Amanda DePelsMaeker Lesson Plan - Teaching with One Computer, One Projector Objective: Teach students how to graph

lines in the x-y two dimensional plane. Materials: one computer, one projector, algebra textbook, graphing paper, pencil, whiteboard (or chalkboard), whiteboard markers (or chalk) Lesson: 1. Give students a brief lecture on how to graph linear equations from the algebra textbook using the whiteboard and whiteboard markers. a. Explain how to solve an equation for y to put the equation in slope-intercept form (y=mx+b). b. Plot the y-intercept (b). c. Plot other points using the slope (rise/run) m. d. Connect the plotted points. 2. Show students how to use the online graphing tool at the following link: http://www.mathopenref.com/coordequation.html a. Show students how to manipulate both the slope and y-intercept of the linear equations. b. Explain to students how this changes the x-intercept. 3. Split the classroom into three groups to practice graphing linear equations. a. Group A will work on homework problems from the textbook using graphing paper to graph linear equations. They will answer questions about each component of the slopeintercept form (y=mx+b). The students should work together. b. Group B will work on graphing linear equations up on the whiteboard with the whiteboard markers. Each student must graph at least one line. This is the group that the teacher will spend the most time working with to make certain the students are graphing the equations correctly. c. Group C will work on understanding the relationship between m and b in the slopeintercept form of linear equations by using the graphing linear equations program mentioned in #2. 4. After 10 to 15 minutes, each group will go to a new a new station. 5. After another 10 to 15 minutes, each group will go to the last station they have not yet visited. (After the cycle is complete, each student will have used the computer to assist him/her in the understanding of graphing linear equations, collaborated with each other in answering textbook questions on the topic, received help from the teacher directly in graphing linear equations at the white board, and had ample opportunities to have his/her questions about graphing linear equations answered).