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CONNECTING KNOWLEDGE
with UNDERSTANDING 
{ONE LESSON AT A TIME}

MATH JUST GOT REAL: QUADRATIC EQUATIONS PROJECT

3/24/2018

22 Comments

 
Students take a selfie with a parabola! Project based learning at it's best with quadratic functions.Pin it
​If you were to visit my classroom, you would see a lot of different ways students learn: guided notes, games, stations, activities, projects and more! Project Based Learning (PBL) is a great way for students to critically think, problem solve, and, in general, see math differently. Therefore, I try to integrate a project into every unit and make them as “real” as possible.
 
One of my favorites, and my students, is the Parabola Selfie Project. In this project, students take math outside of the classroom and explore the real world to find a parabola.

​Let’s take a quick look at how this project is broken down…


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​THE SELFIE

Students find a parabola in the real world and then take a selfie with it. Why take a selfie, you say? Well, first of all, it makes it fun for them since selfies are something they do often and share on Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, or some other form of social media. Second, I want to make sure they don’t just Google search a picture online. That would take all of the fun out of this project. There is so much in the world to investigate, so I want them to go out there and see math as much as possible.

THE GRAPH

​Next we pop that picture right into Desmos, which is an online graphing calculator. Students adjust the scale of the graph to match the dimensions of the real life parabola. I’ve even created a video showing students how to do this, in case they are not familiar with Desmos. Then they write an equation for their parabola and analyze the parabola by finding characteristics such as the axis of symmetry, vertex, domain, range, etc. 

PEER REVIEW

In almost every project I try to create a fun little twist that involves students observing or reviewing each other’s project. In this one, I have students exchange their graphs with each other and use the Parabola Swap table to record their information. This will give students an opportunity to identify characteristics of another parabola and also receive feedback on the accuracy of their data.

THE PRESENTATION

I rarely have students complete a project and then individually present to the class. It takes up too much class time and sometimes it can be difficult to see and understand the data when in a slideshow. I’d rather students take their information and put it on a poster or in a report format. Then we do some kind of walk around to view all the projects up close.
 
For this project, since students already swapped parabola graphs with another group and filled out the characteristics table for that graph, I don’t have them fill out another form when they do the walk around. Instead, I have them view each project and then vote on who found the most unique parabola in the real world. I give out a prize to the first and second place winners. You could give out a homework pass, food, or anything that your students enjoy. This gives each student a little more incentive to really find a fun and unique parabola.

GRADING

​As with any project, I do use a rubric. I evaluate each project on the following criteria: neatness/organization, the parabola selfie, the graph, the characteristics of the graph, and the quadratic equation.
 Here are some of my student’s Parabola Selfies: 
An example of a parabola in the real world!
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Parabola Selfie Project: A student example of a parabola in the real world!
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Parabola Selfie Project: Oh yeah! A donut seen as a parabola and not just a yummy snack.
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Parabola Selfie Project: Creative way to think of a parabola!
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Parabola Selfie: Let's face it, coffee we can relate coffee to anything!
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Doesn’t the Parabola Selfie Project look like fun?!....and educational! Click on the project below that you'd like to try in your classroom:
Real World Project: Quadratic Functions
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22 Comments
Kelly
1/18/2019 10:34:45 am

Do you have a rubric you can share for this project?

Reply
Tyra
2/19/2019 11:03:20 am

Hi Kelly,

You can find the project in my store that includes the directions and the rubric. My tpt store is Algebra and Beyond. I hope you and your students enjoy it!

Reply
Tony Carlstrom
3/21/2019 03:33:41 am

Hi....
Can you tell me your targeted audience for this project? What level of Algebra and what specific standards does this address?
Who should be doing this project...grade level?

Reply
Tyra
5/6/2019 07:34:46 am

Hi Tony,

I usually use this either end of the year for Algebra 1(regular to advanced) or for Algebra 2 students when they are reviewing quadratics.

My school uses the Virginia Standards of Learning, so the standards it covers for your school may differ if you are using CCSS. You can view the entire project in the preview in my TpT store, so you can better decide for yourself it meets the standards you are looking to address.

If you have any further questions, please email me at [email protected] I'm happy to help!

