EDIT 6400

Project-Based Learning Conic Section Lesson Plan

Titus Martin
I. Statement of Problem
One of the greatest challenges facing educators is providing learning
experiences that allow students to be actively engaged in the material as they
work cooperatively with others to apply the concepts in real-life contexts.
Math teachers are not given an exemption as they enter a filed which has
predominantly been dominated with traditional teaching practices as the focus is
oftentimes driven by lecture and performing simple computations. When
students face difficult concepts the importance of creating authentic learning
experiences that allow students to take ownership is even greater. One of these
difficult concepts in mathematics is conic sections. Students find difficulty in
working with the euations and the complexity of the numerous new terms and
fail to apply these concepts in a real-life situation. This pro!ect is an attempt to
provide students with a memorable" engaging" and interactive learning
experience that will allow them to en!oy their learning while gaining great
understanding of the material.
II. Target !dience
#rookwood $igh School is located in Snellville" %&" an affluent suburb of
&tlanta" and is one of the most highly acclaimed high schools in the state of
%eorgia. #rookwood $igh School is a part of %winnett 'ounty (ublic Schools"
and is a perennial leader in test scores and academic awards. The student
population is well over )"*** and the ma!ority of these students come from high
to middle socio-economic backgrounds. (recalculus students are eleventh grade
honors level students who are preparing to take &( 'alculus their twelfth grade
year.
III. Instr!ctional"Learning #odel
(ro!ect-#ased +earning ,(#+- is the most effective way to attack this
problem by creating a learner centered environment to enable students to learn
about conic sections and apply them in a real-life situation.
I$. E%&lanation of Instr!ctional"Learning #odel
(ro!ect-#ased +earning is a learning model designed to immerse students
in the investigation of a topic through cooperative learning activities. The
students will research" discuss" and discover concepts with the focus of creating
a meaningful pro!ect. With the end goal of a pro!ect" students are engaged in the
material and are allowed to come to a greater understanding of it by working
cooperatively with others. The seven ma!or components of (ro!ect-#ased
+earning are. learner-centered environment" collaboration" curricular content"
authentic tasks" multiple expression modes" emphasis on time management" and
innovative assessment. These components are used by those designing the
pro!ects to create an effective pro!ect based learning lesson. Most pro!ects are
composed of three phases. planning" creating" and processing.
/uring the planning phase" students identify the topic" gather pertinent
resources and information" and decide on a possible resolution for the
instructional problem. 0n the second stage the students actually create their
pro!ect as they apply their research and work together to merge different ideas.
+astly students reflect on their pro!ect in the processing phase and plan for
activities that reinforce the ideas in the pro!ect. The final pro!ect that is created
should be the driving force of the pro!ect and should be useable and presentable.
$. 'elations(i& of Instr!ctional #odel to #) Problem
The instructional approach of (ro!ect-#ased +earning is an extremely
effective way for students to be engaged in a sub!ect" apply the material and
create a memorable learning experience. The strategies present in (ro!ect-
#ased +earning reuire students to think creatively" work cooperatively and to
construct their knowledge. This strategy directly addresses the core of the
instructional challenge of allowing learners to actively learn about conic sections
and their applications.
#y giving students a real-life situation to apply the mathematical content
in" it will allow them to gain meaning from their learning. Out of context the
mathematical concepts and applications seem meaningless" but through this
pro!ect" students will want to learn more about the concepts in order to create the
most presentable pro!ect. They will not be working to learn the material" but to
generate the pro!ect. The specifications in the pro!ect will provide a need for the
students to learn about the material and in order to complete the pro!ect" the
content must be mastered. &s the students apply the content in their pro!ect"
they will come to a greater understanding of it.
The pro!ect also stimulates interaction between others" technology" and
the mathematical content. Students are not simply confined to learning through
the traditional methods of lectures and note-taking" but are engaged in a pro!ect
in which they will choose their path" and will work with others to produce a
useable artifact. Through the specification of the pro!ect" students will also be
interacting with different technologies to present their product. Students will not
simply be relying on the technology to ease their workload" but the technology
will enhance their pro!ect as they are able to present their work in a variety of
ways. The teacher will simply act as a facilitator which will provide a more
learner centered environment where students will make key decisions and
interact with each other in a more meaningful way.
The increased motivation that (ro!ect-#ased +earning provides will also
help work towards addressing the instructional problem. The aspect of working in
a group to complete their pro!ect will help lead students to work more vigorously
because of their obligation to their group1learning team. This team concept will
create an environment in which teammates will work more enthusiastically and
harder in order to ensure that they do not let their teammates down by
completing less than exemplary work. This responsibility that students feel to
their teammates to support them" will create an optimal learning situation.
