What's My Line? - Lesson Plan

What's My Line? can be taught in two ways, depending on the technology available. The first plan is for teaching the lesson using the online e-Module and applets. The second plan is for teaching the lesson using worksheets and the range-motion sensors for the TI calculator. Both methods contain the same material and questions for students to answer.

Teaching Plan A (50 minutes)

Warm-Up (5 minutes)

Using a computer projector, demonstrate how to go to the eNLVM website, go to your school and class, and login.
Demonstrate the Moving Man applet for the class. You can access this in the Warm Up section. Ask the class questions to familiarize them with how the graph works. Examples are: What does the x-axis / y-axis represent? What distance is being measured? What was happening during different parts of the graph? Allow the students a few minutes to experiment with the applet.

Walk My Line (10-15 minutes)

Have the students go to the Walk My Line section of the lesson and work through the questions. Observe the class and give direction when needed.
From observations, pick a few of the problems to discuss as a class. You may wish to display some students' answers and discuss them.

Find My Line (20 minutes)

Have the students go to the Find My Line section of the lesson and work through the three sections. Observe the class and give direction when needed.
Discuss with the students what they learned from the activity.

Teaching Plan B (2 Days, 70 Minutes Total)

This version of the lesson uses worksheets and the range-motion sensors for the TI calculator.

Warm-Up (5 minutes)

Ask students the following types of questions to set up the class: Who has sensors? What sensors do you have and what do they measure?

Introduce the sensor and have students come to the front of the class to walk in front of it and examine the graph. Possible questions and comments for use in discussion: What do you think the sensor measures? (Distance) The sensor measures distance from what? The door? The ceiling? It measures the distance from it to the closet thing in front of it. If you want to measure how far away from it you are, you have to stand in front of it. What will is measure if you move out from in front of it?

Walk My Line (10-15 minutes)

Hand out the Walk My Line worksheet and ask students to work in pairs to describe how they would walk to create each graph.
Ask pairs to come up and read descriptions and then demonstrate their solution with the sensor.

Find My Line (20 minutes)

Hand out the two Find My Line worksheets - one with the pre-drawn graph and one blank one for them to record data on. Have one pair come up to gather data. Show one student how to operate the calculator and have the other walk at a constant rate towards or away from the sensor. Show the students how to get the coordinates of the starting and ending points. Work through the sheet on an overhead with the data gathered.

Ask students work on the worksheet with the provided data. Call up pairs one at a time to gather their own data, record it on their other sheet and ask them to complete both worksheets.

Worksheets

• Walk My Line (MS Word)
• Find My Line: graph (MS Word)
• Find My Line: blank (MS Word)

Assessment

• Use class discussions to gauge the progress of the class and to identify common misconceptions.
• Walk around and observe individual students while they go through the lesson to identify individual progress and challenges.
• Use worksheets or last section of the eModule for the purpose of summative assessment and grading if you wish.
  

Credits

Correlation to Standards

Correlation to NCTM Standards

• Grades 6-8
  • Algebra.Standard 2. explore relationships between symbolic expressions and graphs of lines, paying particular attention to the meaning of intercept and slope.
  • Algebra.Standard 3. model and solve contextualized problems using various representations, such as graphs, table, and equations.
  • Measurement.Standard 2. solve simple problem involving rates and derived measurements for such attributes as velocity and density.
• Grades 9-12
  • Algebra.Standard 4. approximate and interpret rates of change from graphical and numerical data.

Correlation to Utah Standards

• Grade 6
  • 2.1.3 Write an algebraic expression from a graph or a table of values.
• Math 7
  • 2.3.1 Modal and solve real-world problems using various representations, such as graphs, tables, manipulatives, and pictures.
  • 2.3.3 Use graphs and table to identify and describe changes in related quantities.
• Pre-Algebra
  • 2.2.3 Determine the slope of a linear relation from a graph or ordered pairs.
  • 2.3.4 Modal and solve real-world problems using various representations, such as graphs, tables, manipulatives, and pictures.
  • 4.2.3 Solve problems involving rates and derived measure.
• Elementary Algebra
  • 2.1.4 Identify the slope of a linear function as an average rate of change in real-world situations.
  • 2.2.3 Solve real-world problems involving constant rates of change.
  • 2.3.1 Identify the slope of a line when given:
    • A set of two ordered pairs.
    • The graph of a linear function.
  • 2.3.2 Write the equation of a line when given:
    • A set of ordered pairs.
    • The slope and a point on the line.
    • The graph of a line.
  • 2.3.7 Determine the x- and y-intercepts from an equation or graph of a line
  • 2.3.10 Determine and explain the meaning of intercepts using real-world examples.

Correlation to Arizona Standards

• Grade 8, Strand 3, Concept 4, PO 1: Identify the slope of a line as the rate of change (the ratio of rise over run).
• High School, Strand 3, Concept 2, PO 2: Describe a contextual situation that is depicted by a given graph.
  
• High School, Strand 3, Concept 3, PO 10: Write an equation of the line given: two points on the line, the slope and a point on the line, or the graph of the line.