Teacher: Olivia Yancey

Lesson Title: Down the Rabbit Hole

Grade/Subject: 11th grade Algebra 2
Central Focus: The Complex Number System

Content/Common Core Standard(s): 1.) Know there is a complex number i such that i2 =
-1, and every complex number has the form a + bi with a and b real. [N-CN1]
2.) Use the relation i2 = -1 and the commutative, associative, and distributive properties to
add, subtract, and multiply complex numbers. [N-CN2]
3.) (+) Find the conjugate of a complex number; use conjugates to find moduli and quotients
of complex numbers. [N-CN3]
Learning Objectives
Students will develop a deeper understanding of the complex number system by learning the
historical context of imaginary numbers and complex number theories as represented in
Alice in Wonderland. They will be exposed to ways in which literature and math overlap. This
lesson will validate their feelings about the strangeness of the complex numbers and show
them that it is okay to feel that way. Students will draw analogies of Wonderland to the
imaginary numbers, the Mad Hatter and the Hare to the complex numbers, and Tweedle Dee
and Tweedle Dum to complex conjugates.
Academic Language
Vocabulary: imaginary numbers, complex numbers, complex conjugates
Language Function:
Recall what are imaginary numbers, complex numbers, and conjugates.
Discuss the historical context of when the complex number system was introduced.
Relate the reactions of Victorian society to how they feel about imaginary numbers.
Recognize how Lewis Carroll satirizes the complex numbers.

Discourse: Discussion will be held as an entire class and lead by the teacher. Students will be
allowed to ask questions as they arise throughout the lesson.
Monitoring Student Learning: Formal & Informal Assessments prior to, during &
after learning
The lesson is heavily discussion based and will have a reflection-writing component to follow
up the lesson. Student engagement is at the forefront of the assessment. For students who
are unable to do the reflection writing assignment, an alternative one on one conversation
will be set up.
Feedback
This lesson will hopefully improve students vulnerability to the difficulties of math. Do not
discourage students when they ask or answer questions. When a student answers a question
(correct or not) follow up with a question that requires them to think deeper or further
explain themselves as much as possible. On their reflections, write comments and if they
really appear to be struggling with the concepts follow up in person. Let them see that you
care about their feelings towards the subject.
Instructional Resources and Materials:
Sheets to cover the walls and wonderland decorations to transform the room.
Hot water, tea, sugar, honey, and cookies for the tea party
Alice costume.
Wonderland youtube clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHte24GGHD4
Tea party clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msvOUUgv6m8

Tweedle dee and dweedle dum clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksnloU_LXyU

Connection to prior academic learning and requisite skills: This lesson piggybacks off
of learning about the imaginary numbers, which connects to the concept of radicals. It also
has connections to the topics of Victorian history and literature and that of satirical writing.
Connections to cultural/personal/community assets: This lesson will be most effective
when taught in a school where the students have had prior engagement with the story of
Alice whether it is the book, old or new movie.
Instructional Strategies & Learning Tasks that support diverse student needs

