Name of Lesson: Grade Level: Duration: Prior Knowledge Required:

Introduction to Logarithms Grade 12 Mathematics 30-1 70 Minutes

Knowledge of exponents and exponent laws Knowing the terms base and power Knowledge of how to calculate a power Understanding of functions and graphing a function (distinct values of y for every x)

Objective of Lesson: Students should have some knowledge of the history of logarithms Students should have a basic understanding of what a logarithm is Students should be able to convert from exponential form to logarithmic form and vice versa Solve basic equations involving a logarithm Understand basic applications of logarithms Lesson Structure Time Allotment (mins) 5 Lesson Phase Introduction: Introduce the topic and set the purpose of the lesson. Try and get students engaged. 5 Foundation: Check on prior knowledge, review required information. Students should be intrigued by what exactly is a logarithm, how does it work? Why is the log of 1 = 0? It will also show students that logs were used in real world examples (sailing). Students will listen and answer questions. They will show their prior knowledge and share any gaps in knowledge that will need to be covered. Students will follow along with the teacher, ask questions when instruction is unclear. Provide a historical background of logarithms by showing a YouTube Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=AGCUm_jWtt4 Make sure students have a strong understanding of exponents. Assess their prior knowledge and see if students know what a base and an exponent are. If students seem confused then go over the fact that exponents are repeated multiplication. The base is the number that is multiplied; the power is the number of times to multiply the number. What the Student Does What the Teacher Does

Talk about logarithm basics. Logarithms are a shortcut of exponents, just as multiplication is a shortcut of addition. Ensure students are ready to move on to the brain activation stage and are feeling comfortable with exponential equations. 10 Brain Activation: Provide an activity, or questions that will get students involved and thinking about the topic. Pose the following scenario to the students: 10x = 10 x = 1 10x = 100 x = 2 10x = 50 x = ? Have students guess what it could be and try to figure out a good answer.

Start a class discussion, showing student answers and approximations on the board or Students can use estimation smart board. Talk about how techniques in order to figure out they could figure it out, and that the answer will be between why this is an important 1 and 2. They can guess and test question. Use a calculator with until they figure out the correct the log function to get the exact answer. value. If students understand how to properly use roots they can guess and test with the root function on their calculator. What root of 50 will calculate to 10? Students can also use logs if they have an understanding of them. Students will follow along, take notes and ask questions. Students will also answer questions that the teacher may pose. Students will work with the teacher to create the graphs and table of values of the logarithmic and exponential

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Body of New Information: Build up required knowledge. Lecture and complete whole class problems.

Discuss the basic form of a logarithm in terms of how it is transformed from an exponential equation: Ax = B is LogAB = x Then you can discuss how a logarithm is the inverse function of an exponential function.

equations. Confusing power and base could be a common mistake (this could be especially relevant for ELL students). Make sure to address it in more ways than just words. Use symbols instead of letters if there is still confusion. Make sure to draw diagrams from one form to another.

Show how you can have an equation like: Y = LogAB is equivalent to: AY = ALog B which resolves to: AY = B because exponents and logs are inverses.
A

As a class draw a table of values and graphs to demonstrate exponents and logarithms. (2X and Log2X) Observe the classroom and make sure students understand the concepts. If students seem confused or stuck, try a couple more examples of converting from exponential form to logarithmic form and ask students to fill in the missing values: 34 = 81 ! Log381 = 4 23 = 8 ! Log28 = 3 Discuss the common logarithm (base 10).

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Clarification:

Work through examples.

Provide sample Research the Richter scale on problems and smart phones or with the answer teacher on the computer. questions. Direct students to practice.

Provide some examples of logarithms and discuss the relationship to exponents. Talk about rolling the log so that students have the necessary information to solve logarithmic equations. Log10 2x = x Log10 2 Discuss how this relates to taking the log of a power of the same base.

Look for students who seem to be struggling and modify as necessary. You may need to bring in real world examples for this to make sense for some students. You can talk about the Richter scale and how it is a logarithmic scale. How every step in a Richter scale is 10 times stronger than the last. How can this be represented with exponents and then solved with logarithms? 10 Practice and Review: Work with partner, independently, or with class to solve problems. Students will split up in to groups and be asked to solve the following problem: If you have 246g of a substance to start with and 10g of the element is left after 100 years, what is the half-life of the element? Students can use the half-life equation which would be set up like this: Provide the question by placing it on the board. Break students in to groups. Allow students time to work on the question, provide scaffolding if students seem stuck. Ask students how you can get variables out of the exponent? What is the purpose of logs? What is the inverse function of logarithms? How can you get the exponent out of the logarithm? Students should struggle with using logarithms because this is a more complex problem, with proper scaffolding they should be able to get to a correct answer. Once students have completed the question, go over the multiple ways that students can answer the question. Emphasize using logarithms to solve the problem. Hand out worksheet; see how students are doing in terms of

10 = 256 x !(100/Half-Life)
Students can use logs to solve the equation. A common mistake would not be using logs properly or not using logs on both sides of the equation. Students could also guess and test and not use the formula. They could figure out the number of halves required to get 256 down to 10. Then 100 divided by that number (around 5) would give the half-life. 10 Independent Practice: Have the students work individually on the practice

worksheet provided. Students now work on assignments or homework, building up required skills. Struggling students get additional assistance. Worksheet is provided at the end of the document. If working ahead the students can attempt to figure out some of the log rules. Students can also come up with their own examples of logarithmic equations.

logarithms. Assess to ensure students have a general understanding. Ask the class questions and observe behaviour. Do students seem confused? Provide more examples or help them one on one when other students are working independently. Do students seem bored? Challenge them with harder problems; perhaps see if they can come up with laws of logarithms on their own. Ask them questions like are: Log X + Log Y and Log X+Y equivalent? As well as: X3 * X4 = X3+4 = X7 LogX(3*4) = LogX(3) + LogX(4) See what answers they come up with and have them produce their own logarithmic equations.

Closure: Connect the lesson together and respond to difficulties.

Students should now ask questions to clarify their understanding of the subject matter.

Make sure students understand the importance of logarithms and how they can be used to solve complex problems.

Introduction To Logarithms Exercises 1. Write the following in exponential form: a) !"# ! ! ! !

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c) !"# ! !"

d) !"# ! !"

2. Write the following in logarithm form: a) !"# ! ! !!

b) !" ! !!

c) !!

c) !!

3. Solve the following: a) !"# ! ! ! !

b) !"# ! !" ! !

c) !"# ! !! ! !

d) !"# ! ! !
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References Format for the lesson plan was taken and modified from: Cunningham, G. (2009, November). Lesson Plans and Unit PlansThe Basis for Instruction. Retrieved from: http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/109051/chapters/Lesson-Plans-and-UnitPlans@-The-Basis-for-Instruction.aspx Worksheet ideas taken from: Williams, A. (2013, February 27). Log Problems. Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=c2Fsa2Vpei5rMTIub3IudXN8d2l sbGlhbXN8Z3g6YzZjYjZjNDkwZGI2OWI1 History video taken from: Christoph, G. (2012, October 11). How does math guide our ships at sea? [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGCUm_jWtt4