Sharing ideas for teaching math in the middle school.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Roll That Graph
Just a small amount of preparation for this fun activity is needed. Students can do this activity either alone or in groups of two. I give each student a sheet of graph paper along with several equations. Each group of students will also need a set of dice. In this example, I use a red die for the slope and a green die for the y-intercept. After studying Slope-Intercept form, I would give equations such as the following: y = ?/3x + b , or y = -5/?x - 2/?
Students roll the dice to create the problem they are to solve. Each students fills in the values for their equation and graphs them. After graphing their equations, students can compare answers and coach one another if necessary.This is a fairly easy way to check for students understanding and they have fun at the same time!
For variation, you can use 3 die for quadratic equations. You can also graph inequalities by throwing in a die that has the inequality symbols on it.