In the associated Algebra 1 lesson, students will need to evaluate quadratic and exponential functions for different input values. One purpose of this lesson is to prepare them to avoid some common mistakes. In the first activity, they analyze some incorrect work and evaluate the expressions correctly. This is an opportunity to critique the reasoning of others (MP3). Another purpose of this lesson is to revisit ways to tell whether a function is linear, quadratic, or exponential, and to practice the skills of generating a table and sketching a graph for a given function.

This lesson includes a row game that provides an opportunity to develop fluency in evaluating expressions that involve exponents using the conventional order, which will be useful in the associated Algebra 1 lesson when they generate tables of values for functions defined by such expressions. The structure of a row game gives students an opportunity to construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others (MP3).