Digital Unit Plan Template

Unit Title: Applications of Derivatives

Name: Rubi Medina

Content Area: Calculus I

Grade Level: 11 - 12

CA Content Standard(s)/Common Core Standard(s):

7.0 Students compute derivatives of higher orders.
9.0 Students use differentiation to sketch, by hand, graphs of functions. They can identify maxima, minima,
inflection points, and intervals in which the function is increasing and decreasing.
Big Ideas:
Students will be able take the derivative of a function to find critical points and determine if they are a local
maximum, local minimum, absolute maximum or minimum. Students will be able to differentiate the second
derivative to find the functions inflection point to determine where the function is increasing or decreasing
and concavity.
Unit Goals and Objectives:
Students will be able to graph functions using the first and second derivative. In addition students will be able
to determine the concavity of the graph and be able to identify where the graph is decreasing or increasing.
Unit Summary:
This unit is intended to provide students with different methods of graphing functions using calculus tools.
The students will first work with the first derivative to determine maximums and minimums. Then students
will be introduced of more complex equations that require the student to take the second derivative to find
the inflection points, which will then help determine concavity of functions. Concavity will demonstrate where
the function is increasing and decreasing.
Assessment Plan:

Entry-Level:
Brainstorm:
What does it mean to be a
Maximum or Minimum, increasing
or decreasing?

Formative:
Flashcards:
Academic vocabulary with
definitions.
Quiz:
Test students knowledge on the
definitions and solving problems

Summative:
Presentation:
Create a project of some sort
containing definitions and create
an example(s) of each concept.
Exam:
Comprehensive exam.

Research:
Find examples with the key
concepts and their real-life
applications.
Order:
List main concepts and the
different methods of finding each
concept.
Lesson 1
Student
Learning
Objective:

Acceptable
Evidence:
Guided notes

Determining the
functions maxima
and minima.

Applications of
Derivatives
Worksheet

Instructional
Strategies:

Communicatio
n
Collection

Collaboration
Presentation
Organization
Interaction

Lesson Activities:
Students will complete the guided notes that
follow the Maximum and Minimum Lecture
presentation.
Students will be handed out a worksheet and in
groups of 4 to 5 they are required to work on
problem 1 and 2. Each problem that they do not
finish will be homework. Each student in the
group must work together and they must ensure
that each group member must understand the
problem and the concept of solving it.

Lesson 2
Student
Learning
Objective:
Determining the
functions
concavity and
applying this to
word problems

Lesson 3
Student
Learning
Objective:

Acceptable
Evidence:
Applications of
Derivatives
Webercise
Applications of
Derivatives
Worksheet

Acceptable
Evidence:
Graphic Organizer

Group
presentation
where students
will teach what
they learned

Create a
PowerPoint with
the definitions of
each academic
term and the
solution to the
problem

Instructional
Strategies:

Communicatio
n
Collection

Collaboration

Presentation

Organization
Interaction

Lesson Activities:

Instructional
Strategies:

Communicatio
n
Collection

Collaboration

Presentation

Organization
Interaction

Lesson Activities:

Students will be required to complete the

Applications of Derivatives Webercise. This
includes defining terms and procedures to solve
problems.
Students will be handed out a worksheet and in
groups of 4 to 5 they are required to work on
problem 3, 4 and 5. Each problem that they do
not finish will be homework. Each student in the
group must work together and they must ensure
that each group member must understand the
problem and the concept of solving it.

Students are required to fill out the graphic

organizer. In which they will demonstrate what
they know, want to know and learned.
Students work in groups of two to create a
PowerPoint explaining the definitions. In addition
students will research different types of problems
and applications to help them create a
problem(s) of their own. In addition students are
required to solve the problem(s) correctly and
then each group will have 5-10 minutes to teach
the class how they solved the problem. At the
end of the presentations students will discuss in
groups what they learned, did not understand, or

are having difficulty with.

Unit Resources:
Attached worksheet called Applications of Derivatives Worksheet
Microsoft PowerPoint
Applications of Derivatives Webercise
Guided notes
Maximum and Minimum Lecture

Useful Websites:
Minima, maxima and critical points
Calculus: Maxima and Minima Problems
Teach Me How To Factor (WSHS Math Rap Song)
Lots of Different Derivative Examples!
Khan Academy
Critical Points vs. Inflection Points
Online Calculator
HippoCampus
First Derivative Test
Second Derivative Test