Alphabet Toothpicks

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Objective

SWBAT read a table to locate the initial amount and calculate the rate of change to write a linear function rule

Big Idea

Use toothpicks and extended tables to visualize rate of change and initial amount to write a linear function rule.

Lesson Author

Christa Lemily

Bowling Green, KY

Grade Level

Eighth grade

Subjects

Math

tables of values

Algebra

Standards

8.F.B.4

Construct a function to model a linear relationship between two quantities. Determine the rate of change and initial value of the function from a description of a relationship or from two (x, y) values, including reading these from a table or from a graph. Interpret the rate of change and initial value of a linear function in terms of the situation it models, and in terms of its graph or a table of values.

MP1

Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.

MP2

Reason abstractly and quantitatively.

MP5

Use appropriate tools strategically.

MP6

Attend to precision.

MP7

Look for and make use of structure.

MP8

Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

Bellringer Lesson Warm-up

5 minutes

Today is Monday, so the Powerpoint allows students five minutes to open agenda books and record all "Big Rocks" for the week. I move about the room with my own agenda book checking student work and recording my own big rocks for the week - model by doing.

Beginning the New Activity

35 minutes

Design - Staircase of Complexity

Alpha et Toothpicks Reflection.mov

Wrapping Up the Lesson

10 minutes

I usually wrap up this lesson by having students present their work and answers to the given questions. As students are working, I am moving about the room questioning students and asking them how they arrived at their answers. If I have more than one method that answers the questions and each is a correct method, then I ask both groups to present during the wrap-up session and we discuss the merits of both.

Areas to discuss in detail include the structure and importance of the zero figure (initial amount or initial pattern). Further discussion about the structure of the linear function rule including why initial amount is added but rate of change is multiplied are very important. Rate of change is to model the repeated addition of new toothpicks.

I would suggest assigning a homework page that will allow students to practice (about 10-12 problems) writing linear function rules. The homework page could include reading tables to write a linear function (MP2) and word descriptions such as pizza - delivery fee plus rate of change so write a function rule to model the total cost (there will be a video for this real world scenario later).

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Algebra I » Graphing Linear Functions