Essential Questions:

Teachers pose questions to their students in order to evaluate the student’s understanding of a
concept. Essential questions are questions that are open-ended, force intellectual engagement,
and are thought provoking for the students. These questions ask for a higher-order of thinking
and allow additional questions to be asked in order to support or provide justification for a
student’s answer. As teachers, we want our students to have a deeper understanding of the
material instead of just knowing how to plug and chug the information. Essential questions allow
students to discover topics on a deeper level that they would otherwise see when learning from a
lecture or notes.
1. What is a Linear Function
A. How does a linear function differ from a linear equation?
What are the characteristics of a linear function?
B. How are different linear functions represented?
C. What are the effects of the characteristics of linear functions?
2. Coefficients and y-intercepts and Graphing with a Calculator
A. Do the signs in a function effect the direction that the function is graphed in?
When are graphs similar, but flipped over the y-axis?
When are graphs similar, but flipped over the x-axis?
B. How does a negative sign effect the y-intercept?
What is the relationship between slope and y-intercept?
C. What types of linear functions have similar looking graphs?
Can two functions ever have the same y-intercept and slope?
3. Linear vs. Nonlinear
A. What is the difference between linear and nonlinear functions?
Difference when looking at an input output table?
Difference when just looking at the function?
Difference when looking at the graph?
4. Real-life situations
A. What are some real-life situations of linear functions?
B. How do you write a linear function from a scenario?
What are the parts to a linear function?
5. Solving
A. What does f(x) mean in a function?
Why is it necessary when solving an equation?
B. How do you find the x-intercept and y-intercept?
How do you graph a linear function with just intercepts?
6. Families of Linear Functions
A. What are function families?
What are function subfamilies?
What are parent functions?
B. How do parent functions relate to subfamily functions?
How do their graphs differ?
7. Restricted Domains
A. What is the difference between a restricted and unrestricted domain?
Does the range change when a domain is restricted?
 B. How is a restricted domain written?
C. How can a restricted domain affect a linear function?
Can a restricted domain affect the outputs?
D. How does the domains inequality affect the functions graph?
Does the bar underneath the inequality sign affect the functions graph?
8. Relating Families to Real World Situations
A. How do function families relate to real world situations?
How do function subfamilies relate to real world situations?