Clip 7/13: Standard 5: Use Appropriate Tools Strategically Using Pythagorean Theorem Part 1
Overview
Mathematically proficient students consider the available tools when solving a mathematical problem.
Patty introduces her lesson by charging students to identify the “big ideas” they should be thinking about when they work with right triangles. Students pair-share their ideas, and Patty notes when they are making reference to available tools and supports, such as anchor charts, around the room. In her commentary, Patty notes that this lesson is intended to develop students’ capacity to engage in modeling mathematical situations. Students identify the Pythagorean Theorem, and Patty prompts them to attend to precision and communicate precisely. In a whole-group sharing, she engages all students to add on to, critique, extend, and clarify each other’s thinking. Students deepen their capacity to make sense of the problem or situation. Patty presents student work from a previous assessment and asks students to critique the person’s strategies and precision, giving advice to each exemplar learner about how to improve their approach. This clip also relates to standard 1 (make sense of problems & persevere in solving them), standard 3 (construct viable arguments & critique the reasoning of others), and standard 4 (model with mathematics).