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Math lesson plan · 11th grade (Year 12 in England) · 45 minutes

Find the area of a circular segment

Geometry

CCSS HSG.C.B.5CCSS HSG.SRT.D.9England: GCSE Higher GeometryEngland: A-level Pure Mathematics

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Find the area of a circular segment.

  • I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
  • I can explain each step and say why it works.
  • I can check my answer and spot a mistake.

Before and after

Needs first: Arc length and sector area; Area of a triangle: ½ab sin C

Leads to: the next skill in this area.

Materials: Rulers and protractors, Squared or dotted paper, Shape cut-outs, Mini whiteboards and pens, Printed student sheet (below).

Warm-up · 5 min

  • Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Arc length and sector area; Area of a triangle: ½ab sin C). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. A sector has radius 12 cm and angle 30°. Find the arc length in cm, rounded to 1 decimal place. → 6.3Prompt: Arc length = (θ/360) × 2πr.
  2. Two sides of a triangle are 8 cm and 6 cm with an angle of 53° between them. Find the area to 1 decimal place. → 19.2Prompt: Area = ½ab sin C, where C is the angle between a and b.
  3. Find the area of a sector with radius 11 cm and angle 150°. Round to 1 decimal place. → 158.4Prompt: Sector area = (θ/360) × πr².

Hook · 5 min

  • Show a photo of a building, a tile pattern or a road sign and ask what shapes and angles students can spot.
  • Share the objective: Find the area of a circular segment. Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 10 min

  • Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
  • Example: A chord cuts off a minor segment of a circle of radius 15 cm. The chord subtends 50° at the centre. Find the area of the segment to 1 decimal place.
  • Step 1: 50/360 × Ï€ × 15² − ½ × 15² × sin 50°
  • Step 2: ≈ 12 cm²
  • Answer: 12
  • Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 10 min

  • Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
  • Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
  1. A chord cuts off a minor segment of a circle of radius 15 cm. The chord subtends 50° at the centre. Find the area of the segment to 1 decimal place. → 12Prompt: Segment = sector − triangle.
  2. A segment of a circle of radius 5 cm has angle 1.1 radians at the centre. Find its area to 2 decimal places. → 2.61Prompt: In radians: segment area = ½r²(θ − sin θ).

You do: independent practice · 10 min

  • Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
  • Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

Exit ticket · 5 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. A segment of a circle of radius 8 cm has angle 2.1 radians at the centre. Find its area to 2 decimal places. → 39.58Prompt: In radians: segment area = ½r²(θ − sin θ).
  2. A chord cuts off a minor segment of a circle of radius 15 cm. The chord subtends 120° at the centre. Find the area of the segment to 1 decimal place. → 138.2Prompt: Segment = sector − triangle.

Watch out for

  • Thinking a square turned on its corner is no longer a square.
  • Reading the wrong scale on a protractor.

Support and stretch

Support

  • Review first: Arc length and sector area.
  • Use concrete materials: rulers and protractors.
  • Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
  • Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.

Stretch

  • Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
  • Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.

Homework and more practice

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/math/grade-11.

Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder

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Find the area of a circular segment

Name

Date

Score/ 8

  1. Question 1

    A chord cuts off a minor segment of a circle of radius 3 cm. The chord subtends 70° at the centre. Find the area of the segment to 1 decimal place.

    Answer

  2. Question 2

    A segment of a circle of radius 8 cm has angle 1 radians at the centre. Find its area to 2 decimal places.

    Answer

  3. Question 3

    A chord cuts off a minor segment of a circle of radius 12 cm. The chord subtends 50° at the centre. Find the area of the segment to 1 decimal place.

    Answer

  4. Question 4

    A segment of a circle of radius 6 cm has angle 2.4 radians at the centre. Find its area to 2 decimal places.

    Answer

  5. Question 5

    A chord cuts off a minor segment of a circle of radius 13 cm. The chord subtends 150° at the centre. Find the area of the segment to 1 decimal place.

    Answer

  6. Question 6

    A segment of a circle of radius 7 cm has angle 1.7 radians at the centre. Find its area to 2 decimal places.

    Answer

  7. Question 7

    A chord cuts off a minor segment of a circle of radius 5 cm. The chord subtends 110° at the centre. Find the area of the segment to 1 decimal place.

    Answer

  8. Question 8

    A segment of a circle of radius 8 cm has angle 2 radians at the centre. Find its area to 2 decimal places.

    Answer

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Answer key: Find the area of a circular segment

  1. 1. 1.3

  2. 2. 5.07

  3. 3. 7.7

  4. 4. 31.04

  5. 5. 179

  6. 6. 17.35

  7. 7. 12.3

  8. 8. 34.9