Lesson Plan Design

Subject: Mathematics – Algebra 1 Grade: High School

Lesson Topic: Identifying Parts of an Expression

Common Core State Standard: A-SSE 1a. Interpret parts of an expression, such as terms,
factors, and coefficients.
Lesson Objective: What do you want students to know at the end of the lesson?
Students will be able to: define and identify the parts of a expression such as the terms,
coefficients, and degrees.

Mathematical Practices: Only include those that apply to your standard. Give rationale

for your choices. How will these be demonstrated?

The mathematical practices that apply for the standard are MP.1, MP.2, MP.6, and MP.7.

In mathematical practice one, it states that that students will look to analyze given information to

develop strategies for solving the problem. While the students in the lesson are not solving

problem, they are analyzing the available information to accurately classify the expression,

identify the degree, and write in standard form by ordering the degrees from greatest to lowest.

Mathematical practice two connects to the standard as students recognize that a number

represents a specific quantity. As students are learning to classify expression, they will need to

recognize and understand that x and x2 are different terms because they have different degrees (or

exponent). They will demonstrate this by correctly identifying the expression and write it in

standard form. In mathematical practice six, students will need to use clear and precise language

to define words such as a term, like terms, coefficient, degree, standard form, and the different

types of expressions (monomial, binomial, trinomial, and polynomial). Students will be given a

chance to showcase their knowledge by answering orally during the planned activity. Students

will be given a words to define and expressions to identify. They will need to explain their

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reasoning and use specific vocabulary from the lesson. Lastly, mathematical practice seven

conditions that students look for and make use of structure. In the lesson, students will learn the

different parts of the expression and will apply their learning during the activity. Students will

need to pay close attention to the structure of the expression, recognize the number of terms, and

how standard form is written.

Assessment: What do you want students to be able to do and how? Rationale for assessment

criteria needs to include references from your readings and the Math Frameworks.

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to define identify the different parts of the

expression such as the degree of polynomials and the coefficients. Students will also be able to

classify polynomials by number of terms, simplify and write polynomials in standard form.

Students will demonstrate their understanding of the material through a formative assessment in

the form of a game. In Mathematics Framework, formative assessments are used in providing

evidence to adapt the teaching to meet the needs of the students. During the game activity, I will

better understand where the students are having difficulty and focus my instruction to trouble

areas.

Students will be asked to respond to various questions that relate to the previous lesson

such as defining vocabulary words, writing into standard form, classifying expressions, and

identifying degrees and like terms. For the activity, students will be separated into groups of five.

Each team will be given a buzzer and the first team to hit the buzzer will be given a chance to

answer. I will randomly choose a student from the group to answer and the student has five –

seven seconds talk to their team. After time is given, the student chosen say their answer orally.

All other students who are not responding orally must answer and show their response via the

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whiteboards. The whiteboards responses will allow me to see if the students are understanding

the material. If the team is correct, they receive praise and two point for their team. If they are

incorrect or students are not responding correctly via whiteboards, no points are given and I will

ask a student to explain the correct answer in their own words before going over the problem. In

Classroom Assessment: Minute by Minute, the author emphasizes using students as instructional

resources for one another. In helping one another improve understanding and clarify concepts,

students will receive feedback and be able to communicate the material better for one another.

Learning Opportunities: What resources are you going to use for this lesson (e.g.,

manipulatives, group work, cooperative learning)? Rationale:

During the activity, I will utilize cooperative learning. Students will be working together

in their teams to answer as many questions as possible to win points for their teams. The groups

will contain students at different mathematical levels and needs. As students participate in the

activity, they will help each order work through questions and clarify troubling concepts. In their

groups, every students’ contributions add to the understanding of all group members. In

observations, students to working in groups rose class participation levels. During the activity,

students will be answering a question on their own but they will have an opportunity to check in

with their teammates or ask for help. By collaborating with their teams, students will be able to

better understand the concepts. In Assessments that Promote Collaborative Learning, the author

notes how discussions help students validate and question feedback to peers. Students will be

encouraged to explain their rationale of their response when answer variation is occurring. In

Narrowing Participation Gaps, strategy one suggests the idea to organize mathematical

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contributions by asking students to express their responses in their own words. Students will

have received varied explanation and allow for more active participation.

Resources/Technology: What materials and or technology are you going to need for this

lesson?

