Combining Those Like-able Terms

Class Description: There are 26 students in this 6th grade standard mathematics class. There are

12 females and 14 males coming from multiple ethnic backgrounds including Caucasian and

African American. There are 3 students with Individualized Education Plans who receive a

combination of the following accommodations: visual cues, chunking, shortened/modified

assignments, text to speech, extended time, frequent breaks, preferential seating, reduced

distractions and choices for tasks.

Lesson Topic: Combining Like Terms

Prior Knowledge: The students have recently learned how to evaluate expressions, with a focus

on using the order of operations to correctly simplify the expressions.

Alignment:

Standard Objective Assessment Activity(ies)

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT. I can give missing The students will be Introduction Activity:
6.EE.A.2.B addends and able to complete an Drill
Identify parts of an expression using factors in exit ticket on Activity 1: Review
mathematical terms (sum, term, product, equations, state combining like Homework and
factor, quotient, coefficient). the property used, terms and stating Homework Quiz
and combine like correct the property Activity 2: Cart Sort +
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT. terms. Foldable
used.
6.EE.A.4 Activity 3: Combining
Identify when two expressions are equivalent Like Terms Practice
(i.e. when two expressions name the same Worksheet
number regardless of which value is Closing Activity: Exit
substituted into them). Ticket

Materials Needed: prepared PowerPoint; projector/screen; document camera; colored pencils,

homework quiz “Evaluating Expressions” (26); premade foldables (26); “Combining Like Terms

Practice” worksheet (26); “Combining Like Terms Homework” worksheet (26); Exit Ticket (26);
random objects cards baggies (8); envelopes of commutative property matching cards (8);

envelopes of associative property matching cards (8)

Technology Integration/Needs: The teacher will use PowerPoint and the projector to show the

prepared PowerPoint to students throughout the lesson.

Lesson Procedure:

Introduction Activity:

Time Allotted: 10 minutes

Description: The teacher will have the drill from the PowerPoint displayed on the board

as the students walk in. The teacher will tell the students to “begin working on the drill

and have your homework out from yesterday for me to check”. The students will work on

the drill in their math notebooks as the teacher comes around and checks who has

completed the homework. Afterwards, the teacher will go over the drill questions, having

students volunteer to explain their answer and how they got to the answer.

Adaptations: The teacher will verbally state the drill questions from the PowerPoint (text

to speech) as well as potentially have the student(s) complete one of the two drill

questions (shortening assignment).

Transition: The teacher will tell the students to “put away your drill and have your

homework in front of you”.

First Main Activity:

Time Allotted: 10 minutes

Description: The teacher will review the homework answers with the students as the

students who completed their homework check their work. Students who did not

complete the homework are not permitted to copy answers. Students should provide the
 answers to the class, and the teacher will answer any questions or confusions from

students on the homework. Afterwards, the students will individually complete their daily

homework quiz, in which they are allowed to use their notes and/or homework if they

completed it.

Adaptations: The teacher will read allowed the homework answers as well as visually

show on the document camera what homework question is being discussed for the

student to follow along (visual cues and text-to-speech). The teacher will also read aloud

questions on homework quiz as necessary (text-to-speech). Extended time will be given

to various students with IEP’s as needed.

Transition: The teacher will tell the students to “put your homework quiz in the ‘to be

graded’ section of your table folder” as the teacher gives each table an envelope (labeled

‘CP).

Second Main Activity:

Time Allotted: 25 minutes

Description: The teacher will ask the students to “find the matches in these group of

cards. There will be one of each color in each match!”. The teacher will give the students

approximately 3 minutes to do so (teacher will pass out foldables as the students do this),

before having students share some of their matches. The teacher will then ask what the

students notice about each match. Student responses may be “the numbers are switched”

or “the numbers are in different orders on the card”. Then the teacher will ask “does the

order of the numbers change the sum or product?” in which the students should respond

“no”. The teacher will share that this is the commutative property of addition and

multiplication, which leads into the first set of notes on the foldable. The teacher will
 model what to write on the foldable as the students follow along and replicate on their

foldable. Then, the teacher will repeat the above steps for the associative property of

addition and multiplication exploration (pass out other set of envelopes labeled “AP”,

students match, discuss and write on foldable). The teacher hand out one last set of cards

for students to sort (“random objects cards”) and will ask the students to “work with your

table to sort the cards in the baggie into groups and be prepared to explain why you

grouped your cards that way!”. The teacher will give the students approximately 3

minutes to do so, walking around and monitoring students. After 3 minutes, the teacher

will ask a few groups to share how they sorted their cards and why. Ideally, the students

will state that they grouped/combined similar items together. This will lead into the

discussion of combining terms that are similar to each other, along with additional

vocabulary words to add to the foldable including: terms, coefficient and constant.

Adaptations: The teacher will model where to write notes on foldable (visual cues) as

well as chunk the notes on the foldable. The teacher may also have the student(s) write

shorter amount of notes on foldable (modifying assignment).

Transition: The teacher will pass out the worksheet titled “Combining Like Terms

Practice Sheet” as the students gather the correct colored pencils.

Third Main Activity:

Time Allotted: 20 minutes

Description: The teacher will model the first few problems on the worksheet with the

students, having the students use colored pencils to put either circles or squares around

the like terms in the various expressions. The students should follow along, sharing with

the teacher what the like terms are, what the unlike terms are and what the final
 simplified expression would be. The teacher will do this for the first three problems on

the worksheet, then give the students time to try the last three individually. After

approximately 6 minutes, the teacher will regroup and ask students to share their answers

for the last three problems and how they arrived at their answer.

Adaptations: The teacher will state the problems aloud (text-to-speech) as well as model

where to circle or underline like terms on the document camera for the student to follow

along (visual cues). The teacher may also have the student complete one or two of the

three practice problems individually (shortening assignment).

Transition: The teacher will pass out the exit ticket as the students put their colored

pencils away.

Closing Activity:

Time Allotted: 5 minutes

Description: The students will complete a short exit ticket that accesses their

understanding of identifying the proper property as well as combing like terms on a

simple expression. The students are allowed to use their notes as a guide as they complete

the exit ticket. The teacher will pass out the students’ homework as they walk around to

monitor students and assist as necessary.

Adaptations: The teacher will read questions on exit ticket aloud to student if needed as

well as giving students extended time as necessary on IEP.

Safety Valve: If there is extra time before the exit ticket, the teacher will have the students create

their own expression in their notebook involving like terms that needs to be simplified and then

switch with a partner and have the partner work to simplify their expression.