them in
case they need assistance or just encouragement in being in front of the class.

Cosine: (also written cos, try to say cosine at first but once they understand, “cos” works too) NEXT
SLIDE
Similar idea, however, the sides we choose are different. Instead of sin being… (motion for them to finish
it…) cosine is adjacent/hypotenuse. Our adjacent one is the side connecting the golden angle to the right
angle. Our hypotenuse is still the same as it always is, no matter what angle you are targeting. “Based on
how we did sine, can someone tell me how cosine should look?” If they cannot figure it out, that is
OKAY but try to prompt them before giving the equation. Do the next two problems in the slides, having
more and more answers from the students. Hopefully by cosine’s first or second problem they are capable
of filling it out themselves, but still write everything on the board when they tell you what to do.

Check for understanding with questions 3-4 on SOHCAHTOA WORKSHEET

Again, after a few minutes, call them back to the front and have a volunteer be the teacher. Continue with
the second with a different helper. Again, stay near them.

Tangent: (or tan)

Lastly, we get rid of the hypotenuse. Our tangent formula is opposite/adjacent. What side is opposite the
golden angle? (a) What side is adjacent to the golden angle? (20). So our equation is… and how do we
get it by itself? (Multiply by 20). Ask them to give you the answer from desmos.
Complete the second problem, hopefully at this point they understand it enough that it should go quickly.

Check for understanding with questions 5-6 on SOHCAHTOA WORKSHEET

Have another person be the teacher after they are given time to complete them. Again, if they don’t need
the second one, move forward.

Question, does it matter what our golden angle is for it to be sine, cosine, or tangent?
(Pause for answers) No, it matters what sides are on the triangle around it.
Their next worksheet questions they have to decide between using sin, cos, or tan.

This is a lot to remember. Does anyone know the acronym? (They may, may not) SOHCAHTOA!
(Sin is Opposite over Hypotenuse, Cosine is Adjacent over Hypotenuse, Tangent is Opposite over
Adjacent) (point to the letters as you explain)
5 mins *Check for Understanding
each Check for understanding will occur after each introduction to a new part of sine, cosine, and tangent.
Each has two problems that exactly assigns to that type of problem. This will be to give them practice one
at a time as we go. Give them 5 minutes at a time before calling them back. If they have extra time they
can go back to the ones they missed.
After they are done two problems at a time, a student can come up and teach one of the problems to the
class.

After these problems are done and SOHCAHTOA is introduced, the next part of the worksheet will
evaluate if they know which one to use in different situations
Part of *Guided Practice
McDonald’s Draft (2010). Modified by Kreassig and Gould (2014) for use with student teachers. Revised February 2021
This template is used for student-developed lesson plans in upper-level teacher preparation (UED) classes. Your lesson
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instruction Guided practice will take place on each slide as one example will be shown that they help work through.
Use I do We do You do theories. As they learn how to complete the problems, they move into more of the
teacher position as they start being teached, end by explaining it to the class.
10-15 mins *Independent Practice
After the 3 checks, they will be expected to complete the worksheet where they have to figure out which
of the 3 equations they will use. TTW walk around as they work seeing how each one is doing.

5 mins Assessment
After they finish their independent practice, they can check their papers against the online answer key.
Teacher will be around to answer questions and help them along. Papers will not be collected until their
next class, but the note sheets should be checked for completion before they leave the class.
*Closure
TTW show the next slide of the PowerPoint. Show four triangles on the board. Point to one at a time
What sides does this one have? If they figure out what sides they have (adjacent, opposite, hypotenuse)
ask So what equation goes with those two? They should be able to answer. If not, explain each one has
only two sides in their equation, and they all have a different set of two. Even if they understand, go
through all four for them to label sin, cos, or tan. Explain their next part of their worksheet is figuring out
which is which and finding the missing sides.
The left is tangent, top and bottom are sine, right is cosine

Show them YouTube SOHCAHTOA song (linked through the word: “SOHCAHTOA”)

