Doing is more effective than watching. Learners use spaghetti to discover the relationship between the unit circle and the graph of the sine and cosine functions. As they measure lengths on the unit circle and transfer them to a coordinate plane, the graphs of the functions emerge. 

Concepts

sine, cosine, graphing trigonometric functions, intercepts, maximums, minimums, end behavior

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Additional Tags

math

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Instructional Ideas

• After completing the activity, ask learners to recreate the graphs in their notes
• Create a handout for pupils to complete the activity independently

Classroom Considerations

• Learners need glue, uncooked spaghetti, poster board, ruler, yarn, and a blank unit circle to complete the activity
• the eighth in a series of 19 lessons

Pros

• Teaching guide provides scaffolding suggestions for meeting the needs of all pupils
• Includes a lesson summary for learners to record as notes

Cons

• None

Common Core

HSF-IF.C.7.e MP2 MP7