Motivation: In the closure of the previous lesson, let the students know that the next day
will be a special lesson that they will not want to miss. Have the room decorated as
wonderland, dress up as Alice, and have a tea party prepared. Also have the desks arranged
in a semi circle where everyone can see the screen/ board for the video. Have ambient,
dreamlike music playing.
Procedure:
Time
Teacher Action (include higher order thinking
Student Action
questions and group strategies)
As students are entering the class, welcome them to Enter the class, probably very
wonderland, have them turn in their homework and
surprised seeing all of the
allow them to sit where they would like. As they are
decorations. They take their
finding their seats, ask if they would like some tea
seats and are served tea and
and cookies.
cookies if they ask for them.
Once students have begun to settle in, begin telling
Students are allowed to ask
the story of Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll). Talk questions as they desire.
about his profession as a math teacher & his roll as a They will probably want to
purist in the math community. Describe how the
chime in with their feelings of
math world during the Victorian period was being
discomfort or confidence
turned on its head with the concepts of the negative about imaginary numbers.
numbers and imaginary numbers. If you remember
how you felt when you first learned of the negative
numbers and now having just learned about the
imaginary numbers, mathematicians such as Charles
Dodgson did not feel much different.
Before we begin to dive into the satirical analogies
Students will volunteer
inside Wonderland, I want to make sure that we are
answers to the discussion
all on the same page. Who can tell me what a satire
questions.
is? What about an analogy?
From your previous experiences with the story of
Alice in Wonderland can you think of any analogies
between the story and math? You dont have to limit
yourselves to the imaginary numbers!
Now there are a ton of different references to math
Students may get up to get
inside Wonderland and if after todays lesson you are more tea and cookies.
interested in knowing more, let me know! I would
love to talk about them with you! Today we are only
going to talk about 3 of them. But first, would

anyone like more tea and cookies?

Lets begin with one that we have already touched
Students may ask question or
on and that is Wonderland itself. (run the
chime in with coments.
Wonderland clip) Wonderland is the direct
representation of the imaginary numbers and
Dodgsons feeling towards them. In Wonderland you
have things that exist in the real world with
completely imaginary, nonsensical components such
as a rabbit in a waistcoat. With imaginary numbers,
lets take the square root of a negative 16, you have
that real component, in this case the 4, and you
multiply it by the imaginary number, the square root
of negative 1. To Dodgson, the imaginary numbers
were just a mad, made up version of the real world.
Now as we are traveling through wonderland we
Students still participate in
happen upon the Mad Hatter and the Hare at their
the discussion
mad tea party. (run the tea party clip) Can anyone
guess what these two represent? The complex
number form a+bi. Personally I think of the Hatter as
the a term because (even though he is crazy) he
could exist in the real world but a talking hare
definitely could not. Now remember you cant have
the Hatter without the Hare much in the same way
that you cant have an imaginary number without it
reducing to the form a+bi.
The final analogy might be the most important to
Same as above.
you as you progress through mathematics. The uses
of conjugates will be something that you will have to
remember how to do! While working with students I
recognized how so many issues could be avoided if
they only remembered what the conjugate (or in our
case today, the complex conjugate) is and how it is
used. As we have talked about before the complex
conjugates are a little bit different than just our
regular square root conjugates in that one CANNOT
exist without the other. We will dive deeper into that
later on in this learning segment though. Today we
are just going to look at their properties. Lucky for us
that there is a wonderful and not so daunting way to
commit it into memory! (run the Tweedle Dee and
Tweedle Dum clip) Just like the complex conjugates
they are exactly the same except for one small thing
one of them is Dee and the other is Dum or in the
case of the numbers, one is positive and the other is
negative. And what is the job of the conjugate? To
make the fractions proper! Just like how Tweedle Dee
and Dum make Alice learn her manners!
Closure: For your homework tonight I would like for you to write a reflection about todays
lesson. Were you shocked to discover all of the hidden math within wonderland? Do you feel

more comfortable about imaginary numbers? Less comfortable? Were you inspired?
Discouraged? Let me know! I look forward to reading them!
How students will reflect on their own learning: The students will reflect on their own
learning concretely by the reflection assignment and then also they will continue to be
reminded of the wonderland characters whenever dealing with the imaginary numbers.
Accommodations/Modification based on IEP or 504 plans: These accommodations will
be made accordingly as to what is outlined and required within the forms.
Differentiation Strategies: For the more advanced classes: Use this lesson as an
opportunity to expose them into deeper complex number theories such as quaternions and
how they are represented within the story.

For the lower achieving classes: Point out what to look for in the clips before showing them
and make commentary when it is actually happening. Also show as many examples to help
draw the parallels between the two worlds as possible, and try not to use as dense language.
Technology Integration to support learning:
Projector, internet access, YouTube clips