Everyone loves math when it includes food! This lesson tries to take the notion of combining like terms in algebra and comparing it to sorting apples and oranges. It takes a step-by-step approach to helping students understand this...

If you think Dr. Seuss has no place in a math classroom, then take a look at this resource. Based on the classic children's book Green Eggs and Ham, this sequence of activities engages children learning to model real-world contexts...

Your algebra learners interpret algebraic expressions, in order to compare their structures, using a geometric context. They also discern how the two expressions are equivalent and represent a pattern geometrically and algebraically.

Learners demonstrate their knowledge pictorially, concretely, and abstractly in this unit meant to last three hours over three days. Using hands-on activities, manipulatives,  real-world applications, and problem...

Help mathematicians see that a formula found in a physics book has an algebraic structure. Though the formula given in the resource looks complicated, learners are to break down the expressions and interpret each part separately....

An interesting way to look at the kitchen floor is to count the number of tiles in the border. Fred starts with four white floor tiles and writes an expression for the number of tiles needed for the colored border. Algebra learners are...

Help young mathematicians crack the code of word problems with this three-lesson series on problem solving. Walking students step-by-step through the process of identifying key information, creating algebraic equations, and finally...

Algebra learners can always relate to ice cream. In this case, a carton of ice cream has been at room temperature for t minutes. Given an expression for the temperature of the ice cream, it is up to your number crunchers to...

Written to assess students' knowledge of interpreting expressions that represent a quantity in terms of its context, this machine-scored task also allows for a good discussion about units guiding the problem solving and solution.

With algebra tiles in hand 7th graders will uncover the wonders of the distributive property of multiplication. They will take a pre-test, define the distributive property, then model and practice using their tiles to solve basic...

Challenge algebra learners to use the difference of cubes to solve this problem. Once your charges have taken out the factor (a - b), combined the like terms and set them equal to zero, the problem becomes a factorable quadratic...

Can your mathematicians come up with an easy way to convert miles to kilometers? Start by asking learners to write an algebraic expression for each of the descriptions given. Once they determine that they are both the same, ask...

This comprehensive unit investigates transformations of quadratics, having learners follow "Optima" through the development and growth of her quilting business. Deftly weaving the story into the mathematical mechanics, the unit gives...

Your young landscapers do concentration calculations in this problem dealing with mixing fertilizer. Learners use and analyze rational expressions within this context.

Here is a straight-forward problem of multiplying two binomials with a twist. It is up to algebra learners to decide how to turn this product of sums into a sum of products. However, it is not the quadratic that is the answer; it is the...

In this worksheet, learners identify the Fundamental Theorem of Algebra. They solve polynomial functions and simplify expressions and equations. 

Collaborative discussions around this retail store problem will be taxing. Calculating discount and tax and the order of the operations are used to motivate an opportunity for learners to make a convincing argument using algebraic...

Each week Mia saves a certain portion of the earnings from her babysitting job. Help her figure out how much she can save this week with a step-by-step presentation on function tables. Given a set of inputs and outputs, the process for...

The amount of tax and tip on a restaurant bill is a common example used in percent problems. Here, learners only know the total amount paid, and they need to figure the itemized amounts. Solutions using a ratio table, using knowledge of...

This algebra learning exercise reviews writing polynomials in standard form from factored form, looks at the graphs of polynomials of degree higher than two, and identifies the zeros of polynomials using the Factor Theorem and...

Your river sportsmen will explore an example of paddling upstream as they build functions modeling speed and time in terms of the speed of the current. They then use their algebraic models to interpret features of the function related to...

Mixture problems are a classic in first-year algebra. Unfortunately, many learners approach them in a formulaic fashion and don't truly understand the meaning of the algebraic expressions they are using. Here, the questions are not the...

When it comes to rating educational calculators, this calculator is always near the top of this list. Now it's available as an app. There is a lot of calculator power wrapped up in this app. Not only is this a fully functioning...

Please excuse my dear Aunt Sally! Sort of like an animated slide show, this lesson walks fifth graders through the order of operations. Also included are a sing-along karaoke video, key vocabulary with definitions, and a seven-question...