Looking for ideas for teaching the Pythagorean Theorem? I’m so excited to share with you some of my favorite activities for this topic. This is one of my favorite things to teach all year, and it’s probably my favorite geometry topic of all time.
The Pythagorean Theorem is a very visual concept and students can be very successful with it. This list of 13 Pythagorean Theorem activities includes bell ringers, independent practice, partner activities, centers, or whole class fun. It also includes both printable and digital activities for the Pythagorean Theorem- so no matter how you’re having students practice, we’ve got you covered.
Plus, be sure to grab the free download included in this post. You’re sure to find a few activities from this list that are the perfect fit for your classroom:
- Mazes (digital and printable)
- Pythagorean Theorem Digital Escape Room
- QR Code Game
- Riddle (digital and printable)
- NFL and Pythagorean Theorem
- Who Wants to be a Millionaire Video
- Shmoop Video
- Doodle Notes
- SCOOT with Task Cards (digital and printable)
- Knockout Game
- Explain it to an Alien Exit Ticket (free download!)
- Illustrative Mathematics
- Art Project for Pythagorean Theorem
Let’s dive-in
Let’s dig deeper into each of these activities. These ideas can be used to start a lesson, for practice, and for formative assessments. You’ll find something to use in your classroom and add a little spark.
Pythagorean Theorem Mazes
Math mazes are a simple twist on traditional worksheets. They provide students a means of practicing that’s non-threatening. We use them almost everyday in my class. I used these three Pythagorean Theorem mazes (printable AND digital) the week after we learned this topic. Mazes become a way to reinforce what students have learned. They could also easily be used for math centers or homework.
Once students have some comfort with the Pythagorean Theorem, they’re ready to solve real world problems using the Pythagorean Theorem. So, I created another 3-pack of mazes that get students additional practice applying the Pythagorean Theorem. Each of the mazes has a page for students reference and includes a map, diagrams, and stories.
Want to try out math mazes for free? Sign up for the Maze of the Month Club and get a free integers maze today, and then a free math maze sent right to your inbox each month.
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Pythagorean Theorem Digital Escape Room
If you’re looking for a practice activity students can do online, this digital Pythagorean Theorem escape room is so much fun.
Digital math escape rooms get students practicing math with a great twist on traditional worksheets. Students are presented with a mystery. To solve the mystery, they must solve a series of problems correctly to unlock who stole what mystery item, and from where.
The math problems offer a great break from traditional multiple choice questions. With 3 different slides built in Google Slides, students will solve problems in a variety of ways. For example, to uncover the 3rd code, students will solve and place in order several problems. Then, they’ll be able to check their results. If their work is correct, they’ll receive the next piece of the mystery.
QR Code Game
The Pythagorean QR code activity makes a great game, independent activity, center or even homework. It focuses specifically on the converse of the Pythagorean Theorem. Students have to identify if a triangle is a right triangle or not. If you use it as a game, then students can battle against each other for a little friendly competition.
To play the QR code game battle, students each answer a different question at the same time. Next, they check their answers using a QR code. You can find QR code readers on a phone, tablet, or computer. Then, students earn points based on the points assigned for each problem through the QR code. This is done randomly. Due to this aspect of them game you can get more points even if you answer questions slower or if you get one wrong. Students love the battle part. Many of my students are very competitive and this is a low-stakes game. Also, this is an opportunity for students to keep themselves accountable. (For more QR code tips, check out 5 Ways to Use QR Codes in the Math Classroom).
This version of the game doesn’t have super complicated questions, so it won’t take that long. But along the way, students will get immediate feedback on their progress. Playing this game, students experience a high rate of success.
Riddle Activity for Pythagorean Theorem
This Pythagorean Theorem riddle is a quick practice for students right after you’ve completed notes and some practice problems. It has a cute and cheesy riddle and 12 problems for students to work through. And now, it can be completed on paper or online in a digital form (made in Google Slides).
My students found a lot of success with this activity and completed it rather quickly. It didn’t take as long as some other topics, mostly due to their strong foundation from the Pythagorean Theorem Discovery Lab, so I had to speed up my schedule. They loved finding the answer to the riddle. The other day when we were doing this riddle it spawned a slew of cheesy riddles from my students. It also gave the kids that like to be performers a chance to show their personality.
NFL and Pythagorean Theorem
This 4 minute video shows how the Pythagorean Theorem is relevant in football. I’m a huge football fan and I love bringing math into the real world. So this video seemed like a no-brainer. The students were very engaged watching this video. You could hear some of them react when they saw a big hit.
Some of the kids who don’t know a lot about football may have been a little lost, but it still was a great way to look at the Pythagorean Theorem in action. We also related this to soccer, which is also popular among my students. The concepts they talk about in this video can actually be related to most sports. After watching, you can ask students to explain how the Pythagorean Theorem can be applied to another sport.
I use this video for an anticipatory set after students have a background with the theorem. It gets them talking about the Pythagorean Theorem, and some kids who don’t normally contribute much had a lot to say.
Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Video Clip
This short video shows a contestant on Who Wants to be a Millionaire who lost $15,000 because he didn’t know the Pythagorean Theorem. 8th graders love to see situations where they’re smarter than adults. What a great way to start a daily lesson. I think when you watch it you kinda feel like you could have saved this person from losing their money. This is a great anticipatory set and a real life example of math. Questions you could ask students to answer during the video:
- How could he have used the Pythagorean Theorem to answer this question?
