The following section contains the unit plan for the “Polynomial Equations and Factoring Chapter” of the Algebra 1 course. This unit has the potential to be very long and has an extensive amount of information, which could, at times, be overwhelming for students.
Because of that, I chose to make it more concise, focusing mostly on teaching the core concepts needed for understanding the main processes and operations, as well as the concepts that will serve as base for future, more complex units they will learn in the Algebra 2 and Pre-Calculus courses.
This unit contains a total of eleven lesson plans designed with accommodation options for students who would like to go either at a faster or slower pace, as well as accommodation ideas for teacher doing remote instruction. Additionally, most of the lessons start with me greeting and welcoming my students into the classroom while playing a silly, and fun, yet informative song about the topic that will be covered that day (the links to the songs are provided in the lesson plans). I believe this is an excellent way to introduce students to a new topic, get their attention, and make them curious about what they are going to learn. According to Whitman and Kelleher (2016), welcoming students with a fun and engaging activity helps them gain interest in the topic, improving their concentration (Whitman & Kelleher, 2016).
During this unit, students will be encouraged to take ownership of their learning process. They will be the ones in charge of finding the information they need and wish to include in their two performance tasks, to demonstrate understanding of the material. The first performance project will be in the middle of the chapter and the other one at the end. They will decide on the format they would like to use, as well as the illustrations they would like to include on their projects. They will also be in charge of choosing the format for their presentation. Allowing students to choose an activity of their preference aids their learning and increases their motivation (Whitman & Kelleher, 2016).
Additionally, students will have the opportunity to work on review worksheets, on examples, exercises, and real-life word-problem applications that will help them practice and be proficient on the topic. As a teacher, I will be present to guide their ideas and to lead short sessions of class lectures and class discussions, to make sure all students are on the same page and to ensure the information they are working with is accurate.
The lessons also contained a not-graded “Do Now” assessment so I can determine where students are in terms of understanding at the beginning of the lesson, and later compare it to the test they take in the middle at the end of the chapter. Even though I do not grade these assessments, they are a great tool to gauge how much the students have learned. The “Do Now” assessments are all different, depending on the material being taught each day.
Furthermore, most classes in this lesson have twenty minutes for me to explain core concepts, present information that needs to be included, or to summarize thoughts and material learned that day, and will end with the students completing an “Exit Ticket” or a “Let’s Quiz Each Other” activity (not graded). Research has shown that giving students the chance to recall information improves learning and helps with consolidation and long-term memorization (Whitman & Kelleher, 2016).