Week 33

So obviously I got kind of behind on posting my weekly recaps. I'll do my best to remember but it's basically going to be a bunch of links.

I mentioned last time a surface area lesson gone wrong. Here is the retake.

Scientific notation went not as well as I had hoped, especially when it came to multiplication and division rules. In division when you are supposed to subtract the exponents on the base 10, they also wanted to subtract the whole numbers in the numerator and denominator instead of dividing. While multiplying, they remembered to multiply the exponents but forgot to take the whole number to the power. Those pesky whole numbers...

Here is a sheet I created for review and here's the quiz.

Ok, I'm getting overwhelmed and there is no need for me to get panicky about my OWN blogging! So I will just make the rest of this post my algebra links for the rest of the year.

Polys
Polys Notes
Adding and Subtracting Polynomials, Notes
Monomial Polynomial Review Sheet, PPT
Monomial Polynomial Quiz Students had a terrible time labeling the type of polynomials.
Multiplying Monomials and Polynomials, Notes

I taught Box Method instead of FOIL and it worked much better. A couple students preferred FOIL but for the most part, Box Method was simple to understand. Now adding like terms was what tripped them up.

Box Method

I created this box method worksheet and I just loved it. The kids loved multiplying the 5 x 7 polynomials. it could be considered busywork but they loved seeing the patterns that emerged in the exponents and I think doing this one big problem really reinforced the box method itself. They still struggled with adding like terms to get the final answer though. Why is that???

Special Binomial Products, Notes I literally made them use the special formulas even though they begged to use the box method. I don't if it was a mistake to force them to use it or if I should have let them find the patten on their own using box method. But considering they can't add like terms, I don't think they would have ever found any pattern at all. The pitfall here is that they wanted to use a^2 - b^2 for everything.

Polynomial Memory Review Game My lower level class really liked this game.

Finally, the multiplying polynomials quiz.

P.S. I love polys and factoring!

I intro'd factoring with this diamond math puzzle. I made everyone work silently until they figured out the pattern and finished the sheet. A lot of students really struggled when I made them think for more than 30 seconds without giving them answers. I gave no hints, just told them yes or no. A few people literally took the whole hour so I finally gave them the hint along the lines of, what can you do to these two numbers that give you the top and bottom answers. From there, it was easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

Started with this GCF lesson (notes)- they loved it. Why? It was easy  and they already knew how to do it. I always believe that I can break anything down to where it is easily understandable. But can I?

Factoring, Notes

Factoring by Grouping, Notes  I've actually never heard of this method but it was mentioned in 2 of my 3 Algebra textbooks so I went ahead and taught it.

Factoring Negatives, Notes

I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS WORKSHEET. Seriously, I would make out with it. It's not even mine. Someone else thought it up and I would make out with them too. I used it all throughout our factoring unit and we worked on sections of it at time during class, at the beginning, at the end. And I even used activities that I talked about in this post to do it. How bout them apples

Factoring Quiz

The end. Algebra style