Give this before the unit. It doesn't test the new standards (8.G.B.6 and 8.G.B.7). It checks the earlier skills they build on, so you can see who is ready and what to review first. It isn't meant to be graded. The answer key, with what each part tells you and how to reteach it, prints on its own page after it.

Pre-Assessment: Getting Ready for the Pythagorean Theorem

Grade 8 · Checks earlier skills: 6.EE.A.1, 8.EE.A.2, 3.MD.C.7, 4.G.A.2, 6.EE.B.7

Name

Date

Part A: Squares 6.EE.A.1, 3.MD.C.7

1. Find each value.

5² = 12² = 9² =

Is 4² the same as 4 × 2? Explain.

2. A square floor has 7 tiles along each side. How many tiles cover the whole floor?

tiles

How sure do you feel? Not yet A little I've got it

Part B: Square roots 8.EE.A.2

3. Find each square root.

√49 = √144 = √81 =

4. A square garden has an area of 64 square feet. How long is each side?

How sure do you feel? Not yet A little I've got it

Part C: Right triangles 4.G.A.2

5. Which triangle is a right triangle? How can you tell?

Triangle because

6. In this right triangle, which side is the longest: a, b or c? Where is it compared with the right angle?

How sure do you feel? Not yet A little I've got it

Part D: Equations 6.EE.B.7

7. Solve: x + 36 = 100

x =

8. Solve: 81 + b = 225

b =

9. What number times itself is 100?

How sure do you feel? Not yet A little I've got it

Answer Key: Pre-Assessment

Getting Ready for the Pythagorean Theorem · for the teacher

25, 144, 81. No: 4² means 4 × 4 = 16, not 4 × 2 = 8.
7 × 7 = 49 tiles
7, 12, 9
8 ft (8 × 8 = 64)
B: it has a square corner (a 90° angle), marked with the little box.
c; it is across from (opposite) the right angle.
x = 64
b = 144
10

What each part tells you

Part	Why it matters for this unit	If many students miss it
A: Squares	a² + b² = c² is squaring three times. 4² = 8 is the most common slip in the unit.	Build squares from tiles: a 4-by-4 square has 16 tiles, not 8.
B: Square roots	The last step of every problem is a square root.	Play Rooted to the Spot and post the perfect squares to 625.
C: Right triangles	The theorem only works for right triangles; the hypotenuse is across from the right angle.	Find right angles in the room (book corners, door frames) and the side across from each.
D: Equations	Finding a missing leg means solving equations like 81 + b² = 225.	Review with Tip the Scales.

Reading the results: students strong in Parts A and B are ready to find hypotenuses on day one; give students who miss Part B a perfect-squares chart for the first few days. Compare the “How sure do you feel?” circles with the answers: a student who circles “I've got it” but misses the part is worth a quick conversation.