Section 1

Lesson 1: Slope in the Real World

 

Focus

 

Have you heard of “Roof Over Your Head Day?” This day occurs every December 3 and was organized to let everyone appreciate how fortunate people are who have a home.

 

Most roofs in Canada are not flat. How would you describe the shape of most roofs in Canada? Some words you might use are angled, steep, or sloped. The most common reason for roofs not being flat is to help snow slide off. This helps keep roofs from collapsing under the snow’s weight. In many parts of Canada, where snowfalls of two or three feet are common, this is an important safety issue.

 

If you build a roof, some questions you have to consider are these:

• What are the building code requirements?

• Are there any height restrictions set by the community?

• Which type of roof requires less building materials?

In this lesson you will explore ways to describe slopes, identify slopes, and think about the safety issues that surround slopes.

 

Lesson Questions

 

In this lesson you will investigate the following questions:

• How can slopes be identified and described?
  
  
• When dealing with slopes, what safety features are necessary?

Assessment

Your assessment for this lesson may include a combination of the following:

• course folder submissions from the Try This and Share sections of the lesson
  
  
• your contribution to Mathematics 20-3: Glossary Terms
  
  
• Lesson 1 Assignment (Save a copy of your lesson assignment document to your course folder now.)
  
  
• the Project Connection

In this course you may come across Self-Check questions, Try This questions, and other activities that may or may not be assessed.

 

Remember that these questions and activities provide you with the practice and feedback that you need to successfully complete this course. You should respond to all the questions and place those answers in your course folder. Your teacher may wish to view the work that you have stored in your course folder to check on your progress and to see if you require assistance.

 

Materials and Equipment

• ruler(s)
• pencil
• measuring tape
• stairs

Time

 

This lesson has been designed to take 150 minutes; however, it may take more or less time depending on how well you are able to understand the lesson concepts. It is important that you progress at your own pace based on your own learning needs.