TCNJ Lesson Plan

Investigating Line Segments, Rays, and Lines

Student Name: Nicole Holmes School Name: Hopewell Elementary

Grade Level: 3rd Host Teachers Name: Mrs. Zachow

Guiding and/or Essential Questions:

-What is the difference between a line segment, line, and ray?
-How are lines, line segments, and rays related?

Pre-lesson Assignments and/or Student Prior Knowledge (ex. background knowledge,

possible misconceptions, prior lesson content)
This is the first lesson is a 2-3 week math unit. Students may have prior knowledge of some of
the concepts like lines and line segments from previous lessons but may not know what a ray is.
Students also may be under the impressions that lines and line segments are the same thing when
they are not.

Standards:
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.G.A.1
Draw points, lines, line segments, rays, angles (right, acute, obtuse), and perpendicular and
parallel lines. Identify these in two-dimensional figures.

Learning Objectives and Assessments:

Objectives Assessments

Student will arrange their bodies and angle Teacher will examine the students
legs into lines, line segments, and rays arrangement of themselves and the angle legs
accurately. for completeness and accuracy.

Students will find examples of line segments, Teacher will observe students while they are
lines, and rays around the room. finding lines, line segments, and rays to see if
they are finding them with accuracy.
Students will identify and draw rays, lines, Teacher will examine the students work in
and line segments in their math journals. their workbook to check for completion
without error.

Materials/Resources: (List materials, include any online or book references and resources)
-Angle legs
-Rulers
-Math workbook
-Teachers edition of math workbook
-Clipboards
-Scrap paper
-Interactive Powerpoint on rays, lines, and line segments

Plan for set-up/distribution/cleanup of materials:

I will place the bags of angle legs that Mrs. Zachow has already divided into ziplock bags for
each student on students desks. Students also keep their math workbooks in their desks for easy
access. When we are done using the angle legs, the students will put the angle legs back in their
bags and I will collect them from each table and return them back to their basket.

Step by Step plan (numbered):

