Human Transformations
'Your body is an axis and your arms are the graph. It's time to "Feel the Function" and let your body illustrate the equation'
This is a teacher lead activity. The first four slides are designed to be used with the whole class. Use your body to make the shape of the function on the powerpoint. Click on the board to see the correct body position! Once the first four slides are completed the pace increases. Each slide shows a function to be represented physically - this is good exercise for the triceps and lateral muscles!
Image from: www.threadbombing.com
Resources
Description
My preferred method for this activity is not to use the powerpoint, but to do it altogether, feeding in and constuctively commenting and hypothesising on whether our body shapes match the graphs shape. Once we've gone through the transformations as a whole class, it's then helpful to use the powerpoint to recap the exact nature of each transformation.
On mini-whiteboards, or working in pairs, show the class a physical transformation using your body and then everyone with a mini-whiteboard has to write down a mathematical function that fits the curve!
For students:
After the maths lesson, and for the rest of the week, try to match a function to the bend of a tree branch, a bus shelter, archways etc. Mathematics is the musical score with which the symphony of nature can be written, and hopefully this lesson is an insight into it's notation!