Ahead by a Hare:
A Militeracies Math Lesson
The lesson begins with a story. Not the story we all know where the tortoise perseveres to win the race but rather one in which the hare wins by, a hair. In this tale, the tortoise believed that slow and steady would win the race, but it was the hare's quick pace and penchant for theatrics that stole the show.
Using the story and it's guiding questions, lead your class through plotting the data from the race. As you proceed, discuss key topics such as the axis, slope, and points of intersection.
Having completed the graphing exercise with your students, assign them to groups and introduce the accompanying assignment. Each group will choose any of the four graphs and create a narrative based on a real world example that could be represented by the two lines. The graphs vary in difficulty to allow multiple entry points and students are encouraged to present their narrative in any mode they desire. This could include as a story, a video, a dramatic pieces or a poster, among others. Shown below are the graphs students can base their narrative on.
Download the lesson plan, assignment and rubric: