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Geometry Daily Lesson Plan #1
Geometry Daily Lesson Plan #1
Skill or Concept: Understand the concept of coordinate geometry; apply the midpoint
formula.
Standards Addressed:
Geometry 15.0 Students use the Pythagorean theorem to determine distance and find
missing lengths of sides of right triangles.
Geometry 17.0 Students prove theorems by using coordinate geometry, including the
midpoint of a line segment, the distance formula, and various forms of equations of lines
and circles.
Materials Needed: Homework answer overheads, warmup overhead on the coordinates
of a point, guided practice overhead, quarter sheet of graph paper for each student, props
for midsegment and bisector definitions if desired.
Tasks Before Class: Post the day’s agenda and the homework assignment.
Learning Objectives:
TSWBAT understand the concept of coordinate geometry.
TSWBAT apply the midpoint formula to calculate midpoints and endpoints of segments.
Step 1 INTRODUCTION Expected Minutes: 10
Making transition from previous learning, Activating prior knowledge, Motivating
Have the answers to the homework on the overhead projector as students walk in.
While students are checking their answers, check off the homework (quick look for
completion) and distribute graph paper. Review problems based on student requests.
Put the coordinate geometry warm up problem on the overhead projector. Give
students two minutes to do the warmup problem, then go over it. As you might have
guessed from the warmup, we’ll use some coordinate geometry today. Descartes’ 17th
century contribution, often called the Cartesian coordinate system, opened up whole new
areas of investigation in geometry. What was his insight? He recognized that by adding a
second number line at right angles to the first, with the origins coinciding, any point in
twodimensional space could be precisely located. Remembering that the number line
came first should remind you that the horizontal coordinate always comes first.
(This portion of the lesson ties in prior knowledge and sets up the lesson for the day.)
Geometry – Unit 1 Page 1 of 5
Grade Level 912
Step 2 – INSTRUCTION (Part 1) Expected Minutes: 10
Providing information, Modeling, Checking for understanding
Let’s summarize what we know: a point is located in the Cartesian plane by its
coordinates, the ordered pair (x,y) where x is the horizontal distance from the origin and y
is the vertical distance from the origin. “ordered” because it matters which number comes
first. Demonstrate horizontal and vertical from the origin on the board or an overhead,
then show the difference between point A (3, 2) and point B (2, 3). Now on to
midpoints! First, what is it?
Text, Section 1.3 Use Midpoint and Distance Formulas
Midpoints and Bisectors
The midpoint of a segment divides it into two congruent segments. A segment bisector is
a point, ray, line, line segment or plane that intersects the segment at its midpoint,
splitting it into two equal lengths. Use props (or the board) to demonstrate various
bisectors as well as the concept of bisect. Also mention the word origin, bi for two, sect
for section or part.
Finding Segment Lengths given a segment AB and its midpoint M
Case 1: have a number for AB, AM or BM
Since M is the midpoint, AM = BM and AM + BM = AB (discuss why—the first
is from the definition of segment congruence, the second from the Segment
Addition Postulate)
Then substitute and solve. Demonstrate with AB = 10, and then with AM =12.
Case 2: the lengths of two of the three segments are given as variable expressions
The same two equations apply. Again, just substitute and solve. Demonstrate with
AM = 4x 1 and MB = 3x + 3.
Step 3: GUIDED PRACTICE Expected Minutes: 7
Have students do problems 1 and 2 from the guided practice overhead (#3 and 11 on
pages 1920 of the text) in class. Walk around and observe student work. Select students
to put answers on the board.
Step 2: INSTRUCTION Part 2 Expected Minutes: 13
Now we’ll look at segments and midpoints on a coordinate plane. Think of the piece of
graph paper you have as part of that plane. We’re going to draw line segments and find
the midpoint. (Demonstrate each step as students are doing it.) First pick a horizontal line
near the bottom of the paper for your xaxis, and a vertical line near the left for your y
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Grade Level 912
axis, and draw the axes carefully. Now pick two points on your graph paper where grid
lines cross, fairly far apart and not horizontal or vertical, and put dots there for the
endpoints of your line segment. Fold the paper so the fold goes through the two dots and
trace the fold between the dots to draw your segment (or use a straight edge—no
freehand). Now fold the paper so the dots are on top each other. Where this crease crosses
your line segment is the midpoint. Why? The distances are equal. Mark the midpoint.
