I created this odd one out activity to give my pre-calculus students extra practice identifying coterminal angles.

In this activity, students were placed in groups of 4. Each group was given a set of four angle cards. Three of the angles are coterminal angles (meaning they share the same terminal side when sketched in standard form). One angle is an imposter that has a completely different terminal side. Students must work together to determine which angle is the “odd one out.”


I made four different challenges in total for students to work through.


I printed each challenge on a different color of paper to make them easier to tell apart. Each group worked through all four challenges.


This is a relatively short activity, so it is suitable for use at the beginning of class as a review of the previous day’s topic or at the end of a class period as a wrap-up activity. Some groups will work through the activity faster than others, so make sure you are prepared for that, as well.


My students used the notes we took over coterminal angles as well as our paper plate angle spinners to help them work through these four challenges.

I loved seeing the groups work who used their paper plate angle spinners!

This particular challenge was especially tricky since if the odd one out (-40 degrees) could look very similar to the three coterminal angles if students are not careful with their angle sketching.

Students used calculators to make the larger angles easier to deal with.

Overall, this was a fun activity, and I look forward to creating more activities like this for my students to complete in the future.

Free Download of Odd One Out Coterminal Angles Activity
Odd One Out Coterminal Angles Activity (PDF) (781 downloads)
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NV
Thursday 3rd of March 2022
Hi, Great activity. Do you have a word document of the initial and terminal side arrows? If so, can you share?
Thanks, NV
Katrina
Thursday 29th of July 2021
Sarah, as a newer teacher, I am so thankful for you. Thank you for posting what's working well in your classes, as well as some of the resources you've built with hard work and effort. Thank you for sharing freely! I really appreciate getting ideas and using them in my classes, especially when I'm fresh out of them. Thank you!!!!
Sarah Carter
Thursday 2nd of September 2021
Thank you so much Katrina!