Fall Leaves Sort: Slope Activity {FREE}

One of the concepts that can prove most vexing for Algebra students in understanding the slope of a line. What does that mean? What does it look like? There are a lot of different ways to approach it, and thinking about slope lots of different ways can help students make sense of it. One way that I like to help deepen students’ understanding (of any concept, really) is by comparing and sorting. This easy to use slope activity requires kids to determine whether the slope is positive, negative, zero or undefined. And while it has a fun Fall theme, this can be used all year long. 🙂

This fun and easy to use slope activity helps kids understand slope by comparing equations and graphs. They then sort them by determining whether the slope is positive, negative, zero or undefined. This free download includes a color and black and white version!

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Materials Needed for Fall Leaves Slope Activity:

  • Printed slope trees and leaves (included in the free download)
  • Scissors
  • Glue (if you’re using this as an individual activity)

How to Use the Fall Leaves Slope Activity:

Included in this download are 4 different trees. Each tree represents either positive slope, negative slope, zero slope or undefined slope.

Also included are leaves with either equations or graphs of linear equations.

To complete the activity, students simply cut out the leaves, analyze the equation or graph and match it to the correct “slope tree.”

While some of the equations are in slope-intercept form, others are in point-slope or standard form.

This will give students additional practice with manipulating and rewriting equations, as well as determining the slope of the line.

Hopefully comparing various equations and graphs side by side and making observations about the slopes of those lines will help students understand slope.

In addition, many students often struggle with remembering the difference between slope equal to zero and an undefined slope.

I hope this slope activity will provide a helpful visual to aid in understanding and retention.

This fun and easy to use slope activity helps kids understand slope by comparing equations and graphs. They then sort them by determining whether the slope is positive, negative, zero or undefined. This free download includes a color and black and white version!

Included in this download:

I’ve included color and black and white versions in this free download.

Having both options gives you multiple ways to use this.

For example, if you’d like to have each student complete the slope sort individually and glue the trees into their notebooks, you can print it in black and white.

This would make a handy reference guide for kids to refer back to.

Or if you’d rather use this as a math center activity, print the color version on card stock, and laminate all the pages.

Then cut out the leaves and store all the pieces in a folder or ziplock bag to use over and over.

However this works best for your students, I hope you find it to be a fun and helpful resource!

This fun and easy to use slope activity helps kids understand slope by comparing equations and graphs. They then sort them by determining whether the slope is positive, negative, zero or undefined. This free download includes a color and black and white version!

{Click HERE to go to my shop and download the FREE slope activity!}

What are some ways you like to teach slope? What kinds of activities seem to help things “click” with your students? Share in the comments for other educators to glean from!

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