MIAA360: Lesson Study

Teaching Dates: May 7, 2015

Concept for this lesson: Formula of Triangle

Grade Span: 7th grade
Placement of Lesson within Unit:
This lesson takes place within module 7 of Engage New York. This lesson falls after we have been exploring area of a circle and
squares, and before we explore the area of trapezoids and composite area problems.
Objective:
Determine the areas of rectangles and squares.
Derive an area formula for triangles.
Use the area formula to calculate the area of a triangle or to find one of the dimensions.
Formative assessment will include informal answers, class discussion, and what is written finding the area of triangle during the
exploring stage of the lesson. At the end of the period, students will complete an exit ticket.
Stage of Lesson

Teacher Does
Directions or Teacher Questions

Engage

Introduction of Teaching Team and the plan for the

lesson.

Time:
___10_ minutes
Materials:
Measuring tape, rulers

Teacher will have students measure at least one

square and one rectangle found within the
classroom, record its dimensions, and calculate
the area of each. For example, they could
measure floor tiles, windows, chalkboards,
bulletin boards, desktops, shelves, and so forth.
Challenge them to measure as many different

Teaching and Learning Collaborative Lesson Study

Adapted from K-12 Alliance/WestEd

Student Does
Expected Student Responses
Student Activities

Standard
CCCSSM,
MPS, NGSS,
21st Century
MPS:

Student will measure objects around the

room.
Students drew a square on a piece of paper

1. Make sense of
problems and
persevere in
solving them
4. Model with
mathematics

shapes as possible and report back to the class.

Instead of measuring objects around the class, I
had them draw a square on a piece of paper using
a ruler. Trying to prevent chaos and keeping them
focus.

Teacher will lead discussion about measuring and

finding area of rectangles and squares.
Evaluate
Consider Decision
Points Assessments

Stage of Lesson

Explore:
Time:
_20__ minutes
Materials:
Worksheets, rulers,
calculators, scissors

Ask several students to explain how they found the

area of the square

5. Use
appropriate tool
strategically
6. Attend to
precision.
Students will discuss about their findings.

Students should cite the formula A=BH or

A= lw

Teacher Does
Directions or Teacher Questions

Student Does
Expected Student Responses
Student Activities

Teacher will distribute the Squares and Rectangles

Activity Sheet. Have each group measure the
dimensions of each shape on the sheet and calculate
its area.

Student will measure squares and

rectangles then find the area of them.

Using rulers, students should draw one diagonal in

each of the shapes A, B, and C, and then cut each
shape along the diagonal into two parts. In their
groups, have students estimate the area of each

Students will find area of triangles by

counting the number of squares inside
them.

Teaching and Learning Collaborative Lesson Study

Adapted from K-12 Alliance/WestEd

7. Look for and

make use of
structure

Standard
CCCSSM,
MPS, NGSS,
21st Century
CCCSSM:
7.G.2 Draw,
construct, and
describe
geometrical
figures and
describe the

triangle formed by dividing shapes A, B, and C in half

along the diagonal.
Using ruler the draw a triangle in the rectangle D and
find the area. Each group will have different triangles
but the same area.

Students will construct triangles and

discover that the area is the same.

Scissors were not passed out because they were

engaged and were ok with out cutting the shapes out.

Students can estimate the areas using any methods

they choose.

Evaluate
Consider Decision
Points Assessments

Student should find that a triangle is half

the area of square or rectangle.

Some questions to guide students could be:

1. Do the squares inside the object indicate
anything when finding the area?
2. Compare to a rectangle or square how much is
left?
Is the area are both triangles the same?
Does the diagonal divide the squares in half?
How many halves make a whole?

Is there a formula that works every time?

Can you compose a formula only using variables?
What are you doing to the original shape?

Stage of Lesson

relationships
between them.
Draw (freehand,
with ruler and
protractor, and
with technology)
geometric shapes
with given
conditions.

Teacher Does
Directions or Teacher Questions

Teaching and Learning Collaborative Lesson Study

Adapted from K-12 Alliance/WestEd

Student will state:

A= BH/2 or A=1/2bh
Students had difficulty finding the area by
counting the squares inside the area
because of the partial squares. They had
difficulty understand that the formula was
true. I had to show them with the math so
that they could make the connection.

Student Does
Expected Student Responses

Standard
CCCSSM,
3

Student Activities
Teacher invites the selected students to explain their
reasoning to the class.

Students will hopefully be able to assign

variables to the sides and notice that you
divide by two to create a formula.

worksheets

Teacher can ask the same questions above as needed

to help the selected students explain their reasoning.
Need to have more problems with different types of
triangles (right, equilateral, scalene, and isosceles), so
that they can understand that the formula works with
all types of triangles.

Students see that A= bh

Evaluate
Consider Decision
Points Assessments

How is the area of a triangle related to the area of a

rectangle?

Students should state that it half of the area

of a rectangle.

Have them explain their reasoning and prove that their

formula works.

Students will use the examples from the

squares and rectangles activity sheet

Stage of Lesson

Teacher Does
Directions or Teacher Questions

Student Does
Expected Student Responses
Student Activities

Extend:

Using the Internet, students should research the

history of the Bermuda Triangle to determine its
dimensions. Students can report back to the class with
their findings. Some questions to ask the students
include:
Is the Bermuda Triangle truly a triangle?
If not, what shape is it? Why?
If its not a triangle, are you able to approximate the
total area covered by the Bermuda Triangle?

Student will research the Bermuda triangle

and answer the questions that were given to
them.

Explain:
Time:
__10_ minutes

MPS, NGSS,
21st Century

Materials:

Time:
___ minutes
Materials:
Done at a later time
most likely.

