Finding Slope

What does slope mean? As learner pairs discuss and then share with the class.

What are examples of places "we go up, or go down." (a ramp, a hill, prices, escalator etc)

Slope tells us how steep a  line is. Mathematically, slope = rise/run or change in y/change in x.

Go to What's the Slope of a Line? at Coolmath.com Follow the introduction of Pierre The Mountain Climbing Ant

Terminology

Positive slope (the line goes upward) graph the points (1,2) and (3,6)

Negative slope (the line falls as it moves from left to right) graph the points ((1,5) and (3,1)

Zero slope (the line is flat, horizontal) graph the points (2,4) and (6,4) the y values are the same, the line does not rise or fall

Undefined Slope (the line is vertical, straight up and down) graph the points (3,2) and (3,6)  in the slope calculation you cannot divide by 0 therefore the slope is undefined

Source: Slope Lesson Plan at ChatGPT (License: Protected by Copyright (c) [i.e. screenshot])

 

In pairs, learners do the following problems:

1. Find the slope between (2, 3) and (4, 7)
2. Find the slope between (-1,5) and (2, 5)
3. Graph and find the slope of a line that passes through (0, 0) and (3, 1)
4. What kind of slolpe does a vertical line have?
5. What kind of slope does a line have if it goes downhill from left to right?

Answers

1. 2
2. 0
3. 1/3
4. undefined
5. negative

As pairs learners answer the questions on the Document Understanding Slope Student Handout. Then call pairs to take turns comeing to the board, answer, and explain the problems

Learner pairs create real-world exampoles of slope (ie a wheelchair ramp, a slide, a road) Draw it, label two points, caluculate the slope and present it to the class. You can use school photos or Google photos for images and estimate the slope in the pictures.