CURVE SKETCHING Using Calculus PART 1 - Partner Activity

This is an engaging and collaborative partner activity for analyzing and sketching graphs of polynomial and rational functions using calculus. Students will use limits, first and second derivatives to provide information about function behavior and then sketch the graph of the function.

Activity Directions: Students are given five sections to work through. In each section partners are given two functions of the same type to identify their features (intercepts, asymptotes, intervals of increase and decrease, local maximum and minimum points, intervals of concave up and concave down, inflection points). After finding all the important parameters students are asked to draw a graph of the function.

▸The functions of a section differ only by coefficients so partners obtain similar results and graphs with the same shape.

Students are provided recording/response sheets with a number of steps of the general algorithm for investigation of functions, rooms to record their results and coordinates grids where each axis labeled using an appropriate scale as dictated by the problem so sketching to become easier.

This product can be also used as a group activity, for collaborative learning, for enrichment and extra practice, as independent practice and homework assignment.

Detailed typed answer keys are included. All the graphs are drawn as well.

BONUS: I have included 4 additional sections for extra practice or enrichment.

(These are without answer keys.)