Algebra 1 FLEX: 2nd Trimester of Full Year Mastery Method Math (12 weeks)

A full year of rigorous, individualized mastery method middle school Algebra curriculum without the stress or fixed time commitment of trying to schedule live meetings! This is the second session of a FLEXIBLE SCHEDULED year-long Algebra mastery method math course. There are NO live meetings for this class. Pre-recorded videos, interactive google slide presentations and links to Nearpod lessons, Desmos activities and review games will all be posted in the Outschool Classroom, along with weekly homework assignments from the workbook, graded lesson quizzes and special interactive assignments such as math scavenger hunts or emoji puzzles. I will respond to students with detailed video explanations and corrections to homework and quizzes that are turned in, as well as provide written responses. Because of the small class size (8 students maximum), individual attention and individualized instruction is guaranteed!  This is a self paced class with each week's learning materials posted in the classroom at the beginning of the week.

In this second 12-week session, students will gain a deep understanding of linear functions, graphing lines, the slope-intercept formula, and graphing parallel and perpendicular lines. Students will apply what they learned in Part 1 to solve and graph equations through visual slide presentations, interactive Nearpod lessons, student practice, real world problem solving and fun activities and games! Students will also review other key concepts including expressing word problems in algebraic terms, finding fractions and percents of numbers, and working with radicals (finding square roots). 

We will utilize the Outschool Classroom to facilitate interaction and discussion. I will do this by posting critical thinking and math strategy questions, and expecting students to respond to both my questions and each others' responses. In addition to posting completed homework and quizzes, learners will be asked to post a response to the weekly special assignment (scavenger hunts, puzzles, activities or games). This class is the equivalent of a class that meets three times per week, and I recommend that learners split their weekly math workload into at least 2-3 sessions, but learners are free to create their own weekly schedules for completing the work.

This session is Part 2 of a larger series titled, “Algebra 1 FLEX: Full Year Mastery Method Math”. Taken as a whole, this will offer a full year's worth of Algebra I  for the middle school student on an advanced math path; or for older students on a more traditional path or needing extra support and review. This is a Mastery approach to math--each concept will be demonstrated, explained and practiced in a meaningful, in-depth way to achieve full understanding before moving on and connecting to the next topic. This approach is ideal both for students who love math and want to take a deep dive into each concept, as well as anxious math learners who get easily overwhelmed by jumping quickly between concepts and prefer to take their time to fully learn and understand each concept. In both cases, the mastery method can build confidence, create a positive math identity and set students on a trajectory of math success. Because of the small size of this class,  I will be able to give each student the individual attention needed to ensure mastery. Additionally, because this is a FLEX class, students can complete work at their own pace without the stress of comparing themselves to other students. This course is geared towards the middle school student (most typically 8th grade), but because the mastery method builds on previously internalized concepts and skills, specific age or assigned grade level is not as important as the prerequisite foundations of mathematical understanding. 

**Specifically for this class, students should come with a solid number sense for whole numbers (negative and positive), fractions, decimals, and percents, and a thorough grasp of how to apply the four basic operations to each of these, as well as pre-algebra skills such as simple solving for an unknown problems. In addition, for Part 2, students should have completed Part 1 or the equivalent (commutative, associative, and distributive properties; order of operations; solving for the unknown with one variable, basics of cartesian coordinate graphing).

I want my students to feel fully engaged in the learning process--to find meaning, confidence (and yes, even joy!) in mathematical problem solving. To make math fun and engaging, I will be presenting lessons through interactive slides, which will include clear visual representations, virtual manipulatives, and connections to math in the real world. Additionally, I will be using applications such as Nearpod (nearpod.com) and Desmos (desmos.com) to create further opportunities for students to engage with the material and with one another. Activities will include collaborative idea boards, typed or drawn responses, polls, matching games, quizzes, graphing activities, and  embedded games. These activities provide not only engagement and fun for students, but also give me as the teacher the opportunity for ongoing, informal assessment.

On Monday morning of each week, I will post the following week's work. This will include:

1. Recorded video lesson - A recorded visual google slide presentation introducing the week’s math concept through concrete models and real world examples and connections, as well as modeling written practice of the week’s concept using a variety of math strategies
2. A link to the corresponding student-paced Nearpod lesson with practice problems
3. Assignments on desmos.com
4. Assignments on IXL.com
5. A link to a lesson test which students will submit through Google Forms
6. Special assignments (such as math scavenger hunts, emoji puzzles or honors challenge pages) will be assigned
7. Links to fun, individualized practice games such as Blooket games

Students will be expected to:

1. Watch the entire video lesson of the google slide presentation introducing the week’s concept
2. Complete the interactive Nearpod activity (no subscription needed) and all assignments posted, including the lesson test
3. Ask questions via the classroom (written or video) if he or she doesn’t understand something from the video or Nearpod lessons
4. Post either a written, photo, or video response to the Week’s Special Math assignment
5. Make corrections to lesson test

Week-by-Week content for this second 12-week session:

Week 1: 
Lesson 13: Solving Simultaneous Equations 1 (Graphing to find intersection of 2 lines)

Week 2: 
Lesson 14: Solving Simultaneous Equations 2 (Substitution: Graphing to estimate solution, then substitution to find precise answer)
*Special Assignment: Graphing Scavenger Hunt and Emoji Puzzle

Week 3: 
Lesson 15: Solving Simultaneous Equations by Elimination

Week 4:
Lesson 16: Coin Problems: (how many of each kind of coin there are given the amount of money and number of coins)

Week 5:
Lesson 17: Consecutive Integers: Learn to represent relationships between integers (consecutive, consecutive odd/even) with algebraic notation and use to solve equations
*Special Assignment: Create your own coin problem and post it in the classroom; Optional Honors Challenge

Week 6:
Lesson 18: Multiplication and Division with Exponents
       Review: concept of exponents and through guided discovery, use what we know about exponents to discover rules for multiplying and dividing with exponents

Week 7:
Lesson 19: Exponents: Negatives and Raising to a Power

Week 8:
Lesson 20: Addition and Multiplication of Polynomials (combine like terms in addition and subtraction of polynomials, and multiply 2 binomials to get a trinomial)
*Special Assignment: Exponents in the real world scavenger hunt; Exponent Emoji Puzzle

Week 9:
Lesson 21: Factoring Polynomials
     
Week 10:
Lesson 22: Factoring Trinomials with Coefficients

Week 11:
Lesson 23: Factoring Trinomials
       
Week 12:
Lesson 24: Square Roots and Dividing Polynomials