Overview
Curator: Darrell Glover
Description of Resource: This resource is a lesson plan (which might be paired with a tech tool) to introduce the concept of functions.
Technical & Cost considerations: This lesson plan is free from the popular Interactivate website
Evaluation
1. Learning Activity Types
- LA-Present - this resource is for an introductory presentation of the concept of functions
- LA-Present-Explain - this resource contains explanations of various terms related to the concept of functions (for example, independent and dependent variable)
- LA-Explore - this resource contains ideas for activities designed to let students explore and investigate the ideas surrounding functions
2. What mathematics is being learned?
Standards
NCTM:
- Understand relations and functions and select, convert flexibly among, and use various representations of them
- Interpret representations of functions of two variables
- Use symbolic algebra to represent and explain mathematical relationships
Common Core (non-specific):
- Create equations that describe numbers or relationships
- Understand the concept of a function and use function notation
- Build a function that models a relationship between two quantities
Proficiency Strands
- conceptual understanding - this resource touches on the various representations of functions and ways to link them together into the overall concept of a function
- strategic competence - this resource contains activities for students to link the various representations data and of a function and speaks to using whichever representation best helps to figure out an equation
- adaptive reasoning - this resource utilizes the concept of a function as a machine to enhance student's ability to formulate and compare the various representations of functions
3. How is the mathematics represented?
The mathematics of functions are represented in various ways in this resource. It speaks to symbolic representation using variables and simple algebraic equations. The resource also speaks to the use of tables of ordered pairs as a way to represent the data from a function. This lesson plan utilizes the popular idea of a function as a machine that yields a specific output for a given input and lays out activities that encourage students to make such a connection. Finally, the lesson plan connects the many representations available for explaining functions in hopes of enhancing student understanding of functions as a whole.
4. What role does technology play?
One advantage of this resource is the identification of alternate/additional activities (such as classroom games) that can incorporated into the basic plan depending on if an instructor has more time to cover the subject or the level/type of engagement the instructor uses in the classroom.
Affordances of Technology for Supporting Learning
- Representing Ideas & Thinking - this resource uses the idea of a function as a machine which transforms the given input and which yields a specific output for each input
- Accessing Information - this resource has various links and menus - links to Interactivate's Function Machine tool (which could be used in conjunction with the lesson plan) and to discussion points regarding functions; menus to align the lesson plan to Common Core and NCTM area/grade level standards as well as the standards for six different states
5. How does the technology fit or interact with the social context of learning?
While the resource itself does not contain any use for social learning, the lesson plan does contain ideas for small group/classroom activities centered around learning the basics of functions.
6. Additional Comments
This is but one of many lesson plans and activities (the website lists close to 200) that are available from Interactivate.