1. Students will begin the lesson at their desks while Ms. Holmes passes out bags of
angle legs to each of the students. Ms. Holmes will give the students one minute to
explore the angle legs before she gives them a math riddle to solve. After the one minute
is up, Ms. Holmes will ask the children how many sides a triangle has (3). Ms.
Holmes will then ask the students to take out five (5) of their angle legs and ask them to
make two (2) triangles with those five angle legs. Ms. Holmes will set the timer for
three minutes and ask the students to work independently for three minutes and if
at the end of those three minutes the students are still confused they may turn to the
person next to them and solve the problem together.
2. If the students were able to solve the riddle in the original three minutes provided,
the Ms. Holmes will ask one student to share their thinking with the class on how
they solved the riddle. If the students are unable to solve the riddle individually, Ms.
Holmes will allow them three more minutes to work with a partner and at the end of
those three minutes, Ms. Holmes will ask a partnership to share their thinking in
solve the riddle.
3. Once students have solved the math riddle, they will be instructed to leave their
angle legs on their desks and make their way to the carpet where they will sit so they can
all see the board. Ms. Holmes will then draw the solution to the riddle on the board
and label each of the angles (also known as end points) on the two triangles.
4. Ms. Holmes will ask the children to put a thumbs up if they have ever heard
of a line segment before. Ms. Holmes will then either introduce or review what a line
segment is. She will explain that a line segment is a part of the line that has two end
points. She will say that line segment marks the shortest distance between two end
points. Ms. Holmes will then retrace over one of the line segments of the triangle and tell
the children that the sides of the triangles are all line segments because they are straight,
have end points, and mark the shortest distance between the two end points. Ms. Holmes
will then draw some non-examples on the board (a squiggly line with two end points,
two end points with a line that goes halfway between them) and some more
examples (a line segment on a face of a cube, the tall line segment in the letter F).
Children will then turn and talk with the person sitting next to them about why each of
these things is an example or nonexample. Throughout this discussion, Ms. Holmes will
refer to the line segments by their endpoints (for example, line segment AB) and will
tell the students that a line segment is named for its two endpoints.
5. Ms. Holmes will then return to the original triangles and erase one of the
endpoints and draw an arrow. Ms. Holmes will then give the students a chance to turn
and talk with the person next to them about what they think that change means for that
line segment. Ms. Holmes will listen to a few student responses and then ask if the
children to give a thumbs up if they have ever heard of a ray before. Ms. Holmes will
then explain that a ray is a little different than a line segment because it has one endpoint
and then goes on forever in the other direction. Ms. Holmes will also explain that rays are
labeled differently than line segments and that they are labeled with their end point first
(ray AB when A is the end point). Ms. Holmes will then ask the children if they can
think of any real life examples of a ray (light beams from flashlights, sun rays).
6. Ms. Holmes will then draw a line on the board and ask the children how this
is different from or similar to the rays and line segments and will accept several
student responses. Ms. Holmes will place three points along the line (E, F, G) and ask
the students how they think the line would be named. Ms. Holmes will accept several
student responses and then explain that the line can be named with any two points along
the line.
7. Students will then be sent back to their desks to work in their math journals on
page 128. Children will be instructed to have their worked checked by a teacher before
they move onto the next activity. Those that finish early may take a sheet of paper and
a clipboard and walk around the room while jotting down any real life examples
they see of rays, line segments, and lines.
8. Once all the children have finished or 10 minutes is up, the children will be called
back to the carpet to close the lesson. Ms. Holmes will then demonstrate how they can
position their bodies to replicate rays, line segments, and lines (ray is both arms
extended with one hand pointing and the other a closed fist, line segment is both
 arms extended with closed fists, and line is both arms extended with hands
pointing). Ms. Holmes will then tell the children that we are going to play Simon Says
and that they will have to arrange themselves into whatever line, line segment, or ray Ms.
Holmes writes on the board. For example, Ms. Holmes would say Simon Says and
write ray John and Mary on the board. If played correctly, John and Mary should be at the
ends of the line with John having his fist closed because when rays are named they are
named with their end point in the beginning.

Key Questions (that you will ask):

- How many sides does a triangle have?
- Is this a line segment? Why or why not?
- How is a line segment different than a ray? Different than a line?
- How do we label line segments, rays, and lines?

Logistics:

Timing:
-2 minutes to introduce math riddle and have students experiment with angle legs
-6-8 minutes to solve riddle and discussion
-6 minutes talking about line segments
-6 minutes talking about rays
-6 minutes talking about lines
-10 minutes for workbook practice
-20 minutes for closing Simon Says game.

Transitions: Students will begin the lesson at their desks with the angle legs, then they will
move to the carpet for whole group instruction, then they will go back to their desks to practice
with a partner in their workbooks, and the lesson will close with the children back on the carpet
for the Simon Says game.

Classroom Management: The bags of angle legs are pre portioned into ziplock bags which
limits the chance that children will be off task building extravagant things with the angle legs. If
needed, Ms. Holmes will employ one of the attention getting strategies if things get noisy in the
classroom. Ms. Holmes will also go over safety rules before playing the Simon Says game (no
pushing, no running, etc.). Ms. Holmes will also break the whole class into smaller groups to
play the Simon Says game if the game is getting dangerous or too noisy.
Differentiation: Ms. Holmes will wear the microphone during her lesson to help one of the
students who is hearing impaired. Early finishers will have the chance to go around the
classroom to look for rays, lines, and line segments and those who need the whole time for the
workbook will be encouraged to look at home or while at recess for these things so they are not
missing out. Ms. Holmes will also have the materials placed on the students desks to eliminate
any confusion or wait time. Ms. Holmes will circulate the classroom with the other teachers and
provide support and direction for any students who need it.