The materials I will utilize for this lesson are the document camera, different color pens,

laminated classroom number line, flash cards with various questions, whiteboards, markers, and

answering buzzers The document camera will be needed when I will be writing notes for

students to copy. It will provide an opportunity to zoom in and out as necessary for student who

need greater magnification. Also, different color pens will be used to color code notes to help

students identify the degree of the polynomial and highlight the key ideas of the vocabulary.

Additionally, I will use a laminated number line displayed on the class whiteboard. Students will

be asked to identify the given exponents in the expression. We will then order the exponents on

the number line for students to visually order them from greatest to lowest. During the activity,

flashcards will be needed to quickly swap out questions under the document camera. Also,

whiteboards and markers will be needed for each student to respond and show their answers in

real time to ensure the students understanding of the material. Lastly, answering buzzers will be

used to make the activity fun and engaging.

Focus Student’s Attention:

1. How are you going to focus students’ attention at the beginning of the period?

I will get the the students’ attention at the beginning of the period by having a

warm up ready on the board for students to complete as they walk into class. Students

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 will be asked to write two examples of whole numbers, integers, irrational and rational

numbers. This pre-assessment will allow me to gauge levels and give the class a chance

to review these topics as polynomials contain real numbered coefficients and required

positive exponents. After reviewing the warm-up, we will move onto the lesson.

2. How are you going to manage student behavior for the rest of the class period?

Before the activity, I will ask students to read aloud the directions and

expectations for the activity. Due to the nature of the game, I expect there to be higher

noise level and a lot of movement. However, if students become too loud or disorderly, I

will use the clapping method to gain the students attention. Afterwards, students will be

asked to read out loud the rules again before returning to the game.

3. What problems do you anticipate with this lesson?

I anticipate students having difficulty identifying the the degree of the monomial

and polynomial. I will address this by clearly explaining how the degree of the monomial

is found (adding the power of all the variables) and polynomials (ordering the degree of

each team and color coding the greatest degree). Students may also have trouble writing

the expression in standard form when there are two variables. I will attempt to address

this issue by providing examples of expressions with two variables and illustrate its

similarities to an expression with one variable. Students will also be able to receive

feedback and help from their team. Additionally, students may become too loud and

rowdy due to the nature of the activity. When this occurs, I will gain the students’

attention by saying “clap once if you can hear me” and then “clap twice if you can hear

me.” After gaining their attention, students will need to read the rules and will be

reminded to keep the noise level down so we can continue with the game.

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Prior Knowledge: How are you going to use information that students already know to form a

foundation for introducing new concepts? (What perquisite skills necessary for them to be

successful in this lesson?)

Students must be able to identify different number sets such natural numbers, irrational

numbers, whole numbers, integers, and rational numbers. Additionally, students must be able to

compare numbers and order them from greatest to least. Students also must be able to add and

subtract variables with exponents to reach their simplest form.

Differentiated Instruction: How are you going to differentiate the lesson for all students,

including English Language Learners (ELLs) and students with special needs?

During lecture, English Language Learners and students with special needs will be given

fill in the blank notes to allow them to follow along with the class more efficiently. When

classifying polynomials by term during the lesson, I will translate basic words in their language

and use hand gestures to show how many terms a monomial, binomial, trinomial and polynomial

have in the expression for the ELLs. For instance, if students spoke Spanish I will say monomial

has one term (uno) and hold up one finger or trinomial has three terms (tres) and hold up three

fingers. I will expect all my students to follow along and respond using hand gestures as well. By

translating the words and visually showing the number, I hope the ELLs and students with

special needs will be able to accurately classify the expressions by terms. The visual aspect will

also prove useful with helping the students with special needs. When identifying the degree of

the polynomial, I will clearly define it as the greatest degree or exponent of the expression. I will

translate the word degree and greatest in order for the students to understand in their language.

Similarly, when teaching how to write standard form of a polynomial, I will specify that the

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terms are placed from greatest to lowest degree and translate the phrase “greatest to lowest

degree.” To illustration to greatest to lowest, I will place the degree of each term on a number

line on the board to showcase to the ELLs and special needs students which degree will be

written first, second, third until we reach the last number.

During the activity, parts of the question will be translated and displayed for the English

language learners to participate in the activity. The ELLs will also have additional time to speak

to their team and answer. For students with special needs, they will be told ahead of time when

they will be called on to answer and given the type of question they will receive on the board. As

learned in the F.A.T. city, students with special needs may need more time to mentally prepare

and give an answer due to various reasons such as anxiety or a processing issue. Therefore,

during the activity, students with special needs will be given more time to seek guidance from

their team and respond as well.

