Math9-12+
Graphing Step Functions with Desmos Guided Notes
By Anthony F.
A guided-notes packet with a printable practice worksheet that walks 9th graders through graphing the greatest integer function and piecewise functions in Desmos. It builds fluency with floor(x) syntax, interpreting solid and hollow endpoints, and connecting step-function graphs to real-world contexts like parking meters, with key terms and worked examples included.
Customize for your classroom
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Use as a 50-minute lesson in a computer lab or with classroom devices, starting with the key terms and the parking meter example before students open Desmos.
- Discussion question: Why does the value of floor(x) stay constant between integers, and what changes exactly at each integer?
- Scaffold for struggling readers: have students first sketch the graph by hand on the worksheet for x values from 0 to 4, then check their sketch against the Desmos output.
- Extension for advanced students: ask them to write a piecewise function whose graph matches a given step pattern, then verify it in Desmos and explain how the open and closed endpoints were chosen.
- Estimated time: about 15 minutes for the notes and examples, 25 minutes for the Desmos practice, and 10 minutes for the worksheet problems.
Math9-12+
Graphing Step Functions with Desmos Guided Notes
By Anthony F.
A guided-notes packet with a printable practice worksheet that walks 9th graders through graphing the greatest integer function and piecewise functions in Desmos. It builds fluency with floor(x) syntax, interpreting solid and hollow endpoints, and connecting step-function graphs to real-world contexts like parking meters, with key terms and worked examples included.
Customize for your classroom
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Use as a 50-minute lesson in a computer lab or with classroom devices, starting with the key terms and the parking meter example before students open Desmos.
- Discussion question: Why does the value of floor(x) stay constant between integers, and what changes exactly at each integer?
- Scaffold for struggling readers: have students first sketch the graph by hand on the worksheet for x values from 0 to 4, then check their sketch against the Desmos output.
- Extension for advanced students: ask them to write a piecewise function whose graph matches a given step pattern, then verify it in Desmos and explain how the open and closed endpoints were chosen.
- Estimated time: about 15 minutes for the notes and examples, 25 minutes for the Desmos practice, and 10 minutes for the worksheet problems.