Exponential FUNctions - Growth and Decay

Today we started exponential functions and I thought I'd share my notes, activity and next day warm-up with you.

I would like to preface this post with today is the Monday after Spring Break, most students (and teachers :-) ) seemed to have forgotten the basics.  

Student: How do I know if it is growth or decay?  
Me: What does the problem say?
Student:  Well it's increasing...
Me: Both inwardly and verbally... **Sigh**

This is how my whole day went but luckily the material was pretty easy for them to grasp.  

My colleague, Mrs. Villarreal prepared some notes that were fabulous for Growth and Decay and shared them with me.  I, of course, had to 'FONT' them up and added a few fill in the blanks for guided notes.  I also have this really strange 'absolutely cannot stand comic sans font' affliction.  I don't know why I have it but it is a very real thing that generally means I have to change every resource ever done to a different font!  Her original notes are available in Word and PDF for FREE.  Thank you so much for sharing Mrs. V!!

My revised notes below are available in both Word and PDF.  The font I used in Word is KG Payphone which you can download from Dafont.com here for FREE!  I also changed the interest formula to the continual interest formula per some earlier discussion with colleagues.  I wrote more about it here which also has notes and an activity.

Here is the key as well:

The notes went exceptionally well but my students have seen this before.  I taught exponential functions quite different when I taught Algebra and they have only been in our Algebra 1 Curriculum for 3 years now.  The first year was one of those 'learned them while the kids did' years!  Luckily I found a great resource online from a teacher who shared and it made all the difference.  I followed this link and found a wealth of knowledge.  I'll post all the ones we've used in a later post.  It is one of those I researched the sharer and personally e-mailed to thank them.

For the activity, another fabulous resource from one of my favorite Teachers-Pay-Teachers go to sellers, Algebra Accents.  In this activity she has 48 problems!  24 open ended and 24 multiple choice.  Well worth the $3 investment!  Since it is a newer TEK in Texas for Algebra 1, finding appropriately leveled problems for our students can be a challenge so I am all about the convenience and would have spent more that $3 of my time creating something.

I prepared it by printing one colorful set of the open ended task cards and a different color set of the multiple choice ones.  I laminated them and stacked them in the back of the class.  Students had an answer sheet for both colors and could work at their own pace.  The problems are fantastic!

I'm planning on continuing the cards tomorrow with the following Warm-Up:

The instructions read: 

Label each equation and graph as linear, quadratic or exponential.  Then match the graph with its equation.

One of our TEKS is comparing the different functions and I thought this a nice reminder before our next lesson over graphing.  Download it in Word or PDF for FREE!  The font I used in word is Harry P available on Dafont.com here for FREE!  I know, it's just a title but I have a problem... at least I admit it :-)

Hope you had a great weekend!  As always, please fell free to contact me with any questions and feel free to share!  

Thanks,

Lisa