I’m sure it has been done before, but here’s my take on teaching an entire unit using Desmos.  Before I begin, I’d be remiss if I didn’t share these articles.  Being completely transparent, I had this Desmos unit idea before my friend Turtle shared these articles with me.  Human Contact is Now a Luxury Good and How Busy Hands Can Alter Our Brain Chemistry a quick synopsis of the articles, working with your hands promotes happy brains and an increase in brain activity.  Too much screen time creates changes in the brain such as thinning and decreases the thinking and has been linked to depression.  Please take some time to read both of these articles.

With that said, my Desmos unit does not include an absence of peer to peer dialogue or teacher student conversations.

  In the state of Georgia, 8th grade unit 5 covers linear functions.

Unit Suggested Timeline: 8 – 10 days

Suggested Sequence of Instruction:

1. 1. Revisit graphs of proportional relationships. 8.EE.5 (To be taught concurrently with #2 and 3)
   2. Connecting representations of proportional relationships. 8.EE.5 (To be taught concurrently with #1 and 3) (1 day)
   3. Comparing features of different proportional relationships. Connect unit rate to slope through a context 8.EE.5 (1 day)
   4. Use slope triangles to derive change in y over change in x. 8.EE.6 (1 day)
   5. Derive the equation for slope intercept form, y =mx + b. 8.EE.6 (To be taught with #4)
   6. Determine slope from a graph, table or linear equation. 8.EE.6 (3-4 days) (To be taught with #5)
   7. Interpreting slope in context. 8.EE.6 (To be taught with #4-6)
   8. Compare and contrast linear and nonlinear functions using tables, graphs and equations. (Emphasize y=mx + b as equation of a straight line) 8.F.3 (2 days)
   9. Create examples and non-examples of linear equations. 8.F.3 (To be taught with #8)

Suggested Activities:

1. Click Battle  8.EE.5
2. Sugar Sugar  8.EE.5
3. Polygraph: Lines, Part 2  8.EE.6
4. Investigating Rate of Change  8.EE.6
5. Points on a Line– (with paper overlaps to create the similar triangles)  8.EE.6
6. Which is Steepest?  8.EE.6
7. Land the Plane  8.EE.6
8. Match My Line– (Slides 1 -7) 8.EE.6
9. Graphing Calculator with Lesson 13 from Illustrative Mathematics Open Up Resources  8.EE.6
10. Investigating T-Shirt Offers  8.EE.6
11. Charge!  8.EE.6
12. Graphing Calculator with Introduction to Linear Function from Illustrative Mathematics  8.F.3
13. Card Sort: Linear or Nonlinear  8.F.3