Problem Overview

Problem

Problem Title: Deck it Out Course: Geometry Author(s): Megan Pacheco

You need to put an expensive sealant on a wood deck to protect it from the weather. The shape of the deck is a regular hexagon with a perimeter of 120ft. If one gallon of sealant covers 125ft^2 and costs $8.50, what will be the total cost to seal the deck? Concepts and Skills (what are the essential knowledge and skills you want students to learn?) Finding the area of a regular polygon (deriving, understanding, and being able to apply the area formula) Knowing vocabulary associated with regular polygons (apothem, radius, center, central angle, interior angle) Likely units that came before this problem Measuring length and area of basic shapes (rectangles, triangles) Right Triangles and Trigonometry Likely units that come after this problem Surface Area and Volume of Solids

Assumptions about Student Prior Knowledge (what prior knowledge might they have that can assist them in solving the problem? Where might there be gaps in their knowledge that will require remediation?) All students should know: Definition of regular polygon Perimeter How to find the area of basic shapes (quadrilaterals, triangles) Students need to know, but might struggle with: How to find interior angles of a polygon Advanced students might recall and use: Right triangle trigonometry Special right triangles

Phase

Anticipated Student Actions

(know / need to knows, potential next steps / strategies, challenges/obstacles)

Facilitation Notes
(time, student expectations, differentiation strategies, language development, skill development)
(20 - 30 min) In pairs, ask students to read the problem and list knows/need to knows. As they share out, ask them to identify if the know is from the problem itself or from prior knowledge. As they are sharing, keep a list of vocabulary words (you may want to have a student draw a diagram and use that diagram to begin labeling parts of the polygon) Whether using a scale drawing or more complex method, students will need to know that the interior angle is 120 degrees (this should be prior knowledge). You may have to review this with them. Make sure students understand that they need to find the area of the polygon and then have a few students offer suggested strategies. Ask pairs to identify what strategy they are going to use prior to starting work. Rotate around the room and offer suggestions or ask guiding questions as needed. If students find a solution, ask them to verify their solution with another method. If students are struggling with finding the apothem, you may want to do either a small group workshops or a quick review for the class on right triangles

Assessment Strategies
(indicators / evidence of understanding, probing questions)
Evidence of Understanding Students should be able to articulate what they are trying to find and how they will find it (ie I need to find the total area of the polygon so that I can find the # of gallons of sealant needed; I will) Probing questions: -How might you make the problem simpler? -What do you know about polygons that might help you? -How have we found areas in the past? -How does the perimeter help you?

Problem roll out

Know: Deck is regular hexagon ( 6 sides of equal length) Perimeter is 120 ft (each side = 20 ft) 1 gallon sealant covers 125 ft ^2 1 gallon sealant costs $8.50 Need to find min # of gallons of sealant Need to know: How to find the area of a regular hexagon?(so that we can figure out how many gallons) How to find the height of the polygon? Potential next steps: Draw a diagram (scale drawing) Figure out the height (apothem) of the polygon (can use trig or special right triangles) Break down into other shapes such as triangles, rectangles and calculate areas

Student work time

Students will likely start with a diagram and either draw a scale model on graphing paper to estimate the size, break the polygon down into a series of shapes that they know how to find the area for, or break into 6 congruent triangles.

Evidence of understanding: Students can explain their methods and findings Probing questions: -What information do you need to find the height (apothem) of the polygon? -What do we know about a hexagon that can help us? -Does the degree of any of the angles

help us? How?

Sharing out and discussion

Students may still be struggling with how to find the various lengths that are needed.

Have several groups share their strategy. Be sure that one of the groups used the method of breaking into congruent triangles Discuss the pros / cons of each method. Be sure to discuss key vocabulary (ie apothem) Ask students to think of a general formula that they could use if the apothem and side length is given. Give a few minutes to work and then ask for suggestions. Discuss until you arrive at the formula A = aP or A = a*n*s

Work time and instruction as needed Final Action on Problem

Students should attend workshops as needed and work on write-up for problem Students submit write-up, respond to journal, add key concepts / vocab to notebook, etc.

Give students time revise and complete any work on the problem. Assist struggling students as needed. Have students submit a write-up of their solution that includes a description of the problem solving process, justification of their solution, and all work.

Evidence of understanding: Students can derive and use the area formula for a regular polygon Probing questions: -Which strategy seems most efficient? Why? -Can all regular polygons be broken down in the same way? Why or why not? -What if we knew the apothem but not the side length? -What if it wasnt a 30-60-90 triangle? -What assumptions did you make and why? -How would you apply this to a polygon with different number of sides? Evidence of understanding: Students can apply the area formula to verify their results. Evidence of understanding: Students can apply area formula for regular polygons to a variety of situations

Extension

Follow Up Sample Problem: A regular nonagon is inscribed in a circle with radius 4 units. Find the perimeter of the nonagon. Sample Activity: Ask them to complete the following table: You can use when you know n and Pythagorean Theorem Special Right Triangles

Example

Trigonometry Practice Problems Have them practice finding the area of regular polygons given various pieces of information Have them practice finding the perimeter of a regular polygon given various information Have them practice finding the area of a shaded region for a regular polygon inscribed in a circle

Problem Solution There are a variety of ways students might solve this problem, ranging in complexity. While not all students will be able to use the advanced method, they should be exposed to this strategy during the sharing out in order to have a discussion about generating a formula for the area of regular polygons. Please see rubric for grading. Strategy #1 (simplest) Create a scale drawing of the hexagon on graph paper and estimate the area by counting the squares Since the perimeter is 120 ft, each side is 20 ft To draw the hexagon to scale, they will need to determine the interior angle and use a protractor: ( n 2)180 ( 4)180 720 = = = 120 Interior angle = n 6 6 Once they estimate the area, they will divide by 125 ft^2 and then multiple by the cost $8.50. Strategy #2 Divide the polygon into simpler shapes as shown below and find the area of each shape.

To find the base and height of the small triangle, they can use what they know about 30-60-90 triangles or use trigonometry. Next they will need to use the area formula for a triangle and a rectangle to find the areas of those respective shapes. Total Area = Area of Rectangle + 4 * Area Small Triangle = 692 + 4 * 86.5 = 1038 ft^2 Divide by area that one gallon covers to find total gallons: # Gallons = 1038 / 125 = 8.3 gallons or 9 gallons (assuming the sealant is sold in gallons) Multiple by the cost of one gallon: Total Cost = 9 * 8.50 = $76.5 Strategy #3 Divide the polygon into 6 congruent triangles as shown below:

Use 30-60-90 triangles or trig to find the length of the apothem (17.3 ft) Use the area formula for a triangle to calculate the area of one of the triangles: A = (20)(17.3) = 173 ft^2 Multiply the area of the triangle by the number of triangles to find the total area: A = 6 (173) = 1038 ft^2 Divide by area that one gallon covers to find total gallons: # Gallons = 1038 / 125 = 8.3 gallons or 9 gallons Multiple by the cost of one gallon: Total Cost = 9 * 8.50 = $76.5