- Why do you think the audience also chose the wrong answer?
- What is another example of when not knowing math can contribute to you losing money?
This can be an excellent way to start a class period on day 3 or 4 of your unit. What conversations will it start with your students? How many of your students will figure it out?
Shmoop Video
This Shmoop video uses a silly story about Peter Pan and his shadow to illustrate the Pythagorean Theorem. If you haven’t used Shmoop videos before in your class, you should know that they are a little silly and quirky. Most 7th and 8th graders seem to appreciate the ridiculousness in these videos.
I love to use short math videos as anticipatory sets, and this specific one is a quick review of the Pythagorean Theorem. Also, you can use it for students who have missed a day or two. It can help them see the Pythagorean Theorem in a different way.
Doodle Notes
Doodle Notes is a part of my “Try One Thing” for this month. My two colleagues have tried this as well. I would say that our first attempt didn’t go very well. It wasn’t horrible, but we didn’t really understand how to make doodle notes work.
We needed to do a little more upfront research before diving in. We embraced the concept of connecting doodling and learning, and for that reason we’re giving it another try with the distance formula next week. Doodle notes are a cool concept because they let students be creative in math while taking notes. I would still use this again and I’ll tell you how it goes next week. (update- I continue to use Doodle Notes, but have learned that it’s important to be very specific with students and to give them more directions than I initially did).
SCOOT with Task Cards
There are a lot of ways to use task cards. Really, task cards are just a way to practice problems, but they can also be a powerful engagement tool. To practice the Pythagorean Theorem, I use this set of 27 mini task cards (available in both printable and digital formats. The digital format is created in Google slides).
While there are many options in how to use task cards, we played SCOOT with them. SCOOT is a game where you put one task card on each desk. Then, students answer the question on their desk. Next, everyone moves one desk to the right and they are given time to do that problem. Finally, you just keep repeating until students are back to their desk. If you have a small class like me you could have two task cards on each desk. Kids love this activity. I don’t exactly know why they love it so much, to be honest. But it’s fast paced and gets them moving around the room.
Knockout Game
One great way to review for test or to see how the class is doing is through playing whole class games. One game I love playing with my class is called knockout. It can be played with or without an interactive whiteboard. All you need to have is a projector. This is how it’s played:
A student chooses from one of the objects on this screen. After that a question is revealed. Some of the questions have bonuses. The bonuses can be good or bad. Each question has a point value. Then, after you show the answer, you go back and choose another question. (See more in this post.)
This particular game has solving for a missing side problems. Also, it contains converse of the Pythagorean Theorem questions as well. Because students choose what’s next, the questions come up in a random order. That makes it work really well to prep for the unit test.
I play this with all students using a whiteboard to work out each problem. Each student answers every problem, and then they keep track of their points for the problems they get right. I don’t emphasize the points very much, but many students love the points side of the game. When needed, I coach students through the problems if they seem to be struggling. We play this type of game the day before or the day of a test. These games work as a final boost for students.
Explain it to an Alien Exit Ticket
I use a lot of quarter sheet exit tickets. Many of them I’ve made myself by looking through resources and books and then adapting them. This “Explain it to an Alien Exit Ticket” is one of my creations for this unit.
With this exit ticket, you can quickly see what students understand about the topic. I give out this exit ticket at the end of the lesson and have students return it to me as they walk out the door. A few of them will really get into character and act like they’re talking to an alien. Other kids won’t get into that part at all. Either way, students’ responses give a great snapshot of what they’re understanding.
You can click here to get a free copy of this exit ticket to use with your class.
Performance Tasks on Illustrative Mathematics
The push for performance tasks sometimes leaves us trying to come up with our own stuff. I don’t really have that problem anymore even since I found Illustrative Mathematics. I’ve talked about this site before, but it’s truly a go to destination for Common Core performance tasks. It’s free and the tasks are so detailed.
My favorite performance task for the Pythagorean Theorem is called Bird and Dog race. Students have to figure out who will win a race between a Bird and a Dog. It has just the right amount of challenge. It includes a series of questions that students have to answer and isn’t just asking for a right answer. Try this one with your students and see what they can do with it.
Art Project for Pythagorean Theorem
The Pythagorean Theorem Drawing Project from 123 Teach-Brittany Kiser is a fun activity I used last year as an activity for students when they finished their benchmark test. You can read all about it in this blog post.
In this activity students get to be creative and show the Pythagorean Theorem in a real world setting. Due to the fact that I had students do it during testing, they weren’t able to ask me a whole bunch of questions. All of them were able to understand the directions and complete the project on their own.
Try One Thing
I work part of my day as an academic coach with other math teachers. I’ve learned that most people can’t make many changes to their instruction or classroom management at a time. That’s why I created the “Try One Thing” philosophy. It will amaze you how many tools you can add to your teacher tool box if you try just one thing at a time. This post contains a long list of ideas for Pythagorean Theorem. My challenge to you is to just Try One Thing.
All of my resources and activities for teaching Pythagorean Theorem are also available in a bundle at a steep discount. Check them out 🙂 Thanks so much for reading. Until next time!
