Lesson: Triangle Inequality Theorem

Key Content Standards:

7.G Draw, construct, and describe geometrical figures and describe the relationships between them.
7.G.2 Draw (freehand, with ruler and protractor, and with technology) geometric shapes with given
conditions. Focus on constructing triangles from three measures of angles or sides, noticing when the
conditions determine a unique triangle, more than one triangle, or no triangle.

Habits of Mind/Practices/Capacities:
Mathematical Practice 4: Model with mathematics.
Mathematical Practice 5: Use appropriate tools strategically.
Mathematical Practice 7: Look for and make use of structure.

Key ELD Standards (Only need to include if you have English language learners in your class):
1.A.1 Exchanging information and ideas with others through oral collaborative discussions on a range
of social and academic topics.
1.C.11 Justifying own arguments and evaluating others arguments in writing.

Learning Outcome :
Students will be able to independently and collaboratively use models and mathematical tools
strategically to identify, describe, and draw geometrical figures.

A. Cognitive Task:
Using their knowledge of angles and triangles, students will collectively explore the
Triangle Inequality Theorem using straws and a die, in order to determine if a triangle can
be created given a set of three side lengths.

B. Understanding or Skill to be Enhanced:
U Students will understand how to identify and classify various types of triangles.
K Students will know how to determine whether or not a triangle exists given a set of
three sides.
S Students will be able to use the Triangle Inequality Theorem to calculate the possible
lengths of a missing side of a triangle.

Prerequisite Skills and Prior Knowledge:
Students should be able to:
- Use a rules to measure and draw figures in inches and centimeters.
- Use basic mathematical operations such as adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing.

Assessments:
1. Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down Students will be asked to evaluate their own understanding of
certain content at different times in the lesson using this method.
2. In Class Group Activity Students will have the opportunity to work in groups to discover the
Triangle Inequality Theorem. The teacher will have the opportunity to monitor students
progress and ability to work collaboratively with others.

3. Homework Practice problems will be given each night and graded on completion rather than
correctness. This gives students the repetition that they need to be successful with these
types of problems.

Lesson Resources/Materials:
- Rulers
- Straws (pre-cut) (16 sets groups of 2 (288 total))
- Dice (32)
- Textbooks
- Triangles Exploration Handout (65)
- Triangles Homework (65)
- iPad Randomizer

INSTRUCTIONAL SEQUENCE: ENGAGING STUDENTS IN THE LEARNING PROCESS

Introduction (total time: 10 minutes)
S: Enter quietly and begin the warm-up posted on the board (5 minutes to complete).
T: Takes and submits attendance.
T: Walks around and assists students when needed.
T: Checks and records scores for homework.
T/S: Go over solutions to the warm-up taking volunteers. Go over individual questions as needed.
T: Posts homework solutions on the board.
S: Check their answers with those posted.
T: Takes questions from students on challenging problems and works problems on the board.
S: Correct their work if needed.

T: Randomly selects two students to read the content objective and language objective for the day.
S: Read objectives aloud.

Body of the Lesson (total time: 41 minutes)
T: Introduces triangles.
T: Asks students what they know about triangles.
S: Raise hands and volunteer ideas.
T: Writes ideas on the board.

T: Passes out Triangles Exploration Activity.
T: Goes over the directions and reviews group work rules.
T: Reminds students of the 1 Before Me protocol for asking questions. (This does not mean that I do
not want to help them, but I will not always be around to help them and they must learn to work with
each other to come up with a solution.)
T: Provides a sentence structure for communicating with group members (Language Demand)

Sentence Frames:
The side lengths of ______, ______, and ______ create a triangle because _____________________.
The side lengths of ______, ______, and ______ do not create a triangle because _______________.


S: Work quietly with their partner to complete the first 5 to 10 side combinations. As many as they
can complete in 15 minutes.
T: Informs students that they should move toward completing the questions on the back of the
worksheet.
S: Complete questions on the back of the worksheet. (5 minutes to complete these)

T: Brings class back together.
T: Discussion about the questions that the students answered.

Possible Questions:
- What patterns did you notice as you were doing this activity?
- What did you notice about the side lengths of the triangles that resulted in triangles versus
those that did not result in a triangle?
- Why did some combinations not work?
- Could we make a statement that would apply to all triangles that would tell us whether or not
a triangle will result from three given sides?

T: Leads students to the discovery of the Triangle Inequality Theorem by questioning. (Listed above)
T: Asks students to discuss various questions with a partner (allow 30 seconds per question).
S: Discuss solutions and ideas with a partner.
T: Gives students example questions on the board.
S: Answer questions in their notes.
T/S: Discuss answers to the questions.

Whiteboards (Time Permitting):
T: Posts example problems on the board.
S: Complete the problems on their whiteboards and raise them for the teacher to evaluate.
T: Checks each whiteboard and gives feedback.
T: Monitors class and records students that are not participating.

Closure (total time: 5 minutes)
T: Asks students to write down the Triangle Inequality Theorem in their own words.
S: Write their ideas out in their notes (or on their whiteboards).
T: Asks students to share what they wrote with their partner. (Think-Pair-Share) (Language Demand)
T: Randomly selects students to share their definition with the class.
S: Share their ideas.
T: Assigns homework.
S: Write homework down in their planners.
T: Dismisses class.


ACADEMIC LANGUAGE

1. Describe the cognitive task related to the learning outcome:

Using their knowledge of angles and triangles, students will collectively explore the Triangle
Inequality Theorem using straws and a die, in order to determine if a triangle can be created
given a set of three side lengths.

Students will work with a partner to explore the Triangle Inequality Theorem. First, they will
roll a die three times to determine how long each side of the triangle is. Then they will create
the triangle with the straws that they have in their bag (provided). They will determine
whether or not a triangle can be made using those side lengths. This will be repeated up to
ten times.

2. Language Demands: Identify all the ways students will be communicating when engaged in
the cognitive task written above? (Circle)

o Collaborative (engagement in oral or written dialogue with others)
Students will
- Exchange information/via oral communication and conversations
- Offer opinions and negotiate with/persuading others
- Adapt language choices of various contexts

o Interpretive (comprehension and analysis of written and spoken texts)
- n/a

o Productive (creation of oral presentations and written texts)
- n/a

3. Describe the genre/purpose/ of the chosen language demand.
o Genre/purpose
- Exploring mathematical concepts
- Describing geometrical figure properties/characteristics
- Defining mathematical and geometrical terms
- Constructing mathematical arguments
- Comparing and contrasting different triangles

o Text type:
- Informational/explanatory

o Audience
- A group of peers (or pairs) engaged in an academic conversation (one-to-group)

4. Describe the instructional strategies you will use to support the development of specific
academic language skills (related to the identified language demand above).
I will help students

- To practice academic language as they convey thoughts and ideas about relationships
between side length and the existence of triangles to a partner, in order to discover
the Triangle Inequality Theorem together.

I will use the following strategies:
- Modeling
- Examples on the board
- Handout(s)
- Working with a partner
- Wait time
- Rephrasing
- Think-Pair-Share (w/ a partner)
- Sentence frames or sentence stems
- Vocabulary journal (handout)

5. Describe additional strategies you will use to meet the needs of students with varying levels
of language proficiency.

- Emerging:
- Yes/no questions
- Recognize that language choices vary by social setting, substantial support

- Expanding:
- Turn taking
- Adjust language choices according to purpose, social setting, and audience, moderate
support

- Bridging:
- Provide useful feedback
- Adjust language choices according to purpose, social setting, and audience, light
support

In your lesson plan, integrate, label and highlight where you will be providing the instruction
and guided practice related to the selected language demand.