Students will soon forget that they are working on a mathematics and will be
engaged in an actual real-life situation where they are using resources ,in this
situation the mathematical concepts and skills- to complete a useable pro!ect.

$I. Statement of Lesson Plan *bjecti+es
Students will work in a learning team to create a logo design for a new
company. The logo will contain conic sections and will be composed of
mathematical functions. 0n order to be able to create a design with conic
sections the students must learn about the different conics. To do so" students
will participate in a !igsaw activity to learn about one of the conics and then teach
the other members of their team about that conic. &fter learning the appropriate
skills" the learning team will begin creating their logo. Students will follow the
given rubric as the teacher facilitates the team2s work. 3ach learning team will
present their pro!ect to the class explaining their company2s purpose" logo"
displaying their logo in its actual design state and in function form on a graphing
calculator.

4ollowing the completion of their conic sections design pro!ect students will be
able to.
#at(ematical *bjecti+es
0dentify the different types of conic sections ,circle" ellipse" hyperbola"
parabola-
0dentify key concepts of each conic section.
/emonstrate the ability to express the conic sections graphically and
algebraically.
/emonstrate the ability to apply conic sections in a meaningful way.
%enerate a design pro!ect that is applies the conic sections in a real-
life situation.
Collaborati+e *bjecti+es
/emonstrate the ability to work collaboratively and cooperatively with
others to produce a design pro!ect
/emonstrate the ability to present their pro!ect in an effective manner.
These learning ob!ectives follow the following %eorgia (erformance Standards
,%(S- and the 5ational 'ouncil of Teachers of Mathematics ,5'TM- Standards.
,PS Standards
M&6%7. Students will recogni8e" analy8e" and graph the euations of the
conic sections ,parabolas" circles" ellipses" and hyperbolas-.
M&)(). Students will communicate mathematically.
M&)(7. Students will make connections among mathematical ideas and
to other disciplines.
M&)(9. Students will represent mathematics in multiple ways.
-CT# Standards
'ommunicate their mathematical thinking coherently and clearly to peers"
teachers" and others
:ecogni8e and apply mathematics in contexts outside of mathematics
;se representations to model and interpret physical" social" and
mathematical phenomena
$II. Details of t(e Lesson Plan
Lesson Hook/Engagement
Tell students that they have been given the task of designing the new logo
for their own company. They can create the name of the company as well as its
purpose. The logo must be composed of conics and its initial design must be
able to be displayed with a graphing utility. The final product can be displayed in
a variety of ways" but initial sketches must be turned accompanied with matching
euations for the engineers to use at a later date. &ll students will work in a
learning team of ) students. These teams can be assigned or students could be
given the option to choose their own team.
5ote. The instructor will have the option to assign the groups in any way that would seem
appropriate. /epending on the class" students from different learning styles" multiple
intelligences" or learning levels could be placed in each group. The key for these groups is that
students will need to work together and depend on each other to complete exemplary work.
Phase One: Planning
There are three basic components of the planning stage for this pro!ect.
4irst students will participate in a brainstorming activity as they begin to plan their
ideas" and guide them through possible factors that will impact the effectiveness
of their logo. Students will use these ideas to complete the research aspect of
their pro!ect. Then students will participate in a !igsaw collaborative lesson to
learn about the mathematical content in the lesson" and then teach their other
team members their specific topic. This phase will be completed over 7 days of
class. The first day will be used to do the brainstorming activity" while the !igsaw
activity will take three days to complete. 0n this activity one day will be used each
for students to research the topic and collaborate with their content group" teach
their topics to their learning team" and then a final day to complete the
assessment.
. Brainstorming cti+it)"'esearc(
3ach learning team will participate in a brainstorming activity to give their
group some direction. The following uestions will be posed to each group to
consider when coming up with their company and its logo.
What is the purpose and scope of the company<
What audience is the company targeting<
What are the interests of the audience<
What makes an effective logo<
$ow can you use the conic sections to maximi8e the effectiveness of
the logo<
+earning teams will choose their topic and report back the following day
with their company name" purpose" and preliminary ideas about their logo.
Students will begin to research similar companies and look at different logos.
Students will have access to the internet to view different logos" and decide on
what they think are key components. They will also have the opportunity to
research basic marketing principles if they feel it is appropriate. The most
important aspect of their research is for the students to gain some knowledge of
their company2s field and make a logo that they feel is appropriate and will be
effective. This will also allow students to see what a great logo will look like.
Students will also have access to view past pro!ects in which they can observe
excellent work from previous years.
B. Conic .igsa/ cti+it)
3ach learning team will need to learn about ellipses" hyperbolas" and
parabolas. So each person in the learning team will be responsible for teaching
the others about the given conic section. There will be one person from each
team that will then participate in a large group for each of the conic sections.
