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Michaela Nobles

Title: Exploring Graphs of Power Functions using TI-Nspire


Subject Area: Power Functions
Grade Level: 9-12
Concept/Topic to teach: Functions and their related graphs
Learning Objectives:
Content objectives (students will able to.)

Students will be able to graph functions in TI-Inspire and by hand if necessary

Students will be able to explain the effect of each parameter of a function.

Students will be able to change the parameters of the power function

Essential Question:
How does each parameter of the function affect the graph?
Standards addressed:
Common Core State Mathematics Standards:

CCSS.Math.Content.HSF.BF.B.3
Identify the effect on the graph of replacing f(x) by f(x) + k, k f(x), f(kx), and f(x + k) for specific values of k
(both positive and negative); find the value of k given the graphs. Experiment with cases and illustrate an
explanation of the effects on the graph using technology. Include recognizing even and odd functions from their
graphs and algebraic expressions for them.

CCSS.Math.Content.HSF.LE.B.5
Interpret the parameters in a linear or exponential function in terms of a context.
Common Core State Mathematical Practice Standards:

CCSS.Math.Practice.MP1 Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.

CCSS.Math.Practice.MP3 Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.

CCSS.Math.Practice.MP5 Use appropriate tools strategically.


Technology Standards:

HS.TT.1 Use technology and other resources for assigned tasks.


21st Century skill (Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking)

Communicating ideas from investigation

Being able to use the features in TI-Inspire to answer questions and come up with conjectures
Required Materials:

Pencil/Paper

TI-Nspire software

Handout

Computers
Prerequisite Knowledge:

Students will already know what a function is. They will know what the parent function looks like. Students
will already have some knowledge and experience with TI-Inspire.
.
Time: 90 minutes
Time
10 min

Teacher Actions
PROBLEM POSING

Student Engagement

Students will come in the class and grab a


laptop. I will tell them to get a laptop upon
entering the classroom.

Students will pick up a laptop as they enter and will


take their seat.

I will start class off by projecting different


functions. I will show them the same
graphs but some will be shifted up, down,
left, or right. Some of the graphs will be
upward and some will be downward. I will
ask the class, how does this same graph
get moved around like this?

Students will observe the functions being shifted


around. They will be thinking about how it is possible
for the graph to be moved around. They may say that
the equation is changed.
They may say that they are not really the same
function. There may be a varied answers.

I will then explain to the class that they will


figure out the answer to this question. I will
tell them that they will be using the
software TI-Inspire to investigate how a
graph can end up looking many different
ways.

Listen attentively while I am going over the


exploration.

Students will work in pairs. I will already


have their groups selected. I will tell them
who they are partnered with. Students will
reposition to be next to their partner. I will
quickly go through the handout to tell them
what they will be doing.

Students will quietly move to get into their assigned


pairs. They will begin working on the exploration
together. They will open TI-Inspire to start the
exploration.

45 min

SMALL GROUP INVESTIGATION


Students will begin working on the
exploration. I will walk around to hear
what the students are coming up with as
they do the exploration.
The first thing that students should be
discovering is how each parameter, a, b,
and c, affect the graph of the function. I
will ask questions to further their thinking.
I will also ask questions about something
they never thought about.

Students will begin working through the exploration.

Students should be putting in their function and


creating their sliders as they begin the first part of the
exploration. They should be playing around with each
slider for each parameter to see how the graph is
being affected.

What does a look like on the graph?


It is a straight line when b and c are zero
What if a was zero?
It would be a straight line at y=0
What did you notice about b?
When b=1, it is a line of y=x. When b is even, the
graph is a parabola. When b is odd, the graph is a
cubic function
Would this be different for a values?
No
What does c do to the graph?
c moves the graph up and down
When c is positive, the graph moves up
When c is negative, the graph moves down
The next part of the exploration that the
students should work on is the
simultaneous exploration. Students will be
looking at one parameter of different
values, while the other two parameters are
at fixed values. Students will explore how
the graph changes.

Students will type in the equation in a new problem


on TI-Inspire. Students will type in the equation and
look at each parameter of different values, while
keeping the other two parameters fixed. They will
explore how the graphs look compared to the
function.

Some questions I may ask while walking


around:
What happen when a was zero?
It was a straight line
It was a horizontal line
What did you notice as the a values
changed?

When a was positive, the graph was facing upward


and when a was negative, the graph was facing
downward

What was the common point for the


different graphs of the function?
Whatever the c value was

20 min

WHOLE CLASS DISCUSSION


I will quiet the class down and bring their
attention back to me. I will tell them that
each group was going to share one thing
that they discovered from each part of the
exploration. After each group shares, the
other students will have the chance to
comment, ask questions, or disagree. Each
student should contribute the discussion in
some way. I will ask the questions that I
asked to the groups as I walked around.
Some additional questions that I may ask:

15 min

Did someone use a positive/ negative a, b,


or c? Did that make your graph look
different from another groups
SUMMARIZING AND EXTENDING
After the class discussion, we will discuss
how a, b, and c affects a graph. We will go
back to the pictures that I showed at the
beginning of class and talk about them
again. Students should be able to identify
what happened to the function after a
certain change or shift. This will give an
indicator if the students understood what
they got from their exploration.
For homework, students will have to tell
what would happen to the graph for
different values
of a, b, and c. They will have to sketch
some graphs or give descriptions.

During the exploration, students had the freedom to


select their own values for parameters. Answers may
vary.

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