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Lesson Planning Sheet Title: Reciprocal Functions Learning Objectives: By the end of the lesson: All students should be able to complete a table of results for a reciprocal function. Most students should be able to plot the graph of a reciprocal function in all four quadrants. Some students should be able to model a real life reciprocal function graphically. Keywords: Reciprocal, asymptote, function, exponential Learning Activities Starter/Introduction Students recap the graphical properties of cubic and quadratic functions by matching their graphs with the corresponding functions. Have the solutions presented on mini-whiteboards for assessment and feedback. An alternative to this activity could be to review reciprocal values, for instance, matching 3 with its inverse of 1/3, or with . Development To complete the table of results for a reciprocal function students could use the function on a scientific calculator, alternatively the y values could be calculated using 1/x. Discuss with the class why the y value decreases as the x value increases. Is this typical of other functions? Discuss the value of y when x = 0. Does the error message represent there is no solution, the solution is zero or that the solution is infinity. This is an important concept for reciprocal functions as it causes the students to consider whether infinity is the inverse of zero. Plotting reciprocal graphs as an exercise in itself is a fairly simple construct. However, it is important for students to understand the properties of reciprocal functions. The resulting graph shows four asymptotes along each of the axes. Discuss with the class the exponential increase and decreasing functions that give rise to these asymptotes and why they occur. Students could plot the reciprocal function on the third slide independently. The Autograph V3.3 file in additional resources can be used to check their graph. Plenary The plenary places modelling reciprocal functions graphically in a real world context. Have the students attempt this on an A4 sheet of graph paper which can be held up to the teacher at the end for assessment and feedback. It maybe necessary for the students to work in small groups or pairs for peer support. The Autograph V3.3 file in additional resources can be used to feedback the solution. Differentiation More able: Students could begin to solve reciprocal functions graphically. Less Able Students may benefit from using the table function on a scientific calculator to help them generate the table of results. Resources: Mini-whiteboards Autograph V3.3 files Hand-out