Unit 4 covers rates of change in motion problems and other contexts, related rate problems, linear approximation, and L’Hospital’s Rule. (CED – 2019 p. 82 – 90). These topics account for about 10 – 15% of questions on the AB exam and 6 – 9% of the BC questions.
You may want to consider teaching Unit 5 (Analytical Applications of Differentiation) before Unit 4. Notes on Unit 5 will be posted next Tuesday September 29, 2020
Topics 4.1 – 4.6
Topic 4.1 Interpreting the Meaning of the Derivative in Context Students learn the meaning of the derivative in situations involving rates of change.
Topic 4.2 Linear Motion The connections between position, velocity, speed, and acceleration. This topic may work better after the graphing problems in Unit 5, since many of the ideas are the same. See Motion Problems: Same Thing, Different Context
Topic 4.3 Rates of Change in Contexts Other Than Motion Other applications
Topic 4.4 Introduction to Related Rates Using the Chain Rule
Topic 4.5 Solving Related Rate Problems
Topic 4.6 Approximating Values of a Function Using Local Linearity and Linearization The tangent line approximation
Topic 4.7 Using L’Hospital’s Rule for Determining Limits of Indeterminate Forms. Indeterminate Forms of the type 
Topic 4.1 and 4.3 are included in the other topics, topic 4.2 may take a few days, Topics 4.4 – 4.5 are challenging for many students and may take 4 – 5 classes, 4.6 and 4.7 two classes each. The suggested time is 10 -11 classes for AB and 6 -7 for BC. of 40 – 50-minute class periods, this includes time for testing etc.
This is a re-post and update of the third in a series of posts from last year. It contains links to posts on this blog about the differentiation of composite, implicit, and inverse functions for your reference in planning. Other updated post on the 2019 CED will come throughout the year, hopefully, a few weeks before you get to the topic.
Posts on these topics include:
Motion Problems
Motion Problems: Same Thing, Different Context
Related Rates
Good Question 9 – Related rates
Linear Approximation
L’Hospital’s Rule
Determining the Indeterminate 2
Here are links to the full list of posts discussing the ten units in the 2019 Course and Exam Description.
Limits and Continuity – Unit 1 (8-11-2020)
Definition of t he Derivative – Unit 2 (8-25-2020)
Differentiation: Composite, Implicit, and Inverse Function – Unit 3 (9-8-2020)
Contextual Applications of the Derivative – Unit 4 Consider teaching Unit 5 before Unit 4 THIS POST
LAST YEAR’S POSTS – These will be updated in coming weeks
2019 – CED Unit 5 Analytical Applications of Differentiation Consider teaching Unit 5 before Unit 4
2019 – CED Unit 6 Integration and Accumulation of Change
2019 – CED Unit 7 Differential Equations Consider teaching after Unit 8
2019 – CED Unit 8 Applications of Integration Consider teaching after Unit 6, before Unit 7
2019 – CED Unit 9 Parametric Equations, Polar Coordinates, and Vector-Values Functions
2019 CED Unit 10 Infinite Sequences and Series
Teaching Calculus 