Pythagoras: Cartesian coordinate plane

This lesson is one in a series of lessons on Pythagoras theorem. Students calculate the distance between any two points on the Cartesian coordinate plane using Pythagoras’ theorem and then develop a set of steps that outline the process. It combines the use of Pythagoras’ theorem with the Cartesian coordinate plane and the use of coordinates to specify position, form line segments, shapes of triangles and determine their perimeters. Suggestions are made throughout the lesson with respect to opportunities for exploration, questioning and reflection.

Additional details
Year level(s)	Year 8
Audience	Teacher
Purpose	Teaching resource
Format	Web page
Teaching strategies and pedagogical approaches	Questioning, Explicit teaching, Concrete Representational Abstract model, Worked examples, Classroom talks
Keywords	Cartesian plane, algorithms, Maths Hub lesson plan
Curriculum alignment
Curriculum connections	Critical and creative thinking
Strand and focus	Number, Measurement, Space
Topics	Pythagoras and trigonometry, Computational thinking
AC: Mathematics (V9.0) content descriptions	AC9M8N01 Recognise irrational numbers in applied contexts, including square roots and Π AC9M8M06 Use Pythagoras' theorem to solve problems involving the side lengths of right-angled triangles AC9M8SP04 Design, create and test algorithms involving a sequence of steps and decisions that identify congruency or similarity of shapes, and describe how the algorithm works
Numeracy progression	Understanding geometric properties (P7) Understanding units of measurement (P10) Multiplicative strategies (P9) Proportional thinking (P6)
Copyright details
Organisation	Commonwealth of Australia
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