Factoring Polynomials 2 + take-home assessment

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Objective

SWBAT solve equations by factoring and using the zero product property.

Big Idea

What does an imagined new TSA security screening machine have to do with the zero product property? Find out in this lesson that pushes students to use simple deductive reasoning.

Lesson Author

Jeff Li MTP

New York, NY

Grade Level

Eighth grade

Subjects

Math

Algebra

Standards

HSA-SSE.A.2

Use the structure of an expression to identify ways to rewrite it. For example, see x4 – y4 as (x2)2 – (y2)2, thus recognizing it as a difference of squares that can be factored as (x2 – y2)(x2 + y2).

MP2

Reason abstractly and quantitatively.

MP6

Attend to precision.

MP7

Look for and make use of structure.

Warm-up

10 minutes

Each day, students complete a Warmup that usually consists of spiraling the previous day's material, in addition to older material. Warm-up problems also sometimes extend lessons that students have encountered before to more unfamiliar contexts.

In today's warm-up, the first question is designed not only to review an old skill, but to prime their brains to figure out today's lesson with less scaffolding from me. I like doing this periodically, which allows the Play of the Day to flow more effectively and naturally (rather than stopping for a quick review, which eats up time and momentum).