Learning Styles: How does your lesson address the needs of the visual, auditory, and

kinesthetic learners?

The lesson addresses auditory learners as the information will be given orally during

lecture and they will be able to participate by giving out an answer out loud. Visual learners will

be able see the teacher make hand gestures to differentiate the classes of expressions as well as

see the degrees from greatest to lowest on the number line. Lastly, kinesthetic learners will be

able to use their fingers to show the type of expression given during the lesson and they will be

able to write on the white board and tap the buzzer during the activity.

Model: How are you going to model for students what you expect them to be able to do? What

should the finished instructional activity look like?

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 Before moving into the activity, I will explain the instructions of the game and ask for

four student volunteers to help model the activity. The students will be separated into teams of

two. I will tell the students that I will be placing a card on the document camera and the team

who taps the buzzer first will have an opportunity to respond. I will remind students that they

have five – seven seconds to talk to their team. If the student answers correctly, they will receive

two point for their team. If they answer incorrectly, no points will be awarded and another team

has an opportunity to answer for one point. After modeling students will be placed into teams of

four and the game will begin. Throughout the activity, students will be expected to respond to

each question via individual whiteboards. The finish instructional activity should have all

students collaborating with their team and engaging in the activity by answering orally or via

boards.

Guided Practice: How are students going to demonstrate their understanding of the lesson

objectives(s)

Students will have the ability to demonstrate their understanding throughout most of the

activity. When teams buzz in, I will randomly choose which student will respond. Based on their

response, I will be able to analyze if the student is understanding the lesson. Additionally, I will

be able to see if individual students are struggling based on their individual whiteboard

responses. Furthermore, since each card asks a different type of question (definition,

classification, or identification of different parts of an expression), I will adept in determining

where students are struggling in the lesson and be able to address those issues.

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Checking for Understanding: What strategies and/or activities are you going to use to

determine whether students are ready to do similar work on their own? Justify using the articles

and or Math Framework covered in class.

During the activity, students will be answering via whiteboards when their team is not

chosen as a form of formative assessment. As stated in Assessment Chapter of Mathematics

Framework, formative assessments are an accountability tool to determine if learning has

occurred. If students are having difficulty in responding, the assessment will signal that students

may not be ready to work on their own and further explanation is needed. Similarly, if students

are responding accurately, the assessments will indict students may be ready to work

independently. Also, students will be expected to rely their understanding of the material explain

their answer. In Building a Better Teacher, they illustrate the importance of having students

elaborate and think deeply about their answer. When students are able to explain their responses,

in their own words, this will be a sign that students have a good understanding of the lesson.

[Ongoing Feedback: How are you going to provide your students with ongoing feedback and

assistance during the guided practice? Justify using the articles and or Math Framework covered

in class.

During the activity, students will have an opportunity to help each other by explaining

why an answer is correct or incorrect. As read in Classroom Assessment: Minute by Minute,

when students receive feedback from peers they are often more engage and open to hear their

explanation. Additionally, when students are providing feedback they are forced to engage and

organize their own understanding of the material. Also it serves as a reinforcement of their own

knowledge. Throughout the activity, I will provide students with positive feedback when they

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give their answer and explanation. Moreover, I will be keeping notes on students on what they

are performing well and need improvement on to address any confusion students may have,

(Mathematics Framework, 2015). I will provide students with what I have identified on their exit

slips when they are returned.

Formal/Informal Assessment (Post-Test): How will you determine whether students have

mastered the objective? Justify using the articles and or Math Framework covered in class.

After we are finished with the day’s lesson, students will need to answer an exit slip with

one question on the lesson and asked to reflect on their learning. In Formative Assessment at

Work in the Classroom, it illustrates how exit slips can be an effective way for students to access

their own understanding of the content. By doing so, students will help the teachers in guiding

instruction and take responsibility for their education. Furthermore, the students will be given a

small quiz at the end of the week on the material learned in this lesson. The information gathered

from the quiz will be used to inform me if the students understanding topics and signal if a

change needs to be made to future instruction, (Mathematics Frameworks, 2015).

Closure: What opportunities will you provide for students to reflect on what they have learned?

Students will be given an exit slip where they will be given an expression such as: – 6x4 –

x3 +4x5 + 8. Students will be required to write it in standard form, and circle the degree of the

polynomial. Furthermore, I will ask students to reflect on the day’s lesson and specify their

strength and possible areas of improvements in the lesson.