Now fold the paper so that the vertical lines that your points lie on coincide. Where does
the fold cross your segment? (get a student response—at the midpoint) Count squares
horizontally to get the distance between one endpoint and the fold you just made, and
then from the fold to the other endpoint. What do you observe? (get a student response—
the distances are equal) Do the same for the horizontal lines. (same questions, responses)
To summarize, the xcoordinate of the midpoint is half way in between the xcoordinates
of the endpoints, and the ycoordinate of the midpoint is half way in between the y
coordinates of the endpoints. How do we turn this into a formula? The average of two
numbers is half was in between them, so that’s what we’ll use. However, before moving
on to the formula and learning to solve the problem algebraically, I’d like to point out
that what we just did was solve the problem graphically. We have two different ways to
find the answer, so if you don’t remember one, use the other. In just a minute we’ll do
examples both ways. Now the midpoint formula . . .
The Midpoint Formula: The coordinates of the midpoint of a segment are the averages of
the xcoordinates and of the ycoordinates of the endpoints. If A (x1, y1) and B (x2, y2) are
points in a coordinate plane, then the midpoint M of AB has coordinates
(xm, ym) = x1 + x2 y1 + y2
2 , 2
Find the midpoint given the endpoints
Do an example with points A (2, 5) and B(4, 10)
Algebraically y Graphically
2 + 4 5 + 10 substitute coordinates (4,10)
10
2 , 2
(3, 7½) simplify (3,7½) Half way is 2½,
so y is 5+2½=7½
(2,5)
Half way is 1,
so x is 2+1=3
x
5
Geometry – Unit 1 Page 3 of 5
Grade Level 912
Find an endpoint given the midpoint and the other endpoint
Do an example with A (3, 2) and M (6, 7)
Algebraically Graphically
y
x
xm = 1 + x2 y
ym = 1 + y2
2 2 10 Repeat 5, so
y is 7+5=12
3 + x
6= 2 2 + y
7= 2 substitute M(6,7)
2 2
Repeat 3, so
12 = 3 + x2 14 = 2 + y2 5 x is 6+3=9
9 = x2 12 = y2 endpoint (9,12) A(3,2)
3 x
5
Ask what happens if one or more of the coordinates is negative. There’s no change, one
just has to be careful with the signs, so if x1 = 2 and x2 = 6, (x1 + x2)/2 is 2.
Step 3: GUIDED PRACTICE Expected Minutes: 8
Have students do problems 3 and 4 from the guided practice overhead (#20 and 26 on
pages 1920 of the text). Walk around and observe student work. Select students to put
answers on the board (or go over answers, depending on the time available).
Step 4: CLOSURE Expected Minutes: 5
Now that we’ve reviewed the coordinate plane and worked with the coordinates of the
endpoints and the midpoint of a segment, we’ll move on tomorrow to finding the length
of a segment using the distance formula. The distance formula, by the way, is just a
version of the Pythagorean Theorem.
We started off today’s lesson with Descartes, now I’d like to conclude by returning to
him. His most famous statement is: Cogito ergo sum (in French: Je pense, donc je suis; in
English: I think, therefore I am) (the Latin version is found in §7 of part I of Principles of
Philosophy and the French in part IV of Discourse on the Method). Is it familiar to
anyone? We’re not going discuss philosophy today, but I do want you to spend the next
few minutes thinking and sharing ideas. It’s the beginning of the school year, a good time
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Grade Level 912
to consider what you need to do to do well in math. You are all capable of doing well in
Geometry, even if you’ve had trouble with math in the past. Give students a couple of
minutes to think, then have them share ideas (looking for comments like home is practice
just like for a sport, homework tells you what you don’t understand, study for quizzes).
Step 5: INDEPENDENT PRACTICE; ASSESSMENT (separate options)
Homework: Section 1.3, pages 19–21: #2, 4, 6, 10, 12, 15, 17, 18, 19, 35, 37, 48. Read
Section 1.3 in the textbook.
FINAL STEP: REVISIONS FOR NEXT TIME I TEACH THE LESSON:
Geometry – Unit 1 Page 5 of 5
Grade Level 912