Saturday, April 20, 2013

Math Made Fun (Quadratic Functions through Angry Birds)


Quadratic Functions represented through “Angry Birds”

 Students are to recreate a level from the game “Angry Birds”.  In addition, students must provide the quadratic function for each bird used in the level.

A Brief Explanation:
On each level, the pigs are sheltered by structures made of various materials such as wood, ice and stone, and the objective of the game is to eliminate all the pigs in the level. Using a slingshot, players launch the birds with the intent of either hitting the pigs directly or damaging the structures, causing them to collapse and eliminate the pigs. In various stages of the game, additional objects such as explosive crates and rocks are found in the structures, and may be used in conjunction with the birds to destroy hard-to-reach pigs.

Materials Needed:
Standard Poster board
Graph Paper
Ruler
Colored Pencils/Markers or Crayons
Pencil

Requirements:
Birds Allowed in the project, all others birds (Green Birds and Eagles are not allowed)
A minimum of 3 birds are required and a maximum of 5.
Structures:

The starting structure must be at least 4 tiers.  After each bird hits the structure and destroys parts of the structure and hitting pigs, the structure on the next phase should look according to the damage dealt from the previous Angry Bird.
Math:
Every phase must have a quadratic function correlated to the scenario.  The parabola created from the bird in the slingshot to its final destination passes through a series of coordinates.  The coordinates of a series of quadratic functions will be given choose 3-5 out of the 10 functions. All work must be shown and correct to receive maximum credit on the project.

For further information, students can view Angry Birds online or download a free trial to get ideas. Please be original in your designs. Be CREATIVE!!!!!!!

6 comments:

  1. I checked out your post, not because it for math (my personal cryptonite)but because I love angry birds. I blame that on my 3yr old who plays it constantly. I am IMPRESSED how a lesson can be created using something that alot of young people are into. It uses higher level thinking, technolgy, hands-on problem solving and critical thinking skills. I actually wish I could be involved with this lesson.

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  2. This is a great lesson that is a highly motivating for students. It is always best to be able to connect with students' interest by staying 'current.' Your activity is a great way to keep learning fun and challenging at the same time. What a neat idea! Thanks for sharing.

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  3. Oh man. This is so awesome. The kids can really get into it and relate to it, which I love. Math is my secret second love and this lesson is just too cool. I'll bet you get alot of great projects with this lesson.

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  4. Thank you for all the comments. The students really take pride in their projects. I always create one as my Bell Ringer to show the clasa what I'm looking for. I usually assign the math part first. The students need to solve for each function and graph it on graph paper. Then, they create the structure and insert the parabolas from the ten they already completed. It's important to select parabolas that are negative and vary in width. Finally the student design the structure and theme. They really get involved and creative.

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  5. Being an Angry Birds enthusiast, I loved this. It is instructional and entertaining at the same time. Now can you answer a question for me? Why can't I download the update to all the versions, All I get are errors and I need a fix. I have three stars in every level so far.

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  6. How funny. In a great way. Talk about interacting with students. Spot on.

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