Dave Brown

Unit Plan Overview

Teacher Name: Ms. Edison
Subject: Algebra
Topic of Unit: Functions
How does the unit connect to the lives of the students: Functions are important because
they can show trends of actual situations from money to scientific studies. Understanding
functions within graphing is useful so that students can picture and realize what the graph is
trying to show. This could come up when working with data, which everyone eventually does. A
lot of data involves functions, and if that is not enough then this introduction of functions will be
important because the higher level math classes work with functions very often.
Overall Goals:
Know the relationship between variables and determine whether a relation is a function.
Know the relationships in function notation
Know how trend lines on scatter plots can help you make predictions
Specific objectives:
3.1 Match simple graphs with situations, graph a relationship
3.2 Identify functions, and find the domain and range of relations and functions.
3.3 Identify independent and dependent variables, and write an equation in function
notation and evaluate a function for given input values.
3.4 Graph functions given a limited domain, and graph functions given a domain of all
real numbers.
3.5 Create and interpret scatter plots, and use trend lines to make predictions.
3.6 Recognize and extend an arithmetic sequence, and find a given term of arithmetic
sequence.
Evidence that students met the objectives:
3.1 Students should know what a continuous and a scatter plot is, and when they
should be used. They should be able to correctly apply these graphs.
o This will look like a collection of the students individual and group work.
o A general reaction and questioning that comes from notes and a short
lecture/review.
o Also from a test on 3.1-3.3.
3.2 Students should know what relations, domains, ranges and functions (in terms of a
relation) are. When given a relation, students should be able to determine the domains
and ranges. They should know when a relation is not a function. Also, students should
know how to express relations with a table, graph and mapping diagram.
o This will look similar to 3.1, but in the context of 3.2.

Dave Brown

3.3 Students should be able to write functions from relations. They will do this with
knowledge of the function rule and function notation. Students should also know the
difference between, and be able to identify, dependent and independent variables.
o This will look similar to 3.1, but in the context of 3.3.
3.4 Students should know how to graph functions (sometimes given the domain). They
should be able to determine and distinguish the relation between graphs and their
functions.
o This will look like a collection of the students individual and group work.
o A general reaction and questioning that comes from notes and a short
lecture/review.
o Also from a test on 3.4-3.6.
3.5 Students should be able to graph scatter plots from given data, and be able to
match scatter plots to situations. They should also be able to determine correlation, and
apply a trend line when appropriate.
o This will look similar to 3.4, but in the context of 3.5.
3.6 Students should understand what a sequence, arithmetic sequence and common
difference are, and how they relate. Given a sequence, they should be able to determine
if it is an arithmetic sequence, and find its common difference if it is. Also, students
should be able to find a given term of an arithmetic sequence.
o This will look similar to 3.4, but in the context of 3.6.

Five (or more) lessons:

3.1 Graphing Relations
3.2 Relations and Functions
3.3 Writing Functions
3.4 Graphing Functions
3.5 Scatter Plots and Trend Lines
3.6 Arithmetic Sequences