Easy nonlinear models: The Paragraphs Activities

Back in June, I said that if I was diligent I would write some activities up better. Well, I did, I think.

I’ve used these in class and love them. And you don’t need Fathom, they work fine with any technology that lets you plot points and functions on the same graph. Sliders make it sexier, but they aren’t essential.

The basic idea:

You have a page with a set of paragraphs: all seven are the same text and same font size, but set in different widths. How is height related to width? Measure, plot, and make a model.

A second, more subtle version has the same text, same width, but different font size.

The link below should get you a 6-page pdf. Student page, paragraph handout, and teacher notes for each flavor of the activity. They will eventually be part of a book. Enjoy!

Click here (or the image at right) for the handout