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K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

The Devil and Daniel Webster

http://illuminations.nctm.org/LessonDetail.aspx?ID=L288

A lesson plan for Grades 9–12 Algebra 1 and English III

Provider: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

About this resource

Appropriate grades
9–12
Subjects
English language arts (literature), mathematics (algebra)
Provider
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

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This interdisciplinary lesson allows students to examine a recursive sequence in a game between the Devil and Daniel Webster. Illuminations provides an activity sheet, solutions for the activity, a link to a helpful spreadsheet, and detailed instructions for completing the lesson.

Students will:

  • Use recursive or iterative forms to represent relationships.
  • Approximate and interpret rates of change from numerical data.
  • Draw reasonable conclusions about a situation being modeled.

NCTM Standards and Expectations:

  • Generalize patterns using explicitly defined and recursively defined functions.
  • Analyze functions of one variable by investigating rates of change, intercepts, zeros, asymptotes, and local and global behavior.
  • Understand relations and functions and select, convert flexibly among, and use various representations for them.

North Carolina Curriculum Alignment

English Language Arts (2004)

Grade 11 — English III

  • Goal 5: The learner will interpret and evaluate representative texts to deepen understanding of literature of the United States.
    • Objective 5.02: Analyze the relationships among United States authors and their works by:
      - making and supporting valid responses about the text through references to other works and authors.
      -comparing texts to show similarities or differences in themes, characters, or ideas.

Mathematics (2004)

Grades 9–12 — Algebra 1

  • Goal 1: Number and Operations - The learner will perform operations with numbers and expressions to solve problems.
    • Objective 1.02: Use formulas and algebraic expressions, including iterative and recursive forms, to model and solve problems.
    • Objective 1.03: Model and solve problems using direct variation
  • Goal 4: Algebra - The learner will use relations and functions to solve problems.
    • Objective 4.01: Use linear functions or inequalities to model and solve problems; justify results.
      • Solve using tables, graphs, and algebraic properties.
      • Interpret constants and coefficients in the context of the problem.