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The Pythagorean Theorem

Author(s): Franco A. DiPasqua

Grades: 8 - 9

Subject: Mathematics, Science and Technology

Learning Context: LEARNING STANDARDS: ELA #1 MST #1,2,3,7 CAREERZONE "TIE-IN" - Go to the site www.nycareerzone.org and view the area on Engineering. The students will be pleasantly surprised to see how the Pythagorean Theorem links to this career.

Procedure: Before I explain the procedure it is important to note a few items: 1. This activity is to be used in the math class as a launch activity of Right Triangle Geometry. It will carry on for approximately two weeks outside of class in conjunction with the mathematics being practiced and tested in the classroom. By testing and quizzing the students in class, the teacher is assessing that the student is doing his or her own work on the project and spending adequate time completing nightly homework assignments. 2. This activity progress will be evaluated carefully by the ELA teacher, as he/she teaches the students various essay/research writing techniques and brings them to the library and computer labs. 3. This lesson is strictly designed to be an inter-disciplinary lesson between English and Math. PROCEDURE: 1. The students will explore who Pythagoras was and complete a 3-5 research paper, with diagrams in conjunction with ELA. 2. The students will also complete four real-life problems involving the Pythagorean Theorem (a problem sheet will be provided). This is a two-week project (out of class for math, in class for English) activity and counts as a test grade (a separate grade for each class). Students will be given a list of questions that must be answered on who Pythagoras was (the questions must have references and be answered in essay form). Students will have access to computers with the Internet connections, as well as encyclopedias during English class.

Instructional/Environmental Modifications: Arrangements will be made to use the media center and computer lab for computers with word processing and Internet connections. It has been taken into consideration that not all students have Internet access at home, so the students will have the opportunities to work in English class, lunch, before and after school on this project. Media Specialists will have books on Pythagoras, Encyclopedia CD-ROMs available, as well as print sets. The Media Specialists will also direct the students to the proper use of the Internet in school, as well as at home. Arrangements with the English teacher on our team will be made to teach the students how to write an essay with documentation. In the classroom, calculators are provided for this project. Special Need Students will be given extended time, if so stated on their IEP's. The special education teacher will be kept up to date on what is going on in the classroom as this project progresses.

Materials and Supplies: 1. Computers with word processing and Internet connections (students will have to do Internet searches on Pythagoras) 2. Encyclopedias (print and CD-ROM) 3. Books on Pythagoras 4. Question sheets 5. Math worksheets

Time Required: This is an out of class, independent assignment. The students will be assigned this project on a Monday, and it will be due in 11 nights (the second Friday from the assigned date). The teacher should check the progress of the project as the students move through the project. This should ensure that the students do not fall behind.

Assessment Tools and Techniques: The English teacher will correct papers on grammar and mechanics. The Math teacher will correct papers for mathematical accuracy. Each teacher will have their own rubric and assign their own grade. The math rubric's highest score is 12/12 (100%) and the ELA rubric's highest score is 8/8 (100%). It is up to the teacher if they want to make a scale for the various grades or if they want to change the percentages to raw numbers.

Reflections: This activity was a great way to get my students to do a research project on a great mathematician. Not only did they get to do the math involved, but they also received an opportunity to integrate English and History skills into the project. When the students completed this take-home project, they seemed enlightened about who Pythagoras was and why we study the Pythagorean Theorem. I recommend to any Math/English team that they do this project. It makes the students see the connections between Math and English. It also helps the students visualize who came up with a theorem, one of which we all have to learn about at some point in school to graduate. In closing, let me tell you that I have done much work with the Pythagorean Theorem in the past, but it just didn't seem to have a "flare" to it, but now I have done it this way: 1. The students are excited to get on the Internet and start exploring. 2. They are excited about finding facts about Pythagoras (someone who lived thousand of years ago). 3. They like the connection between English and Math (something which is not often seen). ATTACHMENTS: 1. question sheets 2. math worksheets 3. ELA rubric 4. math rubric

Attachments: Attachment 1