(contributor: Anna Cox)

How can I hook my students’ interest when I come to the topic of linear graphing?

I never want to underestimate the depth of students’ understanding, nor their ability to forge links, but I also firmly believe that we have moved away from the rigorous treatment of:

• functions of a mapping from x to y
• use of inequalities
• identification of range and domain

To address the richness of algebra and the depth of meaning that is held in formal notation, our brief unit about ‘linear graphs’ addresses all of the above.  Below is a copy from a page in student-K’s exercise book showing the richness of the tasks within this topic.  Notice how she is moving freely from algebra as an object to and from algebra as a process, from x as a variable, to finding a unique solution for x…in a given situation.

• Anna explains why she developed this resource

• Linear Graphing student-K work sample:

4.014 Linear Graphing student-K work sample

• From the Algebra Programme Overview, Level 5 Linear Graphs:

Level 5 Linear Graphs from Anna Nov 2010