Pythagorean Theorem Webquest

-


There are so many good online resources for practicing using the Pythagorean Theorem.



I felt my students were ready for some practice, so I put together this webquest.  I suggest doing an introduction lesson first.  Also, I did a few simple problems as a class so everyone could see how to solve for the length of the hypotenuse and then also how to solve for the length of a leg.

Pythagorean Theorem Webquest and RaffleAfter each step, raise your hand to show Mrs. Forest that you are finished to claim your raffle ticket.
1.  Do this lesson about Pythagorean Theorem
2. Next, answer these questions.
3. Now you are ready to play a game.  Click here to play the first game. (You only have to play once)
4. Click here to play the second game. (You have to get 12 home runs to be finished)
5. Last step!  Click here to do the word problems.  (You have to get a score of at least 30 to be finished)




To spice things up a bit, I had students call me over to verify that they had completed each step.  If the had completed the step, they got a raffle ticket.  I then pulled raffle tickets for little prizes during the last few minutes of class.



Too babyish for 8th graders you might ask?  Nope!  They loved it.  In fact, their favorite prize might have been the little "weebles" that I had left over from when I taught 6th grade.  Go figure! :)


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Valentine's Day: I Heart Math

-
Image
If you teach middle school, brace yourself for the craziness that is Valentine's Day celebrated at school tomorrow! Heart shaped suckers, teddy bears, chocolate, and a few (hopefully minimal) tears. Instead of fighting it, embrace the mathiness that can be squeezed out of this heart-filled holiday! Here are a few resources to use: 1. Send a Math-o-Gram . Love math? Love Desmos? You can send your students (or friends) a heart themed graph! 2. Make a Mathy Valentine Use transformations to rotate your way to your students' hearts. 3. Check out these other heart-shaped graphing activities I found these NCTM Illuuminations graphing actives a few years ago. 4. Graph this equation in Desmos : (this was a fun one for my 6th graders... just to figure out how to type in the correct symbols!) 5. Mobius Strip Hearts ?! Yes! Happy Valentine's Day! <3 Update: More Valentine's Day Activities Added: Early Childhood Ideas: Spark a Lov
Read more

What to do during the last days of math class?

-
Image
Here is my criteria for what makes good mathy activities for the end of the school year: -no/low tech (we have 1:1 devices, but the last few days of school usually mean all devices are turned in) -still incorporate math or problem solving in some way -fun and engaging video credit:  http://sci-toys.com 1. My favorite activity is one I've done every year. Kaleidocycles . When I first starting doing them, over 10 years ago, I had to figure it out on my own. Now, there are tons of online tutorials (check youtube) to explain how to color, fold, and glue. You can also check out my blog post about making these . Kid love them, trust me. It's been my go-to activity for the last two days of math class for years for a reason! :) 2. 5x5 Game. Check out Sara's blog post about the rules . She calls it "the most amazing game" and I trust her judgement. :) I haven't tried it yet, but I'm leaving it as sub plans for the last days of school becau
Read more

Lesson Idea: Combining Like Terms

-
Image
I haven't written about a lesson idea in a while! While talking with an 8th grade teacher today, I was reminded of a lesson I've done in the past about combining like terms. I wanted to write a quick post to share and also so that I can have it saved to refer back to. The lesson begins by showing this clip: The kids always laugh and enjoy the silliness of it. When it keeps going, I hear a lot of "You gotta be kidding me!" and "ugh, how long is this going to go on?" Perfect. I feel like I'm creating the controversy (create the controversy, Dan Meyer suggests is a first step) After the video, I talk about a simpler version of this same idea. Me: What if I ordered 5 hamburgers, 3 orders of fries, 6 hamburgers, and 2 more orders of fries. Is there a better way to order that is less confusing? Students: Yes! (they are almost frustrated with me!) Put the hamburgers together and the fries together. Me: Oh, so if I wrote ((write on the board:
Read more