Louisiana State University

Instructional Models

LSU Team​: Elizabeth Seidenglanz and Nathaniel Mentor Teacher​: Course: ​Algebra I
Tilley
Date to be Taught​: School: Classroom Number:
Time to be Taught: Grade Level​: 9th grade Lesson Topic​: Exponential Functions

Title of Lesson: ​Investigation of Exponential Functions

Source of Lesson: ​None

Description of Concepts to be Taught (include a brief summary of why the lesson is important to students)​:

The concepts to be taught in this lesson are exponential functions. The students will be exploring exponential functions and their properties. The students will
explore these properties in a desmos activity. The students will then be given a real-world example of an exponential function

NCTM/NSES Standards:

● A1. F-BF.A.1​- ​Build a function that models a relationship between two quantities. Write a linear, quadratic, or exponential function that describes a
relationship between two quantities.
○ a. Determine an explicit expression, a recursive process, or steps for calculation from a context.
● A1: A-SSE.A.1​- Interpret expressions that represent a quantity in terms of its context. ★
○ a. Interpret parts of an expression, such as terms, factors, and coefficients.
○ b. Interpret complicated expressions by viewing one or more of their parts as a single entity. For example, interpret P(1+r)n as the product of P
and a factor not depending on P.
● A1: A-SSE.A.2​- Use the structure of an expression to identify ways to rewrite it. For example, see x4 − y 4 as (x2 )2 − (y 2 )2 , thus recognizing it as a
difference of squares that can be factored as (x2 − y 2 )(x2 + y 2 ) , or see 2x2 + 8x as (2x)(x) + 2x(4) , thus recognizing it as a polynomial whose terms are
products of monomials and the polynomial can be factored as 2x(x + 4) .

Student Learning Objectives​:

● The students will be able to determine the properties of an exponential function.

● The students will be able to determine if an exponential function is an exponential growth or decay.
● The students will be able to determine the domain and range of the exponential functions and will be able to write and solve exponential
functions.
● The students will be able to create an exponential function from a real world scenario.

Safety Precautions:​ None

Advanced Preparations​:
● The teacher should remind the students to charge their laptops for class.
● The teacher should make sure there are enough graphing calculators for each group.
What the Teacher Will Do
The teacher will put the bell ringer for the day on
the board. The teachers will facilitate a group
discussion with the class. This discussion will
involve working a real world example with the
students and talking about what makes an
exponential function a function, and about the
qualities of an exponential function.
The teachers will ask all of the students to stand up
and move to one side of the room. We will ask two
students to move to the other side of the room and
stand next to each other. We will then give them
the scenario of each of those two students went to
the movies and loved the movie so much that they
each wanted to bring two friends the next week. So
we will ask 4 students to move to the other side of
the room and stand in front of the two students.
Then each of these 4 students want to bring two
friends and ect. This will form rows of 2, 4, 8, 16,
etc. We will then graph this function and explain
this example of an exponential function.
TRANSITION
The teacher will ask the students to return to their seats and take our their laptops.
ENGAGEMENT Approximate Time:​ 15 minutes
Eliciting Questions and Student Responses What the Students Will Do
Bell Ringer Question: The students will be completing their bell ringer.
Graph the quadratic function y = 2x2 + 6x + 4 and
label its vertex.
Q: “Is there a relationship between week 1 of going The students will be participating in the group
to the movies and week 2 of going to the movies?” discussion and exploring the properties of
SR: “Yes, the amount of people that went to the exponential functions.
movies in week 2 is twice the amount of people that
went to the movies in week 1.
Q: “Is this relationship the same for each week?”
SR: “Yes, the amount of people will continue to
double.”
Q: “Can we make a table of x and y values for
this?”
SR: “Yes. The x-values can be the week number
and the y-values can be the number of people from
our class at the movies.”
Q: “Is this a function?”
SR: “Yes. There is only one y-value for every
x-value.
Q: “Can we graph this function?”
SR: “Yes!”
EXPLORATION Approximate Time:​ 10
 What the Teacher Will Do
The teacher will be introducing the students to
exponential functions and their properties. The
teacher will tell the students to go to Desmos where
they will be able to investigate an exponential
function (website:
https://www.desmos.com/calculator/3fisjexbvp​)
The teacher will ask the students to record what
they observe and make a note of any questions
they may have. The teacher will walk around the
room to make sure the students are staying on
task. The teacher will also be assessing the
students' understanding of the material by asking
them questions guide their thinking.
The teacher will ask for a volunteer to come to the
board and explain to the class what they
discovered during this activity.
TRANSITION
The teacher will ask the students to get out their notebooks.
What the Teacher Will Do
The teacher will put the exponential word problems
on the board. The teacher will ask the students to
write down everything the question is telling them.
Eliciting Questions and Student Responses What the Students Will Do
Q: “What does the a in the exponential function The students will have their laptops out so that they
represent?” can get on Desmos. Once on Desmos the students
SR: “The y-intercept.” will adjust the function to see what the different
Q: “Can the y-intercept be either positive or aspects of an exponential function do to the graph.
negative?”
SR: “Yes! The y-intercept can either be positive or
negative, depending on the function.”
Q: “What does the b in the exponential function The students will record their observations of the
represent?” exponential function in Desmos.
SR: “The b represents the change factor of the
function.”
Q: “What does this mean?”
SR: “It means when b > 1 the function is an
exponential growth and when 0 < b < 1 the function
is an exponential decay.”
Q:” What does the x represent in the exponential
function?”
SR: “The x represents the independent variable.
The function is raised to x so x represents which
week we will all be going to the movie.”
Q: “Can we represent our movie example as a The students will be listening to the explanation of
function?” the activity. The students will also see if they found
SR: “Yes! It would be y=2^x” something different than their peers.
Q: “Can we determine what the domain and range
is for this function?”
SR: “Yes we can because the domain is the
x-values and the range is the y-values.
EXPLANATION Approximate Time:​ 15 minutes
Eliciting Questions and Student Responses What the Students Will Do
Worksheet Question: The students will be identifying the exponential
Each year the local country club sponsors a tennis aspects of this question. The students will also
tournament. Play startswith 128 participants. write the exponential function and identify each part
During each round, half of the players are of the function.

