Unit 1: Introduction to Trigonometry
Unit 1: Introduction to trigonometry
Pre-lesson activity: Have students identify different triangles (Right, Acute, Obtuse).
Provide students with worksheet depicting illustrations of different types of triangles as well as angle measurements of different triangles. Students will then use their prior knowledge of triangles to label each sketch or set of angles as Right, Obtuse, or Acute triangles.
Lesson:
1. Give brief lecture covering the basic concepts of trigonometric ratios ( sine, cosine, tangent). Provided will be a guided notes page where students fill in blank sections of their worksheets. This approach will allow students to follow along with the lesson as well as maintain focus, rather than having them rush to copy down notes and miss out on the explanations of the notes.
2. Students will be given simple problems involving applications of trig ratios. This will ensure that students have a solid understanding of the basic concepts of trigonometric ratios that they will need as prerequisite knowledge to complete the project-based portion of the unit.
3. Students will be provided with a hypothetical situation (i.e. A lawn care provider is attempting to cut down a tree located near a house. The height of the tree must be known to ensure that the falling tree will not collide with the nearby house. The worker is unable to measure the height of the tree using conventional measuring methods [ruler, tape measure] due to the size and shape of the tree. What information would the lawn care provider need to know in order to find the height of the tree, using his knowledge of trigonometry?) This situation would act as the driving question for the unit. Students have the prerequisite knowledge to solve problems given measurements. They will now need to explore their understanding of those concepts to find an application to a real life situation. Students must use the situation to determine which measurements are measurable as well as useful in order to apply a trigonometric ratio.
Extension: Students will come up with their own examples of practical uses of trigonometric ratios.
Desired Outcomes:
· Students will develop a basic understanding of trigonometric ratios.
· Students will identify trigonometric ratios in a real-world setting.
· Students will identify necessary information in order to solve a problem using trigonometric ratios.