Community and Place-Based Learning Through Polynomial Functions

This place/community-based classroom lesson project involves teaching a data analysis project using Key Features of Polynomial Functions. Within this unit, high school students collect data on a topic chosen by them and their community partner, identify key features, and create an end-product aligned with Hawaii Common Core Standards and both the STEMS^2 and the Nā Hopena Aʻo Framework. At the end, students were surveyed about the project and what can be done in the future to improve it.
This curriculum is still under review by faculty. Units identified as Under Review have been submitted by educators. While they are available to view now, they are currently being reviewed by our curriculum committee for addition to this site.

Standards Aligned

Common Core Math, International Society for Technology in Education

Community Partner(s)

The community partner chosen was a council member who is both knowledgeable about the community which our students come from (in this case Ewa Beach) and understanding about the various issues and problems which exist in said community (passed bills and supported the community around topics like ebike safety). Other community partners that could be included before could be those such as someone from the school (principal, vice-principal) or other non-profit/advocacy leaders can also be another choice if the topics are relevant to these individuals.

Essential Question

How can we use data analysis from higher level Algebra 2 skills to address place and community-based problems that occur within our daily lives?

Enduring Understanding

Students understand the relationship between mathematics and how they can collect data and study patterns within the world around them. 
Students understand that mathematics is a tool that can be applied to address problems within their own lives.

Author Reflections

Students were able to build stronger connections to their place/community, but struggled or were confused regarding their connection to the mathematical topics introduced in class.
Future suggestions would be to incorporate more relevant connections to students to understand the math topics through a different community partner or to have students run through a provided example using a topic relevant to Hawaii that has pre-existing data (such as Red Hill, TMT, etc.).

Learner Level High School

Primary Content STEM, Technology, Math