Slope Lesson Plan









Lesson Goals

You (the student) will be able to:

1.  Describe which lines have a negative, positive, undefined, or zero slope.

2.  Recognize that a slope measures the steepness of a line.

By the conclusion of this lesson.
 
 

Part 1 - Possible values for the slope

Construct the following lines using Geometer's Sketchpad:
1.  A line that is vertical.

2.  A line that is Horizontal.

3.  A line that decreases from left to right.

4.  A line that increases from left to right.

 
Discussion Questions
1.  What were some values that you found for the slope of a line?

2.  Can you make generalizations about what the value of the slope is for a particular type of line?


Part 2 - Relationship between slope and steepness

Return to Geometer's Sketchpad

Draw the following lines:
1.  A line that is close to vertical

2.  A line that is close to horizontal

3.  Two more lines that are between the first two.


Calculate the slope for each line using the same method as in part 1.
(Hint) Can you find any relationship between the line and the value that is returned as your slope?

Discussion Questions
1.  What is the relationship between the line and its slope?
General Questions
Link to Slope Worksheet
Link to Lesson Plan