Making Math Accessible for All Students
This post provides details about a handout for simplifying rational monomial expressions. It incorporates a couple strategies to make the simplification of rational monomial expressions more accessible. The strategies include address prerequisites skills ahead of time, chunking, and scaffolding. This incrementally walks the students through the steps. The Pages of the Handout The handout has …
Here is a link to the Intro to Simplifying (no negatives). Link to the Google Slides used to present the simplifying. Link to a Youtube video showing how it works. Link to a Facebook Reel showing how it works.
I have found simplying expressions to be one of the most challenging Algebra 1 topics. This post shows a scaffolded handout approach to simplifying. Scaffolding Like Terms I have attempted to provide a deeper understanding of “like terms” in this post. This handout may be a useful follow up or it may be the entry …
Here is a Facebook Reel showing how the slides are presented. Here is a link to a YouTube video showing how the slides are presented. Here is a link to the Google Slides seen in the video. Make a copy in order to edit.
Here is a Jamboard (see photo at very bottom for how to make a copy to edit) that presents like terms as visual manipulatives and then eases into the symbolic form – the “mathy” stuff. The following shows each slide as is and how it looks after completion. Start with two groups of common items, …
Continue reading “Combining Like Terms – From Concrete to Symbolic Form”
Students start work on solving equations in 6th grade. They work on it in 7th and 8th and into algebra classes in high school and college. Despite this, many struggle at all levels with solving. I have witnessed and heard about this at each level. This post addresses one possible reason, which is the students …
Many students struggle with solving equations. Many struggle with simplifying expressions. Putting these together becomes an algebraic version or Orthrus (brother to the more famous 3-headed dog, Cerberus). This post shares a scaffolded handout to guide students through the process while making sense of each step. Explanation of Handout The first two are mental steps. …
Continue reading “Solve Equations with Like Terms Scaffolded”
Click on a topic to see related blog posts. Go to the Algebra page for algebraic expressions, equations, and linear functions. Integers Proportional Relationships Rates, Ratios, Proportions Fractions Equations and Algebraic Expressions Geometry
Solving systems of equations using the Substitution Method may be the most task intensive algorithm the students learn. It is easy to overlook concepts as the students attempt the numerous steps. This post provides details about a scaffolded handout that guides students through the mental and conceptual steps, as well as the traditional written steps. …
If you find this helpful, maybe consider making a small donation to help build an accessible playscape for children with disabilities. In my experience, many students struggle with translating word problems modeled by a proportional relationship or a linear function into a algebraic expression or equation. (Image below.) Here is a link to a Jamboard …
Continue reading “Group Model for Proportional Relationships and Slope Application”
