Shapes and Angles

Lesson 14

Math

Unit 8

4th Grade

Lesson 14 of 18

Objective


Analyze and classify triangles based on side length, angle measure, or both.

Common Core Standards


Core Standards

  • 4.G.A.1 — Draw points, lines, line segments, rays, angles (right, acute, obtuse), and perpendicular and parallel lines. Identify these in two-dimensional figures.
  • 4.G.A.2 — Classify two-dimensional figures based on the presence or absence of parallel or perpendicular lines, or the presence or absence of angles of a specified size. Recognize right triangles as a category, and identify right triangles.

Foundational Standards

  • 3.G.A.1

Criteria for Success


  1. Classify triangles according to their side length, and understand each type as equilateral (has all three sides of equal length), isosceles (has two sides of equal length), and scalene (has no sides of equal length) (MP.2, MP.5).
  2. Classify triangles according to their angle measure and understand each type as acute (has all three angles that are acute), right (has a right angle), and obtuse (has an obtuse angle) (MP.2, MP.5).

Tips for Teachers


Lesson Materials

  • Template: Triangles (1 per student or small group) — This material should be cut into pieces before the lesson.
  • 180° Protractor (1 per student)
  • Ruler (1 per student) — This can be any tool used to verify equal lengths, e.g., the edge of a piece of paper, etc.
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Anchor Tasks


Problem 1

a.   Sort the shapes (cut out from Template: Triangles) into as many categories as you’d like. Then explain how you sorted them.

b.   Sort the shapes (cut out from Template: Triangles) in another way. Then explain how you sorted them.

Guiding Questions

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References

EngageNY Mathematics Grade 4 Mathematics > Module 4 > Topic D > Lesson 13Concept Development Problem 2

Grade 4 Mathematics > Module 4 > Topic D > Lesson 13 of the New York State Common Core Mathematics Curriculum from EngageNY and Great Minds. © 2015 Great Minds. Licensed by EngageNY of the New York State Education Department under the CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US license. Accessed Dec. 2, 2016, 5:15 p.m..

Modified by Fishtank Learning, Inc.

Problem 2

Fill out the following table based on your triangles (Template: Triangles).

Triangle Letter

Attributes

(include side lengths and angle measures)

Classification
A      
B      
C      
D      
E      
F      
G      

Guiding Questions

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Problem Set


Answer Keys

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Discussion of Problem Set

  • Which triangles in #1 are right angles? How do you know? 
  • Look at #2. Is scalene a way of classifying a triangle by its side lengths or angles? Can we infer anything about its classification according to angle measure? Can we infer anything about its angle measures at all? 
  • How do the tick marks and angle symbols allow classification of triangles without using tools in #3? 
  • How did you classify the triangle in #4? Explain. 
  • Were the statements in #5 always, sometimes, or never true? How do you know?
  • Were the triangles you drew in #6 more or less difficult to classify than those in #3? Why? 
  • Explain your answer to #8b.

Target Task


Problem 1

Draw lines to match each triangle below with one term that describes its sides and one term that describes its angles. 

Scalene
Isosceles
Equilateral
Acute
Right
Obtuse

Problem 2

Explain how you determined how to classify triangle C. 

Student Response

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Additional Practice


The Extra Practice Problems can be used as additional practice for homework, during an intervention block, etc. Daily Word Problems and Fluency Activities are aligned to the content of the unit but not necessarily to the lesson objective, therefore feel free to use them anytime during your school day.

Extra Practice Problems

Answer Keys

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Word Problems and Fluency Activities

Word Problems and Fluency Activities

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Lesson 13

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Lesson 15

Lesson Map

A7CB09C2-D12F-4F55-80DB-37298FF0A765

Topic A: Lines and Angles

Topic B: Measures of Angles

Topic C: Measures of Adjacent Angles

Topic D: Shapes and Lines of Symmetry

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