MCTM 2008 Spring Conference

Welcome to the notes and handouts page for my presentation, "Walk the Line" designed for advanced math classes.

---

There are several resources I used for this presentation including NASA data, PBS teacher resources and CPM math. Click on the links to download a PDF of the activity or handout. If you have any questions, comment below or click here to send me a note.

---

NASA Space Shuttle Ascent Activity

There are two people I consulted when preparing this part of the presentation. The education consultant, Ms. Jane Neuenschwander and the project manager for educational materials for shuttle flight STS-121, Monica Trevathan. If you need additional help or want related materials send them a note with your request.

Click here for STS-121 launch movie & voice over.

Here are additional algebra related links from Nasa.

Calculus and physics links are here.

Handouts for session Space Shuttle Ascent STS-121:
Click here for the full student handout developed by NASA.

Click here for the teacher's guide from NASA.

Click here for the data handout.

---

Smartview Calculator Info


To emulate a TI calculator using a projector with an interactive white board you need only the Smartview software. This software allows you to enter data or demonstrate calculator use real-time directly on the board or via a wireless notepad.

Smartview software cost is about $155 from Calculators, Inc. Click on link below or call 1.800.TI.CARES.

Smartview info @ Calculators Inc.

To emulate a TI calculator using a projector with a regular white board you need the Smartview software, a calculator with Smartpad App and a TI Presentation Link adapter cable to connect the computer to the calculator. This will allow you to enter data or demonstrate calculator use real-time directly from your calculator.

---

Road Trip Activity

This activity is related to the NASA Space Shuttle Ascent and involves velocity and acceleration data. Students ultimately find total distance travelled by finding left-hand and right-hand Riemann Sums. Click here for the handout.

---

Spaghetti Bridges

PBS online teacher's resources was the source for this activity. You can also find several other versions using a Google search. I modified it for use with my Pre-Calculus class, but you could also use it in an Algebra I/II class.

Click here for the handout.

Click here for the full PBS Teacher's Guide.

---

Slinky Links and Damped Oscillation

I found this activity in the CPM materials. Students examine the relationship between period and oscillation behavior of springs using a Slinky Jr. Students will derive a damped function that models the path of the slinky over time.

Click here for the handout.

---

Tangent Line Activity

Students develop an intuitive understanding of tangent line behavior by drawing tangents to a curve and calculating the slope.

Click here for the activity handout.

---

Newton's Method

This activity is a precursor to finding roots of a polynomial using Newton's Method. Students should understand what a derivative is prior to using this algorithm.

Click here for the handout.