⚒️ The Artificer's Forge: Building Radical Robots (Graphing Radicals SM3)

Shauna August 12, 2025

⚒️ The Artificer's Forge: Building Radical Robots

Is there anything trickier for students than the flurry of rules for function transformations? All those letters—a,h,k—can feel like a secret code. But what if we re-framed that challenge from decoding a cypher to building a custom robot on an assembly line? Welcome to Day 1 of Shauna's Classroom Quests!

Graphing Radicals Square Root Cube Root w IDO


📜 Mission Briefing

  • 🎯 Mission Objective: Students will be able to identify the parent functions for square roots and cube roots and correctly apply transformations (stretch, compress, reflect, and shift) to graph the resulting function.

  • ⏳ Class Time: 1 x 50-minute period (or as needed)

  • 📚 Subject & Level: Secondary Math 3 / Algebra 2

  • 🗓️ Unit Schedule and Asset Links:

  • 👻 The Adventure: Students become "Engineers" in a futuristic robot factory. Their mission is to learn the five key "Assembly Line Stations" (the transformation rules) to take a basic robot chassis and turn it into a fully customized, operational machine.

🎒 The Armory

  • 📋 Supply List:

  • 👕 Costume & Prop Ideas:

    • Go for the "Lead Engineer" look with a lab coat, safety goggles, and a clipboard. I'm going with the lab coat to look official!

  • 🖼️ Digital Assets & Music (The Factory Vibe!):

🗺️ The Walkthrough

  • ✨ Introduction: The Hook (Approx. 5 mins) As students enter, have the first slide of the Google Slideshow on the screen and the "Robot Rock" anthem playing. Dressed as the Lead Engineer, begin the quest:

    "Welcome, Engineers! Our clients have put in orders for custom Radical Robots, but our factory's main computer is down. We have to build them manually! Our mission today is to learn the five key stations on the assembly line to transform a basic model into a powerful, custom-built machine. Grab your tools, check your blueprints, and let's get building!"

  • ⚔️ Activity 1: The Assembly Line Dance (Approx. 10 mins)

    • Objective: To introduce the parent functions and the 5 transformation steps in a kinesthetic way.

    • The Story: "First, every great engineer must know their tools. We're going to learn the five core movements to build our robots. Everybody up!"

    • Instructions: With "Robot Rock" playing, use the stick figure slides in the Google Slideshow to teach the body movements for Chassis Selection (Half-Pipe vs. Serpent), Stretch/Shrink, Reflection, Slide, and Elevator.

  • ⚔️ Activity 2: Pre-Flight Check (Approx. 2 mins)

    • Objective: To proactively address common errors before independent practice.

    • The Story: "Alright team, before you power on the simulators, we must run a pre-flight check. Let's review the three most common system failures we see in the factory to make sure they don't happen to you!"

    • Instructions: Quickly review the "failures" on the board:

      1. "Don't Misread the Trickster's Blueprint!": Remind them that (x-5) means a slide to the RIGHT.

      2. "Mind the Order of Operations!": Emphasize that the Stretch/Flip (a) must be handled before the Slide/Lift (h, k).

      3. "Don't Confuse the Chassis!": Remind them to double-check if they need the one-armed 'Half-Pipe' or the curvy 'Serpent' bot.

  • ⚔️ Activity 3: The Training Simulator (Approx. 30 mins)

    • Objective: To practice the transformations with immediate digital feedback.

    • The Story: "Pre-flight check is complete! Now, run the simulation to test your knowledge of the controls in real-time."

    • Instructions: Deploy the idocourses.com Graphing Transformations activity.

  • ⚔️ Activity 4: Assembling the Prototypes (Approx. 15 mins)

    • Objective: To apply the rules in a collaborative, hands-on puzzle.

    • The Story: "Your simulation training is complete. Now, your guilds must assemble physical prototypes from these jumbled schematics!"

    • Instructions: Teams work together with their Radical Function Matching Cards.

    • ⭐ Challenge Mode: The R&D Department!

      • If a team finishes early, promote them to the "R&D Department."

      • Their new mission is to design a new Radical Robot. They must draw its graph on a small whiteboard (with at least 3 transformations) and then write the official blueprint equation that matches their design.

👾 The Final Product

  • 📝 The Exit Challenge: The Final Assembly (Approx. 5 mins)

    • The Story: "Engineers, we have a priority order coming in. It's time for your final certification test. Take this blueprint and create the final robot on your own!"

    • The Activity: Students use the idocourses.com link for a culminating exit-ticket-style challenge.

✨ The Activation! ✨

After the final student completes the challenge, play an epic sound effect of a robot powering up and switch to the final "Activated Robot" slide in the presentation.

"The final diagnostics are complete. All systems are online. Initiating activation sequence... The Radical Robot is operational! You have done it, Engineers!"

🏆 The Level Clear Screen: Engineer's Self-Assessment

The Story: "Your robot is a success! The final activation was flawless. Now, report back to the Lead Engineer for your performance review. How efficient was your build process today? A true engineer always reflects on their craft."

The Activity: On their Unit Check-off Schedule, students complete their Self-Reported Grade.

  • 10 (Master Engineer!): I have mastered the assembly line and can build any robot with confidence.

  • 8 (Skilled Technician!): I am confident with most of the stations but might need to double-check my blueprints.

  • 6 (Apprentice!): I can build a robot with some help from the manual, but I need more practice.

  • 4 (Novice...): I'm still learning the controls and will need more guidance from the Lead Engineer.

💡 The Debrief

(This is where you'll add your amazing insights after teaching the lesson!)

  • My Thoughts:

  • Student Reactions:

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Shauna

Posted by: Shauna

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