Algebra II scholars will flip over a unit that introduces them to polynomials and follows Common Core standards. The first lesson models how to use the distributive property to multiply polynomials and factor trinomials by grouping. Learners view a video that shows shortcuts to a grouping when presented with a difference of squares or when the leading coefficient is one. Pupils learn that factoring by grouping is helpful when working with polynomials with four terms. The next lesson focuses on using the long division of polynomials to help find factors of higher degree polynomials and how to find all the factors of a polynomial. In the fourth lesson, pupils find out how to solve a polynomial equation by factoring to find the zeroes. To review key aspects of skills learned about polynomials, individuals complete 20 problems. They then demonstrate what they have learned by finding the possible side lengths of a rectangle whose area is expressed as a polynomial.
