So I thought it would be really clever to insert a picture of Nemo here (Finding Slope – Finding Nemo), but I doubt it’s in Creative Commons and didn’t want Joan upset with me!

Last week I realized that my Algebra 1 students weren’t understanding slope as “rise over run” and therefore couldn’t find the slope of a line graphed on the coordinate plane.  So, armed with 50 cent brightly colored rulers purchased at a dollar store, I sent them out to find slope around campus.

Their first instinct was to make the ruler the slanted/diagonal line.  So I had to explain (and they had to demonstrate!) that the vertical (up/down) is the rise and the horizontal (left/right) is the run.  I then had them measure and calculate the slope, and document it with a photo.  After about twenty minutes of wandering around campus, we came back to the classroom and shared photos.

Their calculation weren’t always correct, but that wasn’t the point.  I wanted them to be able to visualize and have a “hands-on” experience of slope.

Maybe they’ll look at the Inner Court stairs differently now!