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How can a satellite stand still in the sky?

Algebra 2Rational exponentsabout 3 minCCSS HSN.RN.A.2CCSS HSN.RN.A.1

Find out why every TV dish points at one spot, and move a satellite until it stays still in your sky.

Lesson Plan

Practice rewriting expressions with rational exponents and radicals, and use a cube root to find a satellite's orbit.

  1. Question: Ask what students spot and what they are curious about. Read “Faster than the station, slower, or the same?” aloud. Have each student guess and say why.

  2. Question: Read “How far out would a lap take one whole day?” aloud. Have partners explain their guesses to each other.

  3. Big idea: Pause. Ask a student to say the idea in their own words.

  4. Big idea: Pause. Have partners explain the idea to each other.

  5. Your turn: Have students try their own. Ask them to predict before they test.

How to run it

  1. Whole classPut the lesson on the board. At each choice the class votes, then you select the winner.
  2. SoloShare the link, QR code, or post to Google Classroom. Each student gets to take their own path.