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Pythagorean Theorem Examples

This Pythagorean Theorem Examples is what I used with my students back when we first went virtual in 2020. Because I was not able to teach my students, this Pythagorean Theorem Examples activity was the perfect substitute.

Inside of the Pythagorean Theorem Beginner’s Activity, students will interact with 6 different pieces. First will be academic vocabulary and definitions with pictures to help students understand the relationship between the vocab and the Pythagorean Theorem.

Looking at the Basics

Second will be using the new vocab to label a triangle using pre-created pieces: leg, leg, hypotenuse, a, b, & c. Having a more interactive approach will help students retain the knowledge because they are a part of it rather just seeing a visual.

The third component is having students drag each of these pieces into the correct order. Again, having interactive components ups the likelihood that students will engage and learn.

Working with Pythagorean Theorem Examples

Now that students have learned some of the basics, they can dive into working with actual problems. Whenever I start out teaching a new concept, I always keep it to whole numbers, including the answers. The majority of my Pythagorean Theorem unit uses whole numbers for this reason.

Throughout the next 3 problems, it follows the “I do, we do, you do” method. This is one of the scaffolded that I talk about in Episode 2 of my podcast, “Solving for the Undefined”.

The first Pythagorean Theorem Example is completely done for students. It is even color-coded to ensure students can easily and visually see how the pieces come together.

The second Pythagorean Theorem Example moves students into the “we do” phase. The structure of the problem is there as well as some drag-and-drop numbers for students to move into their proper locations. Basically a Pythagorean Theorem math puzzle! “Put that number back where it belongs, so help me!” in true Mike Wazowski fashion.

And the last of the Pythagorean Theorem Examples in this activity is the “you do”. This problem still contains the structure of the second example. But instead of done-for-you numbers, it has text boxes for students to type in the missing numbers. More autonomy but still some structure because this is a new concept.