TEC Lesson Plan

Contributor Information
Name: Patricia McDaniel
Date: 7/11/99
email address:
School: Pinellas Park High School

Standards
Sunshine State Standards
Strand A. Number Sense, Concepts, and Operations
Standard 2 The student understands number systems.
Benchmarks
MA.A.2.4.1 Understands and uses, informally, the basic concepts of limits and infinity.
MA.A.2.4.2 Understands and uses the real number system.
MA.A.2.4.3 Understands the structure of the complex number system.
Standard 3 The student understands the effects of operations on numbers and the relationships among these operations, selects
Benchmark
MA.A.3.4.3 Adds, subtracts, multiplies, and divides real numbers, including square roots and exponents using appropriate methods of computing (mental mathematics, paper-and-pencil, and calculator).

NET Standards
2.Make informed choices among technology systems, resources, and services. (1,2)

4.Demonstrate and advocate for legal and ethical behaviors among peers, family, and community regarding the use of technology and information. (2)

7.Routinely and efficiently use online information resources to meet needs for collaboration, research, publications, communications, and productivity. (4, 5, 6)

8.Select and apply technology tools for research, information analysis, problem-solving, and decision-making in content learning. (4, 5)

10.Collaborate with peers, experts, and others to contribute to a content-related knowledge base by using technology to compile, synthesize, produce, and disseminate information, models, and other creative works. (4, 5, 6)

Lesson Plan

Title: Graphing Polynomial Equations

Technology Resource Requirements: Graphing Calculator

Subject Area(s): Mathematics

Grade Level: 9-12

Short Description:

Students will solve polynomial equations using the rational root theorem, graphing, synthetic division, and the quadratic formula.

Approximate Time Required: 2-3 days

Click here for a PowerPoint presentation used to present the lesson on graphing polynomial functions with degree greater than two in an Algebra II Honors class.

Click here for a HyperStudio (requires Hyperstudio Plugin) Jeopardy Game used as a review prior to assessment.

Students used the World Wide Web to find sites that helped them with this unit. These are the five best as voted by the students who participated.

1) Solves any polynomial equation you input, creates a graph, and gives you symbolic and numerical roots.
http://mss.math.vanderbilt.edu/cgi-bin/MSSAgent/~pscrooke/MSS/solvepoly.def

2. A search engine for math questions. Type in a question about polynomials or subjects related and it gives you answers.
http://forum.swarthmore.edu/mathgrepform.html

3. Walks you through an equation showing you how to apply synthetic division to equations.
http://library.advanced.org/10030/8syndiv.htm

4. Shows you nearly everything to know about quadratic equations and does multiple examples and walk through.
http://www.mecca.org/~halfacre/MATH/quad.htm

5. Explains the rational root theorem, gives you examples, and walks you through some problems involving the rational root theorem.
http://library.advanced.org/10030/8trrt.htm

Assessment:

The following pages were part of a ClarisWorks database used as a quiz that the students could take at their convenience. New polynomials were entered each day so students could try to better their score. Some students took it more than once just for practice.
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5

Rubric:

Student should answer a minimum of six of the seven questions correctly on each of the five graphs to demonstrate mastery. If the student is unable to demonstrate mastery the assessment should be repeated with new functions after appropriate remediation.