Activity Overview
In this activity, students observe the derivative as an indicator of increasing/decreasing function behavior. They also see that the derivative is an indicator of local maxima/minima function behavior. Students learn to associate the graph of a function with its derivative.
Before the Activity
See the attached PDF file for detailed instructions for this activity
Print pages 67 - 72 from the attached PDF file for your class
During the Activity
Distribute the pages to the class.
Follow the Activity procedures:
Graph the function and its derivative
Examine the behavior of the function, and its derivative as the function increases and decreases
Locate the local maximum and minimum values from the graph of the function
Observe the graph of the derivative at the local maximum and minimum values
Examine other functions in the same way
After the Activity
Students' will collect data and analyze the results.
Review student results:
As a class, discuss questions that appeared to be more challenging
Re-teach concepts as necessary