Ramp up the study of slope. The class participates in a discussion about the physical aspects of stairs and ramps they encounter. Small groups work together and measure a staircase and corresponding ramp to calculate the slope of each. The teams graph and find equations to model the stairs and the ramp before teachers interview everyone to assess their learning from the task.

Concepts

slope, slope formula, linear equations, linear equations writing, ramps

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Additional Tags

math

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Instructional Ideas

• Use several pairs of stairs and ramps to gather a variety of data

Classroom Considerations

• Requires access to a set of stairs and ramp going to the same level
• Assumes the class knows how to calculate slope

Pros

• Includes suggested teacher interview questions
• Contains an extension activity

Cons

• None

Common Core

MP4 MP5 MP6 HSF-IF.B.6