Overview

As a High School Mathematics teacher, you can use this set of computer-based tools to teach basic trigonometry.

Global warming is causing glaciers and ice sheets to melt thus causing sea levels to rise. The rate of sea level rise is a few millimeters per year.

While this may seem inconsequential at first glance, it can produce significantly greater inland sea water intrusion over time especially in low lying coastal areas.

This lesson plan will enable students to apply simple trigonometric functions to understand this phenomenon.

Thus, the use of this lesson plan allows you to integrate the teaching of a climate science topic with a core topic in Mathematics.

Grade Level: High School

Discipline: Mathematics

Topics: Trigonometry, Sine Function, Cosine Function, Tangent

Climate Topic: Climate and the Hydrosphere

Location: Global

Languages: English

Learning Outcomes

The tools in this lesson plan will enable students to:

• learn the definition of trigonometric functions

• use trigonometric functions to relate the lengths of the sides of a right-angled triangle

• apply trigonometry to understand why even a small sea level rise due to global warming can affect coastlines