If they want extra practice or enrichment, the link to a khan academy lesson will be in their schoology
folder:
Intro to the trigonometric ratios (video) | Khan Academy
Differentiation Strategies (e.g. enrichment, accommodations, remediation, learning style, multi-cultural).
From the pre-assessment, TTW know who needs more enrichment on Pythagorean theorem and who can move on to
harder problems. List will be set before the class starts. Those who need more enrichment get direct instruction from the
teacher.
After Pythagorean, TTW instruct from the board, frequently sending them away to try things on their own. They are
grouped with people and are welcome to work with them. Then as some students learn best from their peers
explanations’, students will be asked to teach their worksheet answers on the board. This not only excites some people
to be up front and using the board, but they may have a different way of explaining that reaches more people.
By learning style, there is direct instruction (hearing and visual) and trying it themselves on their worksheet and on
desmos (kinesthetic)
Classroom Management Strategies (To ensure a positive learning environment).
If students are too loud doing their extra Pyth. Worksheet, they must be quieted quickly. They should be explained to at
the beginning that they can work together as long as they are not distracting to the other group.
If teacher can not get the students attention, use “if you can hear me clap once…”, they respond well to this.
Lesson Reflection. To be completed following the lesson. Did your students meet the objective(s)? What parts of
the lesson would you change? Why? (Professor will determine if reflection goes here or in written report).

Below
*Denotes Madeline Hunter lesson plan elements.

Candidate Signature Cooperating Teacher Signature Date

Signatures indicate the candidate presented the lesson for cooperating teacher review and input.

McDonald’s Draft (2010). Modified by Kreassig and Gould (2014) for use with student teachers. Revised February 2021
This template is used for student-developed lesson plans in upper-level teacher preparation (UED) classes. Your lesson
plan should be typed directly into this MS Word document. Boxes will expand to fit the amount of text in your plan.

McDonald’s Draft (2010). Modified by Kreassig and Gould (2014) for use with student teachers. Revised February 2021
This template is used for student-developed lesson plans in upper-level teacher preparation (UED) classes. Your lesson
plan should be typed directly into this MS Word document. Boxes will expand to fit the amount of text in your plan.

McDonald’s Draft (2010). Modified by Kreassig and Gould (2014) for use with student teachers. Revised February 2021
This template is used for student-developed lesson plans in upper-level teacher preparation (UED) classes. Your lesson
plan should be typed directly into this MS Word document. Boxes will expand to fit the amount of text in your plan.

Pythagorean Word Problems

The rectangle PQRS represents the floor of a
room.
Ivan stands at point A. Calculate the distance
of Ivan from
a) the corner R of the room
b) the corner S of the room
 

In the following diagram of a circle, O is the centre and the radius is 12

cm. AB and EF are straight lines. Find the length of EF if the length of OP
is 6 cm.

Town A is 9 km from town B, and 12 km from town C. A road connects

towns B and C directly. Find the length of this road.

Scott wants to swim across a river that is 400 meters wide. He begins
swimming perpendicular to the shore he started from but ends up 100
meters down river from where he started because of the current. How far
did he actually swim from his starting point?

If the sum of the legs of a right triangle is 49 cm and the hypotenuse is 41

cm, find the two sides.

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Using Sine, Cosine, and Tangent to find sides

Circle One: Degrees or Radians
Terms:
- Opposite: The side that is _____ touching the angle
- Adjacent: The side that _______________ the angle to the ________
________
- Hypotenuse: The side opposite to the ________ angle (the _______________
side)

Sine:
Formula:

Cosine:
Formula:

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Tangent:
Formula:

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This template is used for student-developed lesson plans in upper-level teacher preparation (UED) classes. Your lesson
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Reflection

On January 25th and 26th, students were required to complete a pre-assessment based on

some prior knowledge as well as topics they have not seen before. This pre-assessment was loaded

into a google form for both in person and virtual learners to complete. It was interesting to see their

responses, to see what they remembered as well as who needed enrichment on prior topics. The data

behind pre-assessments show their helpfulness in the classroom, relating it to the “physical

examination and diagnostic tests physicians use before prescribing an appropriate medical regimen”

(McTighe 2016, p.2). With this knowledge, the teacher can choose small groups and give each

students what they need, and that is what I did. In the second day of their learning (the 27th and 28th),

students were given temporary seats where they could either work on challenging Pythagorean

problems or have direct instruction to recover this old information. Having this be their first day of

right triangles, the students needed to have the base of the Pythagorean theorem, and I am glad it

went this way. Because of this differentiation, students were loved individually, and their differing

needs could be met. Going into the next lesson, I was able to relate SOHCAHTOA to the theorem,

and relating the current knowledge to student’s past knowledge is a way to be an effective teacher

(Guskey, 2018, p.39).

