West Contra Costa Unified School District
Average Rate of Change
Learners investigate average rates of change for linear functions and connect the concept to slope. They then determine average rates of change in quadratic and exponential functions.
EngageNY
Average Rate of Change
Learners consider the rate of filling a cone in the 23rd installment of this instructional activity series. They analyze the volume of the cone at various heights and discover the rate of filling is not constant. The instructional...
West Contra Costa Unified School District
Average Rate of Change
The concept of slope gets an approachable, yet theoretical, treatment in a comprehensive algebra instructional activity. The use of functional notation and problem-solving techniques keep the material rigorous, but detailed teaching...
Curated OER
Instantaneous Rate of Change of a Function
Pupils draw the graph of a door opening and closing over time. They graph a given function on their calculators, create a table of values and interpret the results by telling if the door is opening or closing and evaluate the average...
Curated OER
Average Rate of Change, Difference Quotients, and Approximate Instantaneous Rate of Change
Pupils, with the assistance of their TI-84 Plus / TI-83 Plus calculators, distinguish meanings from right, left and symmetric difference quotients that include rate of change and graphical interpretations. They utilize symmetric...
Curated OER
Lesson #20 Rates of Change and Velocity
Students investigate speed. In this rate of change lesson plan, students complete a rate/time/distance table to determine the average m.p.h. of a given trip. They listen and follow along with the lecture and examples to determine the...
EngageNY
The Binomial Theorem
Investigate patterns in the binomial theorem. Pupils begin by reviewing the coefficients from Pascal's triangle. They look at the individual terms, the sums of the coefficients on a row, and the alternating sum of each row. Individuals...
Curated OER
The Numbers Behind Hunger: Rate of Change
Explore the concept of world hunger by having students collect and graph 1990 world hunger statistics. They will analyze the data in order to determine how to decrease world hunger rates and try to determine problems and solutions of...
EngageNY
Euler’s Number, e
Scholars model the height of water in a container with an exponential function and apply average rates of change to this function. The main attraction of the lesson is the discovery of Euler's number.
EngageNY
The Concept of a Function
Explore functions with non-constant rates of change. The first installment of a 12-part module teaches young mathematicians about the concept of a function. They investigate instances where functions do not have a constant rate of change.
Nuffield Foundation
Investigating Factors Affecting the Heart Rate of Daphnia
What variables change heart rate? Young scientists observe the beating heart in Daphnia to understand these variables. They make changes in temperature, chemicals, and other factors as they graph the heart rates. Analysis questions help...
Curated OER
Climate Change in My City
Young scholars investigate the climate changes occurring locally, regionally and globally over the last one hundred years. They brainstorm and predict whether the current year's weather was warmer or colder than last year then check the...
Curated OER
Rates of Chemical Reactions-The Iodine Clock Reaction
High schoolers investigate the reaction rate of iodine and soluble starch. In this rates of chemical reactions lesson plan, students study the effects of varying concentrations of reactants and varying temperatures of reactants on the...
California Academy of Science
Global Climate Change and Sea Level Rise
Ice is nice, and its condition on the planet has a significant effect. Junior geoscientists experiment with ice melting in both water and on land to discover how each affect the rising sea level. This detailed lesson outline even...
Virginia Department of Education
Linear Modeling
An inquiry-based algebra lesson explores real-world applications of linear functions. Scholars investigate four different situations that can be modeled by linear functions, identifying the rate of change, as well as the strength and...
Project Maths
Introduction to Calculus
Don't let your class's heart rates rise as you introduce them to differentiation ... an inquiry-based instructional activity helps them keep it in check! The second instructional activity in a three-part series asks learners to analyze...
Texas Instruments
Finding Linear Models Part III
Explore linear functions! In this Algebra I lesson, mathematicians graph data in a scatter plot and use a graphing calculator to find a linear regression and/or a median-median line. They use the model to make predictions.
EngageNY
Graphs of Simple Nonlinear Functions
Time to move on to nonlinear functions. Scholars create input/output tables and use these to graph simple nonlinear functions. They calculate rates of change to distinguish between linear and nonlinear functions.
EngageNY
Constant Rates Revisited
Find the faster rate. The resource tasks the class to compare proportional relationships represented in different ways. Pupils find the slope of the proportional relationships to determine the constant rates. They then analyze the rates...
Curated OER
Population Growth Rates
Young scholars determine the average annual rate of change (growth rate) of U.S. national population for each decade of historical census data.
EngageNY
Nonlinear Motion
Investigate nonlinear motion through an analysis using the Pythagorean Theorem. Pupils combine their algebraic and geometric skills in the 24th lesson of this 25-part module. Using the Pythagorean Theorem, scholars collect data on the...
Mathalicious
The Fall of Javert
Falling off a bridge might not sound like your idea of a good math problem, but incorporating the final scene of Les Misérables is sure to spark interest. The goal is to use the time Javert fell off the bridge to determine how high he...
Curated OER
Rates Of Change
Students investigate the rate of change and how it effects a function over a given interval. They examine the slope of a line that is seccant and how it is compared to a tangent line and then determine the changes of a function at any...
California Academy of Science
Climate Change Impacts
Getting kids thinking about climate change now, will hopefully push them into action when they become adults. Young environmentalists discuss the evidence and causes of climate change seen in the state of California. They brainstorm ways...