Algebra 2 End of the Year Project

This is a great project idea to connect topics in Algebra 2 with the real world. This project could be presented after End of Course Exams. The students will take an Algebra 2 topic of their choice and relate to something in the real world. Some examples of real world problems the students could use are: Heart Rhythms (Trig or Polynomial Functions); Economics Predictions (Polynomial or Rational Functions); Roller Coaster building (Polynomial Functions); The St. Louis Arch or Construction (Quadratic Functions); The path of a Thrown Object (Quadratic Functions); Golden Ratio (Sequences and Series); Ocean Waves and Tides (Trig Functions) to name a few. Once the students get going on their project, they will have fun with it and enjoy seeing what their peers have come up with.This project would work as both an outside project to do on their own time and as an in class project where they have had a week to research, write their paper, and create a visual aid. The project helps bring the real world into the classroom and gives the students great research and presentation practice. The project does include a class grading rubric for the presentations where they grade each other and a teacher grading rubric for the paper and presentation.