Unit Objectives:

The big unit objectives are that students understand what a limit is and how to find the limit of
different types of functions and with different representations (graphically, algebraically). They need a
basic understanding so that they can later see some of the applications of limits such as instantaneous
rate of change or instantaneous velocity, or to determine if a function is continuous or not. The
following are the unit objectives:

Students should be able to:

explain what a limit is, as well as the difference between a one-sided and two-sided
limit. (Conceptual)
determine the limit of a function from looking at its graph.(procedural/conceptual)
explain the relationship between a one-sided and two-sided limit. (conceptual)
interpret and read the notations associated with limits. (procedural)
determine the limit of a function as x approaches infinity/ negative infinity by looking at
its graph. (procedural/conceptual)
determine the limit/ one-sided limit when it evaluates to infinity or negative infinity
from looking at its graph. (procedural/conceptual)
explain how to determine the limit of a function algebraically. (conceptual)
determine the limit of a function by using direct substitution. (procedural)
determine what the limit of a constant is. (procedural/conceptual)
explain why we need to factor the function after using direct substitution and getting
0/0. (conceptual)
determine the limit of a function algebraically by factoring. (procedural)

Common Core and Mathematical Practice Standards:

Calculus isnt a common core subject but one standard that can be used is
CCSS.Math.Content.HSF.IF.A.1 which has students understanding what a function is and how to find f(x).
We will do some problems from a graph that asks students what f(x) is so they see the difference
between that and limits. They will need CCSS.Math.Content.HSF.IF.A.2 as they will be using function
notation often with limit problems. Another standard they will be using is CCSS.Math.Content.HSF.IF.B.4
as they will need to know how to interpret graphs in order to determine the limit from a graph. Some
standards for mathematical practice that I use are CCSS.Math.Practice.MP1 make sense of problems and
persevere in solving them, CCSS.Math.Practice.MP2 reason abstractly and quantitatively, and
CCSS.Math.Practice.MP5 use appropriate tools strategically. When direct substitution is taught, students
will start to notice a pattern in the answers of the limit problems before direct substitution is formally
introduced. They have to argue that by substituting the value we are approaching in for x in the
function, we can determine the limit of that function (MP1). Students need to be able to reason
abstractly when they start to use direct substitution. They need to know what is going on when you take
the limit and know what it means graphically (MP2). Students need to be able to use the tools given to
them such as graphs and know how to interpret them so that they can determine the limit from the
graph (MP5).

The Limits Unit

The limits unit marks the beginning of the Calculus portion of this class and ends the pre-
calculus portion. We start with limits so that we may eventually go on to derivatives and integrals for the
remaining Calculus portion of the class. Students have been practicing with piecewise functions, which
they will be seeing more of graphically, as well as algebraically with limits. Also students learned how
they can determine the horizontal asymptote of a function by looking at the largest powered variable in
both the numerator and denominator. This becomes useful for students when they have to determine
the limit of rational functions as x approaches infinity or negative infinity. Students will be using a lot of
the factoring techniques that they learned in Algebra as well. This unit will help student when they go
into AP Calculus as they will already be familiar with limits and thus be ahead of their peers who just
went from pre-calculus into AP Calculus. They need to understand limits if they hope to understand
what a derivative is and to eventually understand what integrals are. For instance, the definition of a
derivative is the slope of the tangent line at any given point and can be found by taking the limit as h
approaches 0 of the difference quotient.

The unit of limits will last approximately about 5 and a half weeks, containing 3 exams. The first
week and a half will be spent on determining the limit of a function from its graph (2 periods),
evaluating limits by using direct substitution, and evaluating limits algebraically by factoring (2 periods).
There is a review day and test day in that time as well. The next two weeks will be spent on evaluating
limits of functions algebraically by rationalizing, evaluating limits of functions algebraically that contain
complex fractions, a practice day on evaluating limits algebraically (combining all they have learned thus
far), evaluating limits of piecewise-defined functions algebraically (2 periods), determining if a function
is continuous at a point, how to find values that will make a function continuous, and how to evaluate
limits of polynomial functions at infinity. The last 2 days are for a review and test day. The final 2 weeks
will be spent on evaluating limits of rational functions at infinity (2 periods), finding the instantaneous
rate of change by calculating the slopes of tangent lines at a point, finding the instantaneous rate of
change by calculating the slopes of tangent lines at any point, finding the average velocity (not related
to limits but needed in order to introduce instantaneous velocity which does use limits), instantaneous
velocity, the definition of a derivative using polynomial functions, and the definition of a derivative using
rational and radical functions. And as with the other weeks, there will then be a review and test day.
Getting through all the lessons, review, and test days will be roughly 27 periods or 27 school days.

Resource materials

I got my definitions as well as some problems from the textbook, Calculus A New Horizon by
Howard Anton. The packet students received I was told by my cooperating teacher that it was scanned
out of a Glencoe Calculus textbook, though he said he is uncertain. When constructing the test, I got
one graph from http://tutorial.math.lamar.edu/Problems/CalcI/OneSidedLimits.aspx and edited it a bit.
I got another from https://s3.amazonaws.com/cooljargon-openstax-algebra-and-geometry-1-
9/m51279/CNX_Precalc_Figure_03_07_012.jpg and edited that slightly as well. The third graph was
given to me by my cooperating teacher, along with the questions for that problem. I made up the rest of
the questions on the exam with some help from my cooperating teacher as to some of the types of
questions I should ask. For my lessons, most of the graphs were taken from the packet as mentioned
above. Others were some that I found and edited off of various sites that unfortunately I didnt save the
links for some of them when I made these lessons. However I did pull a good amount of the graphs from
a pdf entitled ActivitiesOnLimitsAndContinuity.pdf that I found online. I used the site Desmos
https://www.desmos.com/ for some lessons and print screened some graphs from that site as well.