CCSS & Differentiated Classrooms

Laura Wilde

07/14/2014

EDU673: Instruct. Strat. for Differentiated Teach & Learn

Exponential and Logarithmic equations

In this unit I am going to be teaching both Exponential and Logarithmic equations. The different strategies that I have chosen to use will help the students be able to define both kinds of equations, describe their similarities, and describe the relationship between one another. The strategies that I plan on using in this unit are Semantic Question Map, Venn diagram, Semantic Map, Circle graph, and Bio Pyramid. Each strategy has been changed in order to fit with the topic. In this unit Exponential equations will be taught before Logarithmic equations, and connections will need to be made between the two.

Semantic Question Map:

To open the unit up with exponential equations I plan on using the semantic question map in order to give students and idea of what questions they need to be thinking about as we begin the unit. The questions for example will ask students “what should you do to the exponents if their bases are being multiplied and they are the same?” Students will be required to answer these questions each day at the end of the lesson as we answer each one. This strategy will also be used when we begin to study Logarithmic equations.

Circle Graph:

This strategy is going to be used at the end of the section on Exponential equations and end of Logarithmic equations. The Circle graph is simply a small circle within a larger circle. The smaller circle will either contain exponential equations, or logarithmic equations depending on which section we just finished. The larger circle will be left open and blank. Students will then fill in the larger circle with whatever they think is important information about the main topic in the smaller circle. The goal is for students to be able to independently write down anything they might have learned about that main topic that they feel is important. Students will be allowed to use any notes, or examples that we have done in class when filling these circles out. This will be my informal assessment on what the students know, and what they think is important for them to remember in order to understand exponential or logarithmic equations.

Venn Diagram

Once I we have gone through both learning exponents, and logarithms I will have the students fill out a Venn Diagram containing both Exponents and Logarithms. This activity will require the students to compare and contrast the two ideas of Exponents and logarithms. Students will have two large circles that intersect one another in the middle, and within the intersection they will write similarities, and outside of the intersection within respective circles students will write dissimilarities. This will help the students to realize how much exponents and logarithms have in common, while also allowing them to see the differences between the two.

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