Lesson Plan

Arithmetic and Geometric Sequences

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet

Old mathematicians never die; they just lose some of their functions. Studying sequences gives scholars an opportunity to use a new notation. Learners write functions to model arithmetic and geometric sequences and use them to find new terms. 

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CCSS: Adaptable
Additional Tags
Instructional Ideas
  • Use the practice problems as board work to find misconceptions 
  • Have pairs of pupils write sequences for each other, and tell each individual to identify the type of sequence and write an equation to model it
Classroom Considerations
  • Learners may find sequence notation confusing, so spend time developing the notation with several examples
  • Lesson begins a series of 20 algebra lessons
Pros
  • Thoroughly explains the notation related to sequences
  • Pays attention to the new vocabulary pupils will need to understand the concept of sequences
Cons
  • Introduces a formula early in the process, which doesn't give pupils time to develop a thorough understanding of the sequence patterns
  • Refers to the explicit formulas as recursion formulas; learners may confuse this with the recursive formulas which are different
Common Core