WebQuest Teacher’s Page

Graphs of Polar Equations

Grade 11-12

Pre-Calculus

Introduction| Learners | Standards | Process |Resources | Evaluation |Credits | Students Page

Introduction:

The students were presented with this introduction:

Beautiful graphs can be created using polar equations set with different parameters (such as the one above). Simply by adjusting the variables of each equation, one can have a great amount of fun creating different graphs, though they all will be somewhat alike. The span of the graph, the amount of folds, and other elements of the equations can be altered.

Learners:

The learners are Pre-Calculus students. In order to complete this WebQuest, students should be at a Pre-Calculus level of mathematics. The students should also have a firm grasp on polar equations.

Standards:

Students will learn [overview]:

The students will learn how to research information using the Internet. The students will also learn about polar equations and their graphs. The students will learn how changes in the equation alter the graph.

Ohio Technology Standards Addressed:

Requires understanding of technology operations and concepts, and teaching, learning and the curriculum.

Content Standards Addressed:

• Number, Number Sense and Operations Standard
• Measurement Standard
• Geometry and Spatial Sense Standard
• Patterns, Functions and Algebra Standard
• Data Analysis and Probability Standard
• Mathematical Process Standard

Additional Learning Outcomes:

By doing this WebQuest students will learn about how to work in groups, how to develop their writing skills, and how to find reliable information on the Internet.

Process:

Guidelines for Group Placement:

The teacher will pick the groups and have them decided before class starts that day. The teacher needs to consider every students learning style to best facilitate their learning.

Teacher preparation:

The teacher needs to have the groups prepared. The teacher should also have a list of websites with decent information in case a student gets really stuck and is unable to find information online.

Resources Needed:

Computer lab, Internet accessibility, and Microsoft Word

Evaluation:

Students will be evaluated based on their ability to meet the requirements listed in the task section and the process section of the WebQuest. The following rubric will be used to judge how well they completed the assignment.

Evaluation Rubric:

Evaluation Standard	1 Point	3 Points	5 Points	Points
Quality of Writing and Grammar	Difficult to read and comprehend due to grammar and punctuation errors	Writing had some grammar and punctuation errors, though still easy to understand	Writing had minor grammatical and punctuation errors
Completion of Assignment	Assignment was not completed because parts were missing	Assignment was mostly completed though a few areas were lacking	Assignment was thoroughly completed with more than adequate details
Ability to Use Internet to Find Reliable Information	Had difficulties finding quality websites and needed lots of assistance.	Was able to locate websites though the quality of the websites were lacking	Was proficient accessing websites and able to find quality websites

Group interaction and participation rubric:

Evaluation Standard	1 Point	3 Points	5 Points	Point Total
Interaction with the Group	Did not interact very much with the group, seemed to set back and allow group members to do most of the work	Interacted with the group members, though most interaction had to be began by another group member	Student constantly was interacting with the group and encouraging interaction of the other group members.
Contribution to the Group	Student did not contribute to the group, but rather depended entirely on other members	Student contributed some to the group members	Student contributed greatly to the group and was consistently giving input
Quality of Mini Presentation	Mini-presentation was brief and did not show much research. Group members did not seem confident in their material	Mini-presentation was of adequate length, though was lacking in research. Group members had some confidence in what they were presenting	Mini-presentation was thorough and showed a great amount of research. All group members seemed to have thorough grasp on material
Total Points

Credits & References:

The students were presented with the following websites to assist them in their WebQuest.

http://mathworld.wolfram.com/ButterflyCurve.html

http://www.usm.edu/math/other_items_of_interest/2003_mathletter.htm

http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20030503/mathtrek.asp