The teacher will ask the students to write a function
for the exponential activity and identify the
components of the exponential function.
TRANSITION
The teacher will ask the students for a volunteer to come to the board and explain their work.
What the Teacher Will Do
The teacher will ask the class if there are any
volunteers to come to the board and work and
explain the worksheet question to the class.
TRANSITION
The teacher will ask the students to get out a notecard and quite down to complete the exit ticket.
What the Teacher Will Do
The teacher will give the students an exit ticket that
the students will be required to turn in at the end of
class.
eliminated. How many players remain after 5
rounds?
Q: “Can we write an exponential function from our The students will be recalling the engagement
engagement activity?” activity and using what they have learned in this
x
SR: “Yes! The function would be y = 2 .” lesson so far to write the function.
ELABORATION Approximate Time:​ 5 minutes
Eliciting Questions and Student Responses What the Students Will Do
Q: “What does the question tell us?” The students will give their peer their attention and
SR: “This question is telling us that after each check their answers.
round the number of participants is cut in half.”
Q: “What does is the equation of this function?”
x
SR: “ y = 128 * (0.5) ”
Q: “Is this function an exponential growth or and
exponential decay?”
SR: “This function is an exponential decay because
0.5<1”
Q: “Is the movie function an exponential growth or
an exponential decay?”
SR: “This function is an exponential growth
because 2>1.”
EVALUATION Approximate Time:​ 5 minutes
Eliciting Questions and Student Responses What the Students Will Do
Exit Ticket Question: The students will be completing their exit ticket.
Determine what the a, b, x, and/or c is in this
function. Is this an exponential growth function or
an exponential decay function?
 Louisiana State University
Instructional Models
 
 

LSU Team​:   Mentor Teacher​:   Lesson Topic​:  

     
Date to be Taught​:   School/Room​:    
   
Time to be Taught​:   Grade Level​:    
   
     
DATE Requested for Pick-up​:   DATE to be returned​:  
   
TIME Requested for Pick-up​:   TIME to be returned​:  
   

Items Requested # Requested # Returned

 Collected by ______________________________________ Date_____________ 
 
Returned by ______________________________________ Date_____________