few_shots: 
Example 1:
Concept/skill: 
Understand that by similarity, side ratios in right triangles are properties of the angles in the triangle, leading to definitions of trigonometric ratios for acute angles.

Problem/activity:
Find the general solution for:
$${\mathrm{cos}\left({\pi\over2}+x\right)=\mathrm{tan}{\pi\over4}}$$


Answer: 
No. This problem does not directly teach how side ratios in right triangles lead to definitions of trigonometric ratios. Instead, it involves solving a trigonometric function.

Example 2:
Concept/skill: 
Understand that the graph of an equation in two variables is the set of all its solutions plotted in the coordinate plane, often forming a curve (which could be a line).

Problem/activity:
Task
Solve the quadratic equation
$$ x^2 = (2x - 9)^2 $$
using as many different methods as possible.


Answer: 
No. This task does not involve an equation in two variables. There is only one variable, x.

Example 3:
Concept/skill: 
Make formal geometric constructions with a variety of tools and methods (compass and straightedge, string, reflective devices, paper folding, dynamic geometric software, etc.). Copying a segment; copying an angle; bisecting a segment; bisecting an angle; constructing perpendicular lines, including the perpendicular bisector of a line segment; and constructing a line parallel to a given line through a point not on the line.

Problem/activity:
Task
Suppose $A$ is an angle with vertex $P$, as pictured below:
[IMG]
Draw a circle with center $P$ and with  radius $r \gt 0$.  Explain why the circle
meets each ray of angle $A$ in a single point.  Label these points $Q$ and $R$ respectively.
Draw circles with centers $Q$ and $R$ respectively and radius $r$.  These circles meet at $P$ and a second point to be labelled $B$.
Show that ray $\overrightarrow{PB}$  bisects angle $P$.


Answer: 
Yes. This task asks students to draw a ray that bisects an angle. The act of drawing circles and rays may involve compass and straightedge or dynamic geometric software.

Now, determine whether the following problem or activity can enable students to understand the concepts or skills in the provided description.

shot_info: fl_problem_001894_neg_0

HS_0

im_task_000870_neg_0

HS_1

im_task_001160_pos_0

HS_2
standard_description: Use similar triangles to explain why the slope m is the same between any two distinct points on a non-vertical line in the coordinate plane; derive the equation y = mx for a line through the origin and the equation y = mx + b for a line intercepting the vertical axis at b.
problem_activity: Optional activity
This activity gives students a chance to apply what they know about scale factors, lengths, and angles and create scaled copies without the support of a grid. Students work in groups of 3 to complete a jigsaw puzzle, each group member scaling 2 non-adjacent pieces of a 6-piece puzzle with a scale factor of
\(\frac12\)
. The group then assembles the scaled pieces and examines the accuracy of their scaled puzzle. Consider having students use a color in place of the cross hatching.
[IMG]
[IMG]
As students work, notice how they measure distances and whether they consider angles. Depending on how students determine scaled distances, they may not need to transfer angles. Look out for students who measure only the lengths of drawn segments rather than distances, e.g., between the corner of a square and where a segment begins. Suggest that they consider other measurements that might help them locate the beginning and end of a segment.
You will need the Scaling a Puzzle blackline master for this activity.
Teacher Notes for IM 6–8 Math Accelerated
If time allows, allow students to start this activity in class and then finish as part of the practice problem set.
Launch
Arrange students in groups of 3. Give pre-cut puzzle squares 1 and 5 to one student in the group, squares 2 and 6 to a second student, and squares 3 and 4 to the third. After students have answered the first question, give each student 2 blank squares cut from the second section of the blackline master, whose sides are half of the side length of the puzzle squares. Provide access to geometry toolkits.
Engagement: Develop Effort and Persistence.
Connect a new concept to one with which students have experienced success. Before students begin, ask them to predict which tools, from their geometry toolkits, they anticipate they will need, and to describe how they might use them. During the activity, make sure that students are using their rulers and protractors correctly.
Supports accessibility for: Visual-spatial processing; Conceptual processing; Fine-motor skills
Student Facing
Your teacher will give you 2 pieces of a 6-piece puzzle.
If you drew scaled copies of your puzzle pieces using a scale factor of
\(\frac12\)
, would they be larger or smaller than the original pieces? How do you know?
Create a scaled copy of each puzzle piece on a blank square, with a scale factor of
\(\frac12\)
.
When everyone in your group is finished, put all 6 of the original puzzle pieces together like this:
[IMG]
Next, put all 6 of your scaled copies together. Compare your scaled puzzle with the original puzzle. Which parts seem to be scaled correctly and which seem off? What might have caused those parts to be off?
Revise any of the scaled copies that may have been drawn incorrectly.
If you were to lose one of the pieces of the original puzzle, but still had the scaled copy, how could you recreate the lost piece?
Student Response
Teachers with a valid work email address can
click here to register or sign in
for free access to Student Response.
Anticipated Misconceptions
Students may incorporate the scale factor when scaling line segments but neglect to do so when scaling distances between two points not connected by a segment. Remind them that all distances are scaled by the same factor.
Students may not remember to verify that the angles in their copies must remain the same as the original. Ask them to notice the angles and recall what happens to angles when a figure is a scaled copy.
Activity Synthesis
Much of the conversations about creating accurate scaled copies will have taken place among partners, but consider coming together as a class to reflect on the different ways students worked. Ask questions such as:
How is this task more challenging than creating scaled copies of polygons on a grid?
Besides distances or lengths, what helped you create an accurate copy?
How did you know or decide which distances to measure?
Before your drawings were assembled, how did you check if they were correct?
Student responses to these questions may differ: for example, for piece 6, the two lines can be drawn by measuring distances on the border of the puzzle piece; the angles work out correctly automatically. For piece 2, however, to get the three lines that meet in a point in the middle of the piece just right, students can either measure angles, or extend those line segments until they meet the border of the piece (and then measure distances).


aligns: no