New Gcse: Existent Life Graphs

I conduct keep a feeling that I nevertheless haven't identified all the novel GCSE content. This makes me nervous. I glanced through a textbook final calendar week together with spotted a few topics that aren't on my quadratic graphs, but I didn't know that students volition likewise live on required to position the roots of cubic graphs (see instance enquiry below). The specification but says 'recognise, sketch together with translate graphs of ... uncomplicated cubic functions'. Previously students conduct keep exclusively been required to recognise the shape of cubics - roots didn't come upwards up until H5N1 level. Now I've spotted this content inwards the textbook, I'll demand to adjust my plans to ensure I conduct keep fourth dimension to comprehend this at some betoken inwards the adjacent eighteen months. The fourth dimension describe per unit of measurement area is increasing.

A enquiry from Edexcel GCSE (9 - 1) Mathematics: Higher Student Book 

Real Life Graphs
I've just taught linear graphs to my Year 10s. My system of piece of work tells me that I instantly conduct keep to learn 'real life graphs'. But what does that mean? In this post service I volition travail to clarify what comes nether this title.

The previous GCSE specification said that students had to 'construct linear, quadratic together with other functions from real-life problems together with plot their corresponding graphs'. Examples included conversion graphs, 'ready reckoners' (whatever they are...) together with distance fourth dimension graphs.

Here's the relevant extract from the novel specification:

The wording is unlike to the previous specification but it's broadly the same content, amongst maybe to a greater extent than emphasis on interpreting contextual graphs. AQA's fantabulous Teaching Guidance gives us a to a greater extent than detailed description:

There's a lot here! The commencement 4 points follow on from linear graphs - for instance students volition conduct keep to translate a y-intercept every bit a fixed charge. AQA gives this instance question:

There's some peachy novel resources for this form of graph inwards AQA's Bridging Unit: Resource Pocket 3. The back upwards provided past times AQA is fantastic.

Modelling

The most mutual examples of 'graphs showing real-life situations inwards geometry' are those that model H2O flow. In AQA's sample assessment materials (Question 23 inwards Higher Paper 3) students are shown a graph representing the depth of H2O inwards a container over time. They are asked to position the corresponding container from a alternative (shown below). They are thus asked to guess a charge per unit of measurement of change, requiring them to calculate the slope of a tangent to the curve.

It's worth spending a twosome of lessons developing the skills required for the commencement component division of this enquiry (ie identifying the right container). Thankfully there's plenty of skilful resources for this topic.

In previous years I've used a 'filling upwards a bath' card sort (I adapted this from a treasure hunt I flora on TES). I don't oft work carte du jour sorts but I recall this 1 working well. There's likewise a skilful existent life graph card sort from Nuffield.

I'm actually keen to work Desmos Water Line - this is an online lesson inwards which students graph the charge per unit of measurement at which containers fill upwards amongst water. They likewise create their ain containers to graph. Desmos lessons are absolutely vivid thus if you lot conduct keep access to tablets or computers thus practice laissez passer on it a try. For me it volition live on a rare but worthwhile watch to the information technology Room.

The classic Red Box is total of fantabulous graphing activities - it's a shame that the icon character isn't great.

Kinematics Graphs
Although I'm didactics existent life graphs adjacent week, I'm planning to leave kinematic graphs until I learn chemical compound measures. This volition thus Pb onto rates of alter together with expanse nether a graph, which I've already blogged about. It doesn't brand sense to practice kinematic graphs earlier didactics speed.

We conduct keep plenty of resources for distance fourth dimension graphs. AQA's Bridging Unit has some skilful questions (extract above). Interpreting Distance-Time Graphs from the Mathematics Assessment Project is excellent. I likewise similar this commentary action from Transum - The Hurdles Race.

I don't conduct keep much on speed fourth dimension graphs, apart from those listed inwards my post almost finding the expanse nether a graph together with those available from Toticity's Mind the Gap Maths Toolbox.

Exponential Graphs
The Higher Tier specification includes contextual exponential graphs. An instance enquiry from my Edexcel textbook is shown below. I innovation to comprehend this form of graph when I learn increment together with decay (eg chemical compound interest) adjacent year.

My Plan
Next calendar week I'm didactics 'real life graphs', but what just volition I teach? Having looked through the novel GCSE specification, the sample assessment materials, AQA's Teacher Guidance together with a twosome of novel GCSE textbooks, I instantly conduct keep a clearer persuasion of what I demand to cover. It's taken a lot of travail to create upwards one's hear that I demand to practice a lesson or 2 on contextual linear graphs together with a twosome of lessons on modelling. I'll come upwards dorsum to kinematic graphs, rates of alter together with areas nether graphs later I've done chemical compound measures. I just promise I'll conduct keep plenty fourth dimension to comprehend everything.

Proportional graphs also seem to come upwards up a lot inwards the novel GCSE. Often a context is given inwards the question. I'll teach these inwards Jan when I comprehend ratio together with proportion. here.