Best,
Tyra

Reply
Kelly Moen
5/2/2019 09:42:28 am

How do you adjust when the image imported is rotated?

Reply
Tyra
5/6/2019 07:35:59 am

Hi Kelly,

I'm not sure I quite understand the question. Can you email me at [email protected] so I can help clarify things for you.

Best,
Tyra

Reply
Thomas
7/11/2019 03:20:23 am

Hi Tyra,

Would you bring up the difference between a Parabola and a Catenary to your students? Many things that look like Parabolas in the real world may actually be a Catenary like in Architecture or hanging chains for example.

Kind regards,
Thomas

Reply
Thames
8/23/2019 10:22:21 pm

Absolutely, Thomas. The catenary on the front of a parabola is what offended me. That's absolutely incorrect. Anybody who has seriously studied math knows this.

Reply
Tyra
8/26/2019 01:19:15 pm

Hi Thames,

I don't see any reason to be offended by students having fun finding math in the real world?! Once the students see the graph of the equation overlapping their picture, they can see that it is not an exact parabola and it brings up great discussions. It does not take away from them finding a quadratic equation and finding characteristics of graphs.

Best,
Tyra

Tyra
8/26/2019 01:31:03 pm

Hi Thomas,

I haven't specifically brought up Catenaries, but I do discuss with them that some of these are not perfect parabolas, which they can see when they overlap their parabola on top of their picture. It brings up great discussions!

Thanks for the comment!

Best,
Tyra

Reply
n/a
3/1/2020 06:40:19 am

Hi. Can you send me the tutorial video on how to copy picture on Desmos?

Reply
Tyra
3/1/2020 09:27:03 am

You can find the video on YouTube if you search for Parabola Selfie. Here is the URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jyi7TVLiGOY

Reply
n/a
3/2/2020 04:12:41 am

Thank you this is helpful. And the activity is fun.

Jennifer
10/11/2020 03:14:07 pm

I'm giving this as a project during Distance Learning. I'm having them create a digital poster board. Should they email me the selfie picture as proof it's their own photo and use the one non-selfie photo for the poster board?

Reply
Tyra
10/12/2020 07:30:46 am

Yes, this is what I do with my students too. I want to make sure they aren't using a picture from Google Search, so I have them include a picture of them in the photo and then one to use for the graph. I hope this helps!

Best,
Tyra

Reply
Steven link
11/4/2020 07:51:37 pm

I am hoping to use this project for my class as a supplement to their online test. But, I cannot find it in the store. You have a lot of projects (over 1000) and my searches are not pulling it up. Thanks in advance!

Steve

Reply
Tyra
11/5/2020 06:05:41 am

Hi Steve!

You can click on the Parabola Selfie Project cover (in pink) that is located at the bottom of the blog post. It will take you directly to the project.

Also whenever you shop in the Algebra and Beyond Store (250+ resources), you can use the categories on the left hand side or the search box to help you find what you are looking for.

I hope this helps!

Best,
Tyra

Reply
Mackenzie
6/29/2022 11:02:05 am

I did this with my Algebra 1 class last school year. It was a great way for them to make connections with the real world! I loved seeing the creativity that students had. I added a line in the rubric to encourage students to pick different parabolas, as I anticipated a lot of them to use the same object. I will definitely be doing this project again this coming year!

Reply
Tyra
6/29/2022 12:37:53 pm

Awesome! I love that you edited the rubric to fit your needs! :)

Reply
M. Thrasher
12/13/2022 08:03:47 am

Quick question!
Does it matter where they place their vertex?
I understand that half the distance of their width would be the x-value of the vertex, but does it matter where they place the y-value of the vertex?

Reply
Tyra
1/25/2023 06:04:24 am

Hi! The actual point doesn't matter, as long as it's the y-value that matches the picture of where the vertex is located. :)

Best,
Tyra

Reply
Toni Ingram
1/18/2024 12:24:49 pm

Great activities

Reply



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    Hello there,
    ​I'm TYRA!

    I'm an educational blogger and curriculum designer. I am enthusiastic about providing creative, comprehensive, and clear resources for middle and high school math teachers. My goal is to create content that is easy to implement for the teacher, and helps students Connect Knowledge with Understanding - One Lesson at a Time.


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