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  # Cockroach Slope
  
  Cube Fellow: Casey Gregory
  
  Teacher Mentor:
  Pamela Callahan
  
  10th /Honors Geometry
  
  KY Standards:
  
  MA-HS-5.1.5 Students will determine the slope and intercepts of a
  linear function.
  MA-HS-4.1.2 Students will construct data displays for data with no
  more than two variables.
  Kentucky Academic Expectation 1.6: Students use computers and other
  types of technology to collect organize and communicate information and
  ideas.
  
  Objectives:
  • The student will exercise their ability to quickly compute the slope
  and y-intercept of a line.
  • The student will visually be able to determine the difference between
  a line with negative, positive, zero or undefined slope.
  • The student will understand that when the y-intercept is zero, the
  equation of a line is of the form y=mx where m is the slope.
  • The student will understand that when the slope is zero, the equation
  of the line is of the form y=b where b is the y-int.
  • The student will demonstrate their capability of using a Java applet
  via Internet Explorer.
  
  Resources/Materials needed:
  • One computer per student with internet access
  • Data Collection Sheet (attached)
  
  Game Summary:
  The purpose of this game is to watch a cockroach crawling along a
  line. The student should enter the slope (and/or y-intercept) as prompted,
  then click Fire!. If they have entered the required information correctly, the
  cockroach will be exterminated.
  
  This is an excellent activity to give students practice with finding slope as it
  breaks down the levels in logical steps. First the students compute only the
  y-intercept. During the second level students compute only the slope. Then
  each level gets successively harder: lines with positive slope, lines with
  positive fractional slopes, lines with negative slopes, lines with negative
  fractional slopes, all mixed together.
  
  Motivation
  Mrs. Callahan was having a hard time getting students interested in
  slope. They had used slope in their previous math classes, and had not
  mastered the concept. Many students were confused and discouraged about
  learning (re-learning) the concept.
  
  Mrs. Callahan asked me to come up with a fun, interactive way to get
  students interested in slope. I found this Java applet on the web and
  formulated an activity sheet to go along with it. I was interested, not only in
  making sure that the students played the game, but also in seeing how long it
  took them to compute each level. (That is why there is a space to record
  how many cockroaches were exterminated.)
  
  Prior Knowledge
  Students are expected to have a solid understanding of what slopes, y-intercepts,
  equations in slope intercept form are and how to compute them.
  The students we were working with had just finished a two-day lesson on the
  above information and were ready to practice. This is not a lesson to use
  before a student has been given the appropriate definitions and formulas as
  the game does not explain in depth how to determine slope or y-intercept.
  The game does give good hints, but they would be of little use for a student
  who did not have the background information.
  
  Outline of Lesson
  I. This activity is to be done individually. I believe that group-work
  would be quite disruptive, especially if the class is large.
  
  II. Before going to the computer lab (perhaps even the class before)
  the teacher should go through and explain the cockroach activity.
  It would be best if the teacher could actually demonstrate how the
  game is played. The instructions should be explained in advance
  so that students know exactly what is expected of them. The
  activity should take at least 50 minutes.
  
  III. On the day of the activity the students should be taken straight to
  the computer.
  
  IV. During the activity the teacher should circulate making sure that
  the students are on task and not having any trouble doing what the
  
  V. The wrap-up is the most important part of the activity:
  
  a. The teacher should go over the results with the student that day
  if possible. The teacher should review the data sheets if there is
  not time and then review the activity the following day.
  
  b. The teacher should ask such questions as:
  i. “What happens when the slope is zero?” (What does the
  
  equation look like/what does the graph look like)
  ii. “What happens when the y-intercept is zero?” (Does the
  line go through the origin?/What does the equation look
  like)
  
  iii. “What is the slope of a horizontal/vertical line?”
  iv. etc...
  
  c. The teacher should give students a chance to share something
  that they learned.
  
  *Mrs. Callahan actually spent the day after the activity in class going
  through the game where she projected it onto the screen in her classroom.
  The students struggled with it in the computer lab, and she went through
  several of the levels herself in front of the class discussing her thought
  process.*
  
  *Note: I highly suggest you try this activity before giving it to your
  students. It takes a short time to get used to, and will make the classroom
  activity go much more smoothly. If you have the capability to project the
  computer screen to the class, it would be very helpful to walk them through
  the first level and explain your thought process.*
  
  **Something to think about: Many of the students were discouraged at first
  with this activity because the cockroaches move fairly fast up and down the
  line. They were worried that if they did not compute the slope fast enough
  that they would lose a level. The game allows nearly 20 cockroaches to
  accumulate on the line before abandoning the level. Even then, the student
  will be able to play the level over. Just assure your students that they have
  plenty of time to compute each step. The hints are often very helpful, as
  they highlight the key coordinates on the axis.***
  
  Several bell-ringers could be created for follow up on this activity. One idea
  I would like to see is on an exam or quiz, a screen-shot of the game when
  there are 10-12 cockroaches on the line (so that the line can be seen in a still
  frame). The teacher could simply ask the equation of the line so that the
  activity is not forgotten about later, and the students can have a little sense of
  enjoyment while taking the exam/quiz. (Teachers could even come up with
  some other object to put on the line, such as pencils, etc.)
  
  Lesson Source
  
  I developed this activity and the data collection sheet based on the Java
  applet at:
  
  Mode of Instruction
  This activity should follow a unit on slope. This is a good
  supplemental activity before an exam. The mode of instruction is student
  self-discovery on an individual basis. Each student is responsible for their
  own work and learning. The teacher is only a facilitator and wrap-up leader.
  
  Date of Implementation/ Estimated Time
  
  Tuesday, December 2, 2008/ 50 minutes
  
  Date Submitted to Algebra3
  
  Tuesday, February 17, 2009
  
  attachment: Cockroach Data Collection