Date: November 6, 2003

Class Period: 5^th hour, Math 8

Unit title: Connecting Points

Objective:

Students will be able to find the slope, y-intercept, and other points on the line given two points on that line.

Materials and Resources:

“Moving Straight Ahead”

Graph paper

Paper

Pencil

Prerequisite skills:

Finding slope from an equation, graphing points on a coordinate grid, finding the y-intercept given a line, finding points on a line.

Lead in: 

Having discovered how to find slope m= rise/run, the students will find the slope of a set of stairs.

Instructional Strategies:

Using the overhead projector draw two points on a graph.  Ask students how many lines can be drawn through those two points?  The answer is only one line, but many line segments.  Tell students to look at the three graphs in their book.  Is the first one pos. neg or no slope? How about the second? And third?  Look at problem a. using i. Graph the two points on the overhead.  Draw a line through these two points.  Help students to find the slope of the line using the rise over run that the students learned the day before.  M = vertical change / horizontal change.  After asking students to go through this step by step have students help find at least three other points on the line that you graphed.  Last find the y-intercept of the line that you have drawn through the two points.  Ask students to work through the next problems.  Go around the room and help guide students in their exploring in the slope.

Closing:

Now you know how to find the slope in the equation y = mx + b, you know how to find an equation by using a table, and you know how to find a slope using a graph.