8th Grade  Project 3 weeks

History Math-tales: Calculating the Past!

Nicole A
8.F.A.1
8.F.A.2
8.F.A.3
8.F.B.4
8.F.B.5
+ 20 more
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Purpose

This interdisciplinary project cultivates an understanding of the interplay between historical events, personal narratives, and mathematical concepts surrounding functions. Students will analyze the Bill of Rights to understand societal freedoms, drawing parallels between the past and present while honing their argumentative writing skills inspired by Anne Frank's diary. Through hands-on activities and collaborative experiences, students will explore the transformation of societal structures using mathematical functions and graphing, fostering critical thinking, effective communication, and reflection on their role within their community.

Learning goals

Students will develop critical thinking skills by analyzing the amendments in the Bill of Rights and their impact on personal freedoms through employing argumentative writing inspired by Anne Frank's diary. They will cultivate content expertise by exploring mathematical functions to understand societal change, connecting these concepts with historical events like the Declaration of Independence. Effective communication skills will be honed as students present their insights in a collaborative environment, using multimedia projects to illustrate their comprehension of historical amendments and mathematical functions.
Standards
  • [California] 8.F.A.1 - Understand that a function is a rule that assigns to each input exactly one output. The graph of a function is the set of ordered pairs consisting of an input and the corresponding output.
  • [California] 8.F.A.2 - Compare properties of two functions each represented in a different way (algebraically, graphically, numerically in tables, or by verbal descriptions). For example, given a linear function represented by a table of values and a linear function represented by an algebraic expression, determine which function has the greater rate of change.
  • [California] 8.F.A.3 - Interpret the equation y = mx + b as defining a linear function, whose graph is a straight line; give examples of functions that are not linear. For example, the function A=s2 giving the area of a square as a function of its side length is not linear because its graph contains the points (1,1), (2,4) and (3,9), which are not on a straight line.
  • [California] 8.F.B.4 - Construct a function to model a linear relationship between two quantities. Determine the rate of change and initial value of the function from a description of a relationship or from two (x, y) values, including reading these from a table or from a graph. Interpret the rate of change and initial value of a linear function in terms of the situation it models, and in terms of its graph or a table of values.
  • [California] 8.F.B.5 - Describe qualitatively the functional relationship between two quantities by analyzing a graph (e.g., where the function is increasing or decreasing, linear or nonlinear). Sketch a graph that exhibits the qualitative features of a function that has been described verbally.
  • [California] 8.F.A.1 - Understand that a function is a rule that assigns to each input exactly one output. The graph of a function is the set of ordered pairs consisting of an input and the corresponding output.
  • [California] 8.F.A.2 - Compare properties of two functions each represented in a different way (algebraically, graphically, numerically in tables, or by verbal descriptions). For example, given a linear function represented by a table of values and a linear function represented by an algebraic expression, determine which function has the greater rate of change.
  • [California] 8.F.A.3 - Interpret the equation y = mx + b as defining a linear function, whose graph is a straight line; give examples of functions that are not linear. For example, the function A=s2 giving the area of a square as a function of its side length is not linear because its graph contains the points (1,1), (2,4) and (3,9), which are not on a straight line.
  • [California] 8.F.B.4 - Construct a function to model a linear relationship between two quantities. Determine the rate of change and initial value of the function from a description of a relationship or from two (x, y) values, including reading these from a table or from a graph. Interpret the rate of change and initial value of a linear function in terms of the situation it models, and in terms of its graph or a table of values.
  • [California] 8.F.B.5 - Describe qualitatively the functional relationship between two quantities by analyzing a graph (e.g., where the function is increasing or decreasing, linear or nonlinear). Sketch a graph that exhibits the qualitative features of a function that has been described verbally.
  • [California] SL.8.2 - Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and evaluate the motives (e.g., social, commercial, political) behind its presentation.
  • [California] 8.F.A.1 - Understand that a function is a rule that assigns to each input exactly one output. The graph of a function is the set of ordered pairs consisting of an input and the corresponding output.
  • [California] 8.F.A.2 - Compare properties of two functions each represented in a different way (algebraically, graphically, numerically in tables, or by verbal descriptions). For example, given a linear function represented by a table of values and a linear function represented by an algebraic expression, determine which function has the greater rate of change.
  • [California] 8.F.A.3 - Interpret the equation y = mx + b as defining a linear function, whose graph is a straight line; give examples of functions that are not linear. For example, the function A=s2 giving the area of a square as a function of its side length is not linear because its graph contains the points (1,1), (2,4) and (3,9), which are not on a straight line.
  • [California] 8.F.B.4 - Construct a function to model a linear relationship between two quantities. Determine the rate of change and initial value of the function from a description of a relationship or from two (x, y) values, including reading these from a table or from a graph. Interpret the rate of change and initial value of a linear function in terms of the situation it models, and in terms of its graph or a table of values.
  • [California] 8.F.B.5 - Describe qualitatively the functional relationship between two quantities by analyzing a graph (e.g., where the function is increasing or decreasing, linear or nonlinear). Sketch a graph that exhibits the qualitative features of a function that has been described verbally.
  • [California] SL.8.2 - Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and evaluate the motives (e.g., social, commercial, political) behind its presentation.
  • [California] 8.2.2 - Analyze the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution and the success of each in implementing the ideals of the Declaration of Independence.
  • [California] 8.2.3 - Evaluate the major debates that occurred during the development of the Constitution and their ultimate resolutions in such areas as shared power among institutions, divided state-federal power, slavery, the rights of individuals and states (later addressed by the addition of the Bill of Rights), and the status of American Indian nations under the commerce clause.
Competencies
  • Critical Thinking & Problem Solving - Students consider a variety of innovative approaches to address and understand complex questions that are authentic and important to their communities.
  • Content Expertise - Students develop key competencies, skills, and dispositions with ample opportunities to apply knowledge and engage in work that matters to them.
  • Effective Communication - Students practice listening to understand, communicating with empathy, and share their learning through exhibiting, presenting and reflecting on their work.
  • Collaboration - Students co-design projects with peers, exercise shared-decision making, strengthen relational agency, resolve conflict, and assume leadership roles.
  • Self Directed Learning - Students use teacher and peer feedback and self-reflection to monitor and direct their own learning while building self knowledge both in and out of the classroom.
  • Academic Mindset - Students establish a sense of place, identity, and belonging to increase self-efficacy while engaging in critical reflection and action.

Products

Throughout the project, students will collaborate to create multimedia presentations that incorporate argumentative essays, video narratives, and graph-based digital artworks. By the end, they will have completed a comprehensive digital exhibit demonstrating their understanding of historical amendments and mathematical functions. This exhibit will feature interactive visualizations and provide a cohesive narrative linking their insights into societal freedoms and mathematical concepts.

Launch

Start the project with a "Revolutionary Paths" digital scavenger hunt, where students navigate through interactive historical maps and timelines. They'll uncover crucial amendments from the Bill of Rights and link them to key events using math-based clues that involve linear functions. This adventure will ignite curiosity and lay the groundwork for deeper exploration into how historical narratives shape our understanding of freedoms and mathematical relationships.

Exhibition

Students will present their projects at 'Historical Harmonies: A Multimedia Showcase.' They will share live or recorded presentations featuring a dynamic blend of video narratives, dramatic readings, and math-based visual art. The showcase will facilitate an engaging cross-disciplinary experience for the audience, highlighting connections between mathematical concepts, historical amendments, and societal freedoms.