Please note: This site contains links to websites not controlled by the Australian Government or ESA. More information here.
Introducing trigonometry
In this series of lessons, students will explore the relationships between the sides and angles of right-angled triangles. Students will measure similar triangles to find the trigonometrical ratios. The resources includes teacher notes and student activities.
Additional details |
|
| Year level(s) | Year 9 |
|---|---|
| Audience | Teacher |
| Purpose | Student task, Teaching resource, Content knowledge |
| Format | Web page |
| Teaching strategies and pedagogical approaches | Mathematics investigation |
| Keywords | Pythagoras, hypotenuse, adjacent, opposite, tangent, cosine, sine, angle, ratio, similar, trigonometry, right-angled triangle |
Curriculum alignment |
|
| Curriculum connections | Critical and creative thinking, Numeracy |
| Strand and focus | Space |
| Topics | Pythagoras and trigonometry |
| AC: Mathematics (V9.0) content descriptions |
AC9M9SP02
Apply the enlargement transformation to shapes and objects using dynamic geometry software as appropriate; identify and explain aspects that remain the same and those that change
AC9M9M03
Solve spatial problems, applying angle properties, scale, similarity, Pythagoras' theorem and trigonometry in right-angled triangles |
| Numeracy progression |
Proportional thinking (P7)
Understanding geometric properties (P7) Understanding units of measurement (P10) |
Copyright details |
|
| Organisation | New Zealand Ministry of Education |
| Copyright | © New Zealand Ministry of Education. Creative Commons BY 3.0 NZ. |
Related resources
-
Introduction to trigonometry
These lesson plans guide the teacher on how to introduce trigonometry to students through an investigation of similar triangles.
Resource details -
Four scalene triangles inquiry
The prompt explores finding the angles in related scalene triangles.
Resource details -
History of trigonometry
A three-part history of the origins of trigonometry.
Resource details -
Trigonometry
This resource focuses on the origins of trigonometrical ratios.
Resource details -
Right-angle triangle trigonometry
In this unit students build an understanding of ratios in right triangles, which leads to naming cosine, sine and tangent as trigonometric ratios.
Resource details -
reSolve: Pythagoras' theorem – phone finding
An inquiry-based lesson that uses Pythagoras' theorem in the context of how 'phone finding' works.
Resource details -
reSolve: Geometry – lunch lap (Trial)
Two inquiry-based lessons where students are challenged to use Pythagoras' theorem to optimise the path of a lunch cart.
Resource details