They will work cooperatively to learn about the topic" share ideas about
presenting it" and then report back to the others in the learning team. 3very
student will be given a self-assessment in order to guide their research" learning
and the teaching of the topic. ,&ppendix &-
cti+it) P(ases0
. Conic ,ro!& 'esearc("Collaboration
B. Team Teac(ing
C. Self-ssessment
P(ase T/o0 Creating
Students will be given time in their groups to create their logo. Students
will be given a rubric to give them the expectations of the pro!ect. +earning
teams will do the ma!ority of the work on the pro!ect during class time over the
span of four days. $owever" some additional work will need to be completed
outside of class. The instructor will be available to answer uestions throughout
this process and will help facilitate the work of the learning teams. Teams will
produce a portfolio that will follow the specifications in the rubric.
P(ase T(ree0 Processing
On the final day of the pro!ect each learning team will present their logo"
and report to the class on their rationale during a 9 minute presentation of their
pro!ect. 3ach team will provide each other with two areas of improvements" and
two areas of strengths. 4or homework each team will be asked to write a one
page reflection on their experiences and the effectiveness of the pro!ect and
include any areas of improvement.
The content that is covered in this pro!ect is periodically reviewed and
assessed through cumulative test and ui88es. 0f efficiency in one area was not
adeuately demonstrated in these additional follow-up assessments" further
instructional activities will be implemented.
$III. E+al!ation"ssessment

The pro!ect will be a 6** point test grade and will be graded based on the
rubric provided. Students will complete a peer assessment at the midpoint of the
pro!ect to evaluate their team. The teacher will meet with each team to discuss
their progress. 0f a student is not working adeuately" the teacher will be able to
discover this before the end of the pro!ect and could guide the team into working
their issues out. Students will then complete the peer assessment at the end of
the pro!ect to evaluate their final progress and collaborative effort. The instructor
will compile the peer assessments scores from each group member and give the
team members a daily grade out of =* points.
Project '!bric
'ategory ;nsatisfactory Satisfactory 3xcellent /escription
0. 'ompany /escription >-= >*->= 6*-69 3xplanation of the company
name and purpose
00. +ogo /esign >-= >*->= 6*-69 The design looks professional
and serves to market the
purpose.
000. /esign Write-up >-= >*->= 6*-69 &n explanation of the design"
supported by any research"
market findings" and rationale
of the design.
0?. 'alculator (icture >-= >*->= 6*-69 The logo can be represented
with a graphing calculator.
?. 3uations >-= >*->= 6*-69 &ll euations are presented in
standard form and are
accurately represented in the
pro!ect
?0. %raphs >-= >*->= 6*-69 The graphs of the euations
reflect an accurate
representation of the
euations.
?00. 'onic Sections >-= >*->= 6*-69 3ach 'onic Section is used
twice in the logo.
?000. (resentation of (ro!ect
>-= >*->= 6*-69 The logo is designed and
explained in a oral
presentation
Peer ssessment
1 2 Strongly /isagree 3 2 /isagree 4 2 &gree 4 2 Strongly &gree 5 2 'ouldn2t agree more@
&ll members contributed eually to the pro!ect. > 6 ) 7 9
Our group worked well together. > 6 ) 7 9
/isagreements were settled uickly and politely. > 6 ) 7 9
Our group met deadlines and did not procrastinate. > 6 ) 7 9
0 felt encouraged by my group members to work on the pro!ect. > 6 ) 7 9
0 would like to work with this group again. > 6 ) 7 9
I6. Defense of Instr!ctional"Learning #odel0
(ro!ect-#ased +earning was the chosen learning model because 0 felt that
it most appropriately addressed the problem of students being disengaged and
failing to apply the concept in a real-life environment. #y using the (ro!ect-#ased
+earning model students are allowed to work collaboratively to learn the
concepts and apply them. The pro!ect gives them a purpose behind the content
and should lead them to a greater understanding of the material. Students will
be constantly engaged in the material" because of the pressure from teammates"
and pro!ect deadlines. This motivation that (ro!ect-#ased +earning provides is
one of the greatest assets of this learning model.
There are also a variety of different strategies and learning models that
could be used to attack this educational problem. & problem based learning
approach would be the first alternate option that could be used in this situation. 0t
would allow students to be engaged in a problem !ust and could have also
allowed students to work together and given students a context to apply the
mathematical concepts in. 0t shares many of the same attributes as (ro!ect-
#ased +earning such as group collaboration" authentic assessments" and both
models emphasi8e a student-centered and teacher facilitated approach. Other
learning strategies could have also been used to support either of these two
models. This problem could have been approached from a cooperative learning
model" learning community strategy" or the Six '2s of motivation. 4or all of these
strategies would help resolve at least one aspect of the problem. &ll three would
give students more motivation" and would provide a better alternative to
traditional teaching methods.