The goal of this lesson was to meet competencies of G.8: The student will solve problems,

including practical problems, involving right triangles.  This will include applying a. the

Pythagorean Theorem and its converse;…and c. trigonometric ratios. The first part of this lesson

ensured the students could meet the necessary knowledge of the Pythagorean theorem based on

notes or word problems. The second part of the lesson introduced them to the three main

trigonometric ratios. This was by direct instruction, a video, and individual practice. By the end of

just this class period, I was confident that at least 95% of students could solve for missing sides with

trigonometry. However, as a Christian teacher, I will not ever be satisfied with some students
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slipping through the cracks. In Luke, Jesus talks about leaving the 99 for the one. When some

students show competency, they will not be left but may be pushed to work individually on more

difficult tasks. Those who have not been able to be reached means they need our help more, they

need individualized instruction. Jesus tells us so clearly that we are meant to push for these people. I

was able to sit with these students individually, and in the future classes will need to frequently

check with them, and keeping an eye on anyone who has trouble. Knowing that not everyone will

pick up on the information, this is why I built in the individual work. Seeing them work

independently, they could show me what they were doing and I could evaluate what they need. The

lesson built in this time, but due to the proximity of their desks and helping each other, I will need

to continue evaluating the students individually, because they will not be supported if only their

friend understands the material.

Similar to differentiating to meet the student’s past knowledge, their needs to be a conscious

effort to meet student’s IEP’s when necessary. Whether physical, emotional, or mental, students are

different, yet are all loved by God. It should be clear to us how we need to help our students be

taught as fairly as possible. In this classroom, one way this is seen are two students with visual

impairments. Due to this impairment, I needed to type notes in 16+ font. This is not too much of a

difference, yet it is something to make sure to supplement for.

Although having been planned for the lesson, I did make changes during the lesson. The first

choice was to switch the closure and independent practice. I felt that with watching the video first

and having entire group conversation about knowing what trigonometric function to use when, they

would have an easier time approaching their work. Another change happened due to my worry

about having volunteers. This was the first time they would see trigonometry, and knowing that I

wanted 6 or more volunteers per class, it seemed too many to hope they would raise their hand to

come to the front. Therefore, instead of asking for volunteers to “teach the class”, as I walked
McDonald’s Draft (2010). Modified by Kreassig and Gould (2014) for use with student teachers. Revised February 2021
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around checking progress, those who seemed to understand it quickly were asked to come up front

when needed. Some did not want to come up which they were not forced to, yet if they did not, I

made sure to congratulate them on understanding what they needed to do, and asking if they still

had any questions. Some students were very happy about coming up front and made a show of

being the teacher, even using teacher ways to shush the class. Some were quieter and I explained

what they did. Not everyone did it the same way as the teacher, and that was encouraged to find the

way that best works for them. One student in 7B had trouble figuring out how to get x by itself.

Although my method was not making sense to her, she quoted another student who has shown their

way on the board. That way made sense to her and she was able to keep moving. This data showed

me so clearly that there are multiple ways to do things and allowing them to pick their own way in

certain times, they may understand it more clearly. I enjoyed having the students act as teachers,

and this will be an instructional activity I will continue to use.

Lastly, a favorite part of my lesson was the SOHCAHTOA video. The video was fun as four

teachers danced and rapped about SOHCAHTOA to the tune of a popular song. The video was not

meant to teach as much as entertain and get the word SOHCAHTOA in their head. I loved how the

class reacted. Some were annoyed, some joked about making it their ringtone, but by the end

everyone knew the word, even though it is made up and completely new to them. It also was an

icebreaker for me as a new teacher for them to connect with them. I do not want to only be

“teacher” to them, I want to know them, and making jokes about a funny video was a way in.

The students seemed to have clear ideas of what was expected of them and by the end and

understood how to find the missing sides using this new method. After four times of teaching it, I

felt that by the end I had my rhythm, but overall, I felt that each class was able to show me they

knew what they were doing. Throughout the rest of their math career, they will hear about

trigonometry, and I believe they built a great foundation in their first day of this unit. I also hope
McDonald’s Draft (2010). Modified by Kreassig and Gould (2014) for use with student teachers. Revised February 2021
This template is used for student-developed lesson plans in upper-level teacher preparation (UED) classes. Your lesson
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they will always remember SOHCAHTOA, even if they need to sing “SOHCAHTOA style” in their

head to do so.

McDonald’s Draft (2010). Modified by Kreassig and Gould (2014) for use with student teachers. Revised February 2021
This template is used for student-developed lesson plans in upper-level teacher preparation (UED) classes. Your lesson
plan should be typed directly into this MS Word document. Boxes will expand to fit the amount of text in your plan.

References

Guskey, T. R. (2018, February 1). Does pre-assessment work? ASCD. Retrieved January 30, 2022,

from https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/does-pre-assessment-work

McTighe, J. (2016). PRE-ASSESSMENT: Promises and cautions. University of Kentucky

UKnowledge. Retrieved January 30, 2022, from

https://uknowledge.uky.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1016&context=edp_facpub

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