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Independent Practice: What independent practice activities will you provide for students to

practice what they have learned in class? (Note: These activities assume that students

understand the concept well enough to work on their own.)

Students will be given a handout and expected to complete a series of questions similar to

activity and closure. The independent practice will have students simplify expressions through

addition and subtracting before being able to classify or write the expression in standard form.

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 Lesson Vocabulary

Standard: A-SSE 1a. Interpret parts of an expression, such as terms, factors, and coefficients.
Objective: Students will be able to define and identify the parts of a polynomial such as the
terms, coefficients, and exponents.
Definitions
A term consists of either a single number or variable, or numbers and variables
multiplied together and are separated by addition or subtraction.
Examples: 12, 4x2, 15x5y3, x2

A coefficient is a number followed by a variable.

(number in front of the variable)
Examples: 4x2, -5y3, ¼x πm2

Like Terms have the same variables and each variable has the same degree.
Examples: 3x, 2x, and -6x
5xy3 and 7xy3

A polynomial is an expression that is the sum or difference of one or more

monomials with real coefficients and nonnegative integer exponents.
Example: 9x3 + 2x2 +3x – 1
Polynomials with two or three terms are often used so they have special names.

A monomial is a polynomial with one term.

Examples: 3x -6y2 8m4n2
A binomial is a polynomial with two terms.
Examples: x+3 a2 – b2 7 – cd
A trinomial is a polynomial with three terms.
Examples: 7x2 – 3x + 5 a2 + 2ab + b2 ab + bc + cd

The degree of a polynomial is the largest exponent of the leading coefficient (helps
to put the polynomial in standard form).
A polynomial is in standard form when the terms are ordered from highest
exponent (degree) to lowest exponent (degree).
Degree of the polynomial is 5

Example: [4x5]– 6x4 – x3 + x2 +6x+ 8

Leading coefficient is 4

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Standard form with two variables: The variables are ordered by from highest to
lowest degree based on the degree of each term. If two terms have the same degree
it will be order alphabetically.
The degree of both the polynomials is 5

Example: -2x4y4 – 5x4y + 9x2y3 – 12

The degree of the polynomial is 8

Activity instructions:
1. Students will be divided into teams of five
a. Each team will have designated buzzer!
2. Once students are ready, a card will be displayed on the
document camera. The first team to hit the buzzer will be
given a chance to respond.
a. Students will have five to seven seconds to talk with
their team before giving an answer.
b. I will then choose who will respond orally.
3. All other students who are not responding orally must answer and show
their response via the whiteboards.
4. If the team is correct, they will receive two points.
5. If the team is incorrect, the question is up for other teams
to answer for one point.

The team with the most points wins!

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 Homework
Name ________________
Worksheet Period ________________
Date ________________

Review
Identify if the expressions are like terms. If yes, add them.
1. 10x 3x2 ___________ __________________

2. -9xy 2yx _______________ ________________________

Guess Who?
Figure out the riddle with term, coefficient, like terms.

3. I include numbers and letters what am I? ___________________

4. I am a number followed by a variable, what am I? __________________
5. I am separated by addition & subtraction, what am I? ________________

Classify these expressions.

6. a – b _____________________
7. 3m _____________________
8. 3n2 + 2n + 5 _____________________

Identify the degree of each monomial and the coefficient.

9. ½ y5 __________ ___________
10. πt2 __________ ___________
11. 2qp __________ ___________
12. 3x23y3 __________ ___________

Write each polynomial in standard form. Then, identify the leading coefficient.
13. -8 – 4r3 + 6r + r2 ________________________
_________

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14. 3x3 + 2x2 + 6x14 ________________________ _________

Write each polynomial in standard form. Then, identify the degree of the
polynomial.
15. 7 + 2x2 – 4x4 ________________________ _________
16. -15g14 17g12+ 16g13 – 4________________________ _________

Simplify and write in standard form.

17. (7x2 + 3x + 9) + (2x2 + 5x – 2)

______________________________________

18. (-4x3 + 6x + 1) + (5x2 – x – 12)

______________________________________

19. (4x2 + 3xy – y) + (x2 – 8xy – 2y2)

__________________________________________________

20. (x3y + 3x2y2 + 2xy3) + (2x3y – 9x2y2 – xy3)

_____________________________________

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