3ven though these other approaches could work toward solving the
educational problem" 0 still feel that (ro!ect-#ased +earning is the best learning
model for this problem. The (roblem #ased +earning model depends on
creating a meaningful problem that can be solved through applying the content.
'reating a realistic problem that students would find intriguing and engaging
would be difficult and if one of the group members were not buying into the
problem it would cause a struggle in the group. The other supporting learning
approaches of cooperative learning" Six '2s of Motivation" and learning
communities would be effective" but they all lack one key aspect. These
approaches all need a means of allowing students to apply the concepts to a
real-life context. (ro!ect-#ased +earning combines the important aspects of all of
these other models" and gives the learner the most optimal way of learning.
;ltimately" every problem that is present will be addressed through (ro!ect-
#ased +earning. Students will be learning actively" applying the content in real-
life situations" engaged in their work" and completing a meaningful pro!ect that
will lead to a deeper mastery of the content. Therefore" in this situation (ro!ect-
#ased +earning serves to solve this educational problem in the most effective
way.
&&endi% 7E%&ert 8
E%&ert ,ro!& . (arabolas
0. *bjecti+es. Aou are responsible for teaching your team about
parabolas. 4ollowing your lesson" each person in the groups should
be able to complete this self-assessment that includes definitions"
example problems" and sketches.
>. /efine the following terms.
parabola
directrix
focus
vertex
6. /raw a sketch of a parabola below. +abel the directrix" focus" and vertex
->* -B -C -7 -6 6 7 C B >*
->*
-B
-C
-7
-6
6
7
C
B
>*
). What is the Standard 3uation of a (arabola< /escribe the variables that are
used in the euation. What happens when p is positive versus when p is
negative<
7. 3xamples.
a- 4ind the standard 3uation of a parabola with vertex ,->"9- and focus ,-
>")-
b- 4ind the focus of the parabola
2
1 1
2
3 3
y x x =
c- 4ind standard euation of a parabola with vertex at ,*"*- and focus ,-)"*-
9. %ive three uestions" with solutions" that would be appropriate on a ui8 or
test.
&&endi% 7E%&ert B8
E%&ert ,ro!& B. 3llipses
0. *bjecti+es. Aou are responsible for teaching your team about
ellipses. 4ollowing your lesson" each person in the groups should be
able to complete this self-assessment that includes definitions"
example problems" and sketches.
>. /efine the following terms.
ellipse
focus
center
ma!or axis
minor axis
vertex
eccentricity
6. /raw a sketch of an ellipse. +abel the foci" and vertices" center" ma!or and
minor axis.
->* -B -C -7 -6 6 7 C B >*
->*
-B
-C
-7
-6
6
7
C
B
>*
->* -B -C -7 -6 6 7 C B >*
->*
-B
-C
-7
-6
6
7
C
B
>*
). What is the Standard 3uation of an 3llipse< /escribe the variables that are
used in the euation and how to find them.
7. 3xamples.
a- 4ind the standard 3uation of an ellipse with foci at ,-6")- and ,-6"->- and
ma!or axis of length B.
b- Sketch the ellipse with euation
2 2
9 3 45 x y + =
c- 4ind standard form of the ellipse with euation
2 2
9 5 36 30 36 0 x y x y + + + = .
Then find the center" foci" and eccentricity of the ellipse.
9. %ive three uestions that would be appropriate on a ui8 or test.
&&endi% 7E%&ert C8
E%&ert ,ro!& C. $yperbolas
0. *bjecti+es. Aou are responsible for teaching your team about
hyperbolas. 4ollowing your lesson" each person in the groups should
be able to complete this self-assessment that includes definitions"
example problems" and sketches.
&nswer the following uestions as you conduct your research.
>. /efine the following terms.
hyperbola
focus
branches
center
asymptote
con!ugate axis
6. /raw a sketch of a hyperbola. +abel the foci" and vertices" center" transverse
axis" and branches.
->* -B -C -7 -6 6 7 C B >*
->*
-B
-C
-7
-6
6
7
C
B
>*
->* -B -C -7 -6 6 7 C B >*
->*
-B
-C
-7
-6
6
7
C
B
>*
). What is the Standard 3uation of a $yperbola< /escribe the variables that
are used in the euation and how to find them.
7. 3xamples.
a- 4ind the standard 3uation of a hyperbola with foci at ,7"*- and ,7">*- and
vertices at ,7">- and ,7"=-
b- Sketch the hyperbola with euation
2 2
( 1) ( 2)
1
4 1
x y +
=
and find its asymptotes
c- 4ind standard form of the hyperbola with vertices ,*"6- and ,C"6- and
asymptotes
2 2
, 4
3 3
y x y x = =
9. %ive three uestions that would be appropriate on a ui8 or test.