Trig in the Tower Day (Using Trigonometry in the Real World) (Editable)

After weeks of doing right-triangle trigonometry, I find that my "best" trigonometry students struggle to apply what they learned to an outdoor setting. I wrote this activity so that students would have a chance to calculate the height of a school building tower. At some schools, I have called this "Trig in the Trees" day, since it often involves determining the height of a tree on campus.

You'll need to set up the three challenges, two of which involve cones. (You could use any classroom objects you want!)

Please download the pdf preview file first, so you can see exactly what's included; the product file is a word document, which you may personalize for your students.

Keywords: Jonnard