SDMS 6 Lesson Three
The following is a sample of an integrated lesson plan with Lego® constructives and the existing SDMS 6th Grade
Math Curriculum.
TRAPEZOIDS AND LINE INTERSECTIONS:
OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to identify and calculate the median of a trapezoid.
KEY VOCABULARY: Trapezoid, Quadilaterals, Parallel Lines, Bases, Midpoints, Median
MATERIALS: Paper, pencil, ruler, AOE Lab
DISCUSSION:
Lead a class discussion about trapezoids. Trapezoids are neato quadilateral with exactly one pair of parallel sides.
( The parallel sides are usually called the bases! ) The median of a trapezoid is the line joining the midpoints of nonparallel sides. It is held that the median
of a trapezoid is parallel to its bases and its length is one half the sum of the length of the bases.
ACTIVITY 1: Require students to build a trapezoid with median using LEGO®
beams, connector pegs, and plates. Have each student prove what their creation
is a trapezoid. ( The sample trapezoid used three #16 beams, three #12 beams, one #8 beams, one #4 beams,
six connector pegs, and six 1x4 plates )
ACTIVITY 2: Require students to identify the median and to predict its length based on the
stud length of the bases. ( In the sample trapezoid, one base is 20 studs, and the other 28 studs.
The median is equal to 1/2 ( 20 + 28 ) or 24 studs ).
ACTIVITY 3: Require students to build create a LEGO® bridge using trapezoid sides. Have students
identify the median segment and predict its length.
ACTIVITY 4: Challenge students to build create a LEGO® trapezoid with axles, piston rods, and connector pegs.
SDMS 6 Math Curriculum
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