Teaching and Learning Collaborative Lesson Study

Adapted from K-12 Alliance/WestEd

Standard
CCCSSM,
MPS, NGSS,
21st Century

Evaluate
Consider Decisions
Point Assessments

Do you think there is a "center" to the Bermuda

Triangle?
How would you find it?

Stage of Lesson

Teacher Does
Directions or Teacher Questions

Student Does
Expected Student Responses
Student Activities

Evaluate:

Teacher distributes Unknown Triangles sheet

Students complete worksheet

Time:
_5__ minutes

There were only two triangles so I need to construct a

worksheet with more triangles and students should be
given time to explain their reasoning.

High-level response: Students can

explain how they found the area of the
triangles.

Standard
CCCSSM,
MPS, NGSS,
21st Century

Materials:
Worksheet (Unknown
Triangles)

Students had difficulty understanding that when a

length of a side of triangle is slanted that is not the
height of the triangles.

Evaluate
Consider Decisions
Point Assessments

Medium-level response: Students

showed how they found the area of the
triangles.Perhaps they solved it using
a correct method, but they didnt find
the correct answer.
Low-level response: Students did not
solve the problem correctly; they didnt
show their work; they left the page
blank.

Lesson for Day Two

Teaching and Learning Collaborative Lesson Study

Adapted from K-12 Alliance/WestEd

Stage of Lesson

Teacher Does
Directions or Teacher Questions

Student Does
Expected Student Responses
Student Activities

Engage

Teacher will ask class what is a trapezoid? Is there a

shape that we have work with that makes up a
trapezoid.
Can you cut up or divide the trapezoid into shapes that
we know the formula of?
Teacher will pass out polygons shapes of triangles and
trapezoids.

Students will discover that there are

triangles and quadrilaterals in the trapezoid.

Time:
___10_ minutes
Materials:

Standard
CCCSSM,
MPS, NGSS,
21st Century

Polygons blocks

Evaluate
Consider Decision
Points Assessments

Teacher observes students as they are engaged with

the polygons blocks.

Stage of Lesson

Teacher Does
Directions or Teacher Questions

Student Does
Expected Student Responses
Student Activities

Explore:

Students will have Engage New York book on the

lesson on trapezoids. We will work through the lesson
to discover how to cut a trapezoid into triangle and
quadrilaterals to find the area.

Students will be working in there book

while the teacher is going through the
lesson.

Time:
__35_ minutes
Materials:

Standard
CCCSSM, MPS,
NGSS,
21st Century

Are there always two or more triangles in a

trapezoid?
Draw a trapezoid that only contains one triangle and
one quadrilateral.
Teacher will have students pair share the problems
they are working on the book.

Teaching and Learning Collaborative Lesson Study

Adapted from K-12 Alliance/WestEd

Students will pair share their work with

each other.

Evaluate
Consider
Decision Points
Assessments

Teacher will observe the participation of the students

while going through the lesson in Engage New York.

Stage of Lesson

Teacher Does
Directions or Teacher Questions

Student Does
Expected Student Responses
Student Activities

Explain:

Teachers will direct teach about trapezoids and

demonstrate how to divide the trapezoid into sections.

Students will listen and take notes in their

Engage New York book. Students will
derive the formula of a trapezoid and then
work with it.

Time:
__15_ minutes
Materials:

Standard
CCCSSM, MPS,
NGSS,
21st Century

Teacher with the help of students will derive to the

formula (b1 + b2)/2 (h).
Teacher will explain why there are two bases and how
the height needs to be perpendicular to the base.

Students will explain how they discover the

area of the trapezoid.

Teacher will ask students to explain how we came up

with the formula for the area of the trapezoid.

Evaluate
Consider
Decision Points

Teacher will collect the writing of the students

explaining how they discover the area of the
trapezoid.

Teaching and Learning Collaborative Lesson Study

Adapted from K-12 Alliance/WestEd

Assessments
Stage of Lesson

Teacher Does
Directions or Teacher Questions

Student Does
Expected Student Responses
Student Activities

Standard
CCCSSM, MPS,
NGSS,
21st Century

Teacher Does
Directions or Teacher Questions

Student Does
Expected Student Responses
Student Activities

Standard
CCCSSM, MPS,
NGSS,
21st Century

Exit ticket: A worksheet of several trapezoids and

students will need to find the area of them.

Students complete worksheet

Extend:
Time:
___ minutes
Materials:
Evaluate
Consider
Decisions Point
Assessments
Stage of Lesson

Evaluate:
Time:
___5 minutes
Materials
Evaluate
Consider
Decisions Point

Teaching and Learning Collaborative Lesson Study

Adapted from K-12 Alliance/WestEd

High-level response: Students can explain

how they found the area of the trapezoids.
Medium-level response: Students showed
how they found the area of the
trapezoids.Perhaps they solved it using a
correct method, but they didnt find the
correct answer.
Low-level response: Students did not solve
the problem correctly; they didnt show
their work; they left the page blank.

Assessments
Reflection
This process was very different from what Im used to. In the discourse class I recorded my lesson and heard myself student discourse,
but this was very different. In this process not only am I hearing whats going on, but Im also seeing it along with two of my
colleagues. I had a lot of notes and feedback for myself, but I wasnt anticipating how much my colleagues would also add to the
discussion. My hope is that this reflection into the first lesson had a positive effect on my students learning going forward. If I had the
time to do this kind of reflection more often, I think some of my teaching would be much more effective but unfortunately thats just
not a reasonable option. I do hope, however, that I can continue this process with some of my lessons for review myself.

Teaching and Learning Collaborative Lesson Study

Adapted from K-12 Alliance/WestEd