Course Description This is a first semester calculus course, covering limits, derivatives, and an introduction to integrals, but not including exponential functions. It is the first required course for Math majors, and is required by many other majors, mostly in the sciences. Class size is typically about 30 students, and classes are 55 minutes long. The setting is a typical classroom, equipped with desks, blackboards and an overhead projector. This lesson is designed to be used early in the lessons about derivatives: following the limit definitions, but preceding the typical calculus lesson on rates of change in context. This lesson would also be appropriate for use just before introducing derivatives.

Executive Summary Our goal is for students to better understand rate of change in context, including the skills of moving flexibly between algebraic and graphical representations and analyzing behaviors given information about the rate of change. In this lesson, students practice these skills in concrete examples using average rate of change, as a preparation for doing similar work with derivatives. These activities are at an appropriate level, with some review, and some critical thinking work, and they prompt valuable discussion among students about rates of change.

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Rate of Change Lesson  The Lesson Below are links to the lesson plan and the materials used to teach it. Above is a clip showing part of the lesson as first taught by a member of the Calculus: Rate of Change lesson study group Lesson Summary This file contains the lesson portion of the complete report Lesson Description and Materials The lesson as taught by the lesson study team Assignments Optional assignments to accompany the lesson Revised Lesson The lesson as revised in response to our observations Sample student work This file contains scanned portions of student work from the lesson

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