Activity Overview
The activity begins by having students compare functions to introduce the concept of end behavior. Then they graph cubics and quartics, noting the respective end behaviors for positive and negative leading coefficients. Finally, they compare quadratics to quartics and cubics to quintics to discover that the degree of the polynomial also plays a role in end behavior. They conclude the activity by summarizing their findings.
Before the Activity
Download the attached PDF and look over the information on the first page. Download and distribute the attached student TI-Nspire document (.tns file) and student worksheet for use during the activity.
During the Activity
Discuss the material from the activity pages and worksheet with students as needed.
After the Activity
Encourage students to summarize what they have learned from completing the activity.