Math

= ﻿Math =

Technology Integration:
Students will use the computer lab in groups of 3-4. The following WebQuest will be accessed to complete assignment:
 *  [|http://math.rice.edu/~lanius/Algebra/rentacar.html]
 * Microsoft Excel
 * Microsoft Word

**Curriculum Standard: **

 * Measurement: Write and solve real-world, multi-step problems involving money, elapsed time and temperature, and verify reasonableness of solutions.
 * Data Analysis: Create, interpret and use graphical displays and statistical measures to describe data.

Description of Lesson:
Students work in groups of 3-4 students. After reading the situation, students create a table and graph, analyze the graph, write functions and compose a summary paragraph. For additional practice, students complete an extension activity for homework.

Lesson Instructions 1. Following the WebQuest, create a table in excel to compare rental car costs per week based on miles driven. 2. Create a graph using excel comparing the four options using the same axes labels as the example given. 3. Analyze the Graph by answering the following questions: 4. Write the Total Week's Rental Car Cost as a function of the Number of Miles Driven for each of the options. 5. Based on the best economics, compose a paragraph explaining what conditions the Green Family should choose for each option. 6. Complete one of the Extension Assignments for homework
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Each graph contains six points. Is it appropriate to connect the points on the graphs to make lines? Explain why or why not.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Do all of the points of each graph lie on a straight line? What is a function called that has a graph which is a straight line?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Which of the lines is steepest? What is the slope of that line? Which of the functions grows at the fastest rate? Which of the functions grows at the slowest rate? What is its slope ?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you extend the lines through the y axis, would any of the lines go through the origin? Explain why or why not.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What is significant about the points where the graphs intersect?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Extension 1:// The Greens know that they will drive approximately 900 miles, but they don't know exactly how long they will be in Florida, only that it will be sometime between 3-8 days. Given these new circumstances, explain under what conditions they should choose each option.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Extension 2:// The Greens don't know exactly how long they will be in Florida, only that it will be sometime between 3-8 days. They also don't know exactly how far they will drive, only somewhere between 500-1000 miles. Given these new circumstances, explain under what conditions they should choose each option.

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Supporting Research:
Yoder, Maureen. (2005). //Inquiry based learning Using the Internet: Research, Resources, WebQuests//. [|Retrieved from http://www.uwex.edu/disted/conference/Resource_library/proceedings/03_57.pdf]

This article discusses how inquiry based learning motivates students and develops higher level thinking skills while improving student understanding and retention. "Since those beginning days, tens of thousands of teachers have embraced WebQuests as a way to make good use of the internet while engaging their students in the kinds of thinking that the 21st century requires."

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Tried & True or New & Innovative:
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The activities in this lesson are considered to be both “Tried and True” and “New and Innovative”. Microsoft Word has been used for years as a word processing tool and Excel is an excellent resource for creating spreadsheets to manipulate data, create varies charts and organize information. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Students have just recently been introduced to WebQuests as an alternative to traditional learning. Students work in a collaborative setting to find information through exploring internet website preselected by the instructor.

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