Parabolic Functions with Angry Birds

Jenifer MontgomeryMath Department ChairWaynesville High School

Student Bait: Integrating Technology

Inquiry Lesson for Pre-Calculus, Geometry, or Physics

Step 1: Download Angry Birds onto iPad (students used iTouch and phones).

Class Days for ModuleDay 0/1 Pre-test of conceptual knowledge; Download and play Angry Birds app; PheT

simulation

Day 2 Guided inquiry lesson using Geogebra Question: Changes to a quadratic equation have what effect on the graph of the parabola?

Day 3 Discussion of relationship between Angry Birds and Geogebra lessons. Guided inquiry lesson using point-plotting and graph paper.

This is the day that will differ significantly if you have an Algebra II class, a Pre-Calculus class, or a Calculus class.

Class Days continued

Day 4 Students in groups: Outdoor inquiry lesson outside to determine how a change in initial angle effects the distance the projectile travels.

Day 5 Discussion of findings from outdoor inquiry lesson. Students use pHet simulation of cannon launch to replicate.

Day 5/6 Students write an equation to model their group’s best-distance bird launch. They then graph this equation on graph paper, graphing calculator, iPad application, GeoGebra.

Sample Graph of Bird Flight

Lesson Goals

• Learn that quadratic equations (functions) can model real-world situations

• Discover what effect numeric parts of the equation have on the graph

• Lay the groundwork for a later lesson on relationship between velocity and position equations

Assessment

FormativePretestGuided inquiry worksheet to discover what

changes in the equation do to the graphHomework Assignments that summarize the day’s

findingsExperimental data collection and written

conclusion of outdoor lab findingsWriting an equation and graphing it (multiple

representations) for their object flight

Roll-off Modules

• Geometry class can build the launch targets (concentric circles, area)

• Real World Math class can develop a business/budget plan for the carnival

• Real World Math class can calculate probabilities for the bird landing on target

• Pre-Calc class can later use the same model to learn about velocity and position

Info You Can USE• Helpful websites

http://phet.colorado.edu/ http://www.geogebra.org/cms/ http://www.geogebratube.org/

• http://www.geogebratube.org/student/m11962

• http://www.geogebratube.org/student/m2387

• http://www.geogebra.org/en/wiki/index.php/Quadratic_Equations

• http://phet.colorado.edu/sims/projectile-motion/projectile-motion_en.html