LESSON PLAN TITLE: Real-life examples of math

DEVELOPMENTAL MATH COURSE: 081, 082, 083

CONCEPT/TOPIC TO TEACH: Identify and interpret charts and graphs of real-life math

STANDARDS ADDRESSED:

C-6: Visual representation of concepts

C-17: Problems related to the ordinary lives of students

P-6: Realistic problems encountered by adults

GENERAL GOAL(S):

a) Have students learn to recognize math in everyday life

b) Provide current data for interpretation

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:

a) Have students become fluent in interpreting charts and graphs, not just reading them

REQUIRED MATERIALS:

a) Newspaper

b) Magazine

STEP-BY-STEP PROCEDURES:

a) Show examples of charts and graphs from newspaper/magazine. Examples are included with the lesson plan

b) Interpret examples

c) Assign students to bring in one example per week

d) Discuss one or two student examples in class

PLAN FOR INDEPENDENT PRACTICE:

a) Have students write one paragraph describing their interpretation of their example

b) Frequency of writing once every 2-3 weeks

ASSESSMENT BASED ON OBJECTIVES:

a) Bringing in example counts as one homework grade

b) Paragraph description counts as one homework grade. Assess for proper grammar and a reasonable attempt at interpreting the data

EXAMPLE:

a) http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=NKE&t=1y

See the graph for 1-year performance.

b) Answer these two questions in a short paragraph:

1) What math is being used?

2) How is the math in this article useful?

c) Paragraph: “The line graph shows the closing price per share of Nike stock for the 1-year period from March 06 to March 07. In March 06 the price was approximately $85/share. The price dropped to about $77/share in August but has risen steadily since then to reach a price of about $108/share. Since the stock price has risen steadily for the past 7 months, the company is probably doing well and would be a good investment.”