Learning Objectives • Students will be able to construct and use a graphical representation • Students will be able to interpret a graph in terms of the relationship between dependent and independent variables • Students will be able to draw and interpret best-fit lines or curves through data points, including evaluating when it can and cannot be considered as a linear function

Warm-up Exercise

• Ask students to draw a graph that displays the relationship between temperature and the number of snow days in Calgary.

• Question students about the graph by asking them to identify the independent and dependent variables, and possible trends in the data.

Activity - Introduce the topic of linear functions and have students research to define linear function.

• Guide students to create a table with 2 columns. Have them label the first column as “x” and the second column as “y”.

• Provide students with a set of data points for students to fill their tables with, then have them plot the data points on a graph.

• Ask students to draw a line of best fit through their data points.

Conclusion

• Lead a class discussion on the graphs and linear functions. Ask students to give examples of when drawing a best-fit line is appropriate and when it is not.

• Assign students to create a one sentence summary describing the relationship between dependent and independent variables they used to create their graph.

Assessment

• Assess students’ ability to correctly construct a graph and draw a line of best fit using a letter or number grade.

• Assess their understanding of the relationship between dependent and independent variables with a rubric.