Lesson Planning Sheet Title: Quadratic Sequences Learning Objectives: By the end of the lesson: All students should

d be able to derive the formula for a quadratic sequence in the form n2+c Most students should be able to derive the formula for a quadratic sequence in the form an2+c Some students should be able to derive the formula for a quadratic sequence in the form an2+bn+c Key words: Quadratic, Sequence, Second Difference, Linear Learning Activities Starter/Introduction Students recap deriving the nth term for a linear sequence of arithmetic sequences. The class could work in pairs for peer support on a single mini-whiteboard which is presented to the teacher for assessment and feedback. Development The class could be asked to consider how the first sequence on the second slide is different to the other sequences they experienced in the starter? The ideal response would be that the first difference between the terms is not constant. Therefore, they need to consider the second difference. This leads to the introduction of a second power of n, or n squared. Discuss with the class what would happen if the second difference was a constant 4 as opposed to a 2? How would this affect the formula? Students could then make predictions (most common ones are n4 or 2n2. The second sequence is found by calculating the difference between n2 and the sequence, which in this case is 3, so the nth term is n 2 + 3. Have students attempt a few questions on mini-whiteboards and feedback before they begin to work independently since this is often a concept that involves multiple lines of working. With the third slide the students should try to work through the formulae either in pairs or independently. Have students demonstrate the correct method to the class to ensure progress is being made. Plenary The plenary is intended to assess all three differentiated learning outcomes by having students match up sequences and their formulae at various levels of difficulty. Students could work on mini-whiteboards and present their findings to the teacher for assessment. Differentiation More able: Concentrating on sequences in the form then factorising when possible links to solving quadratics which could be used to check whether a particular number could be in the sequence. Having students link a sequence to a graph and formula further links the topic to other strands. Less Able Students may need to stick to sequences involving only a constant term in the form Drawing the sequences within a table where n is explicitly stated help students understand the position of each term in the sequence. Resources: mini-whiteboards