Intro to Factoring Prezi


This week we started factoring trinomials in Algebra 2. My students really seemed to enjoy this introduction to factoring Prezi. 

I gave my students a simple answer sheet where they recorded each problem, their work and their final factored forms. 

Every one of the 10 factoring problems had positive B and C. Later in the week I introduced negatives but this Intro Prezi was as much for practice as it was for building trinomial factoring confidence. 

By spending a little extra time on positive B and C trinomials my students seemed to feel more confident when I threw negatives into the mix.

Simplified Factoring
Factoring Notes Simplified

After the Prezi we got right into our simplified factoring notes. My students did really well this year with this tough topic when it was broken down day by day. 

Here is the way we learned how to factor:

Day 1: The intro Prezi
Day 2: Trinomials with positive B and positive C
Day 3: Trinomials with negative B and positive C
Day 4: Trinomials with negative C
Day 5: Binomials and Trinomials with GCFs
Day 6: Differences of squares with and without GFCs

By breaking it down into 6 days my students never got overwhelmed and none gave up (like they have in previous years). I was really impressed this year by the effort they put in and their ability to pick up this tough topic!

You can find the 10-question zooming Prezi here on Prezi. 

Factoring quadratics digital math escape room

I like presenting trinomials as areas so that students can make the link back to areas of rectangles. So in this factoring quadratics digital math escape room, I gave students the trinomial areas of rectangles and one side, asking them to find the binomial length of the missing side. Students then find their 4 answers in the grid and type in their 4-letter code to move onto puzzle #2.


Related post: Fun With Quadratics




7 comments:

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  2. Thanks so much for sharing your Prezi! My students really struggled with factoring in the beginning. Between your Prezi and the notes, the students began to understand it. I appreciate you sharing how you broke down the topic. It was helpful for all of us to break it down into multiple days. Students also really enjoyed the factoring pennants! They were a great way for students to practice their newly learned skills while working together. Thanks again for sharing your ideas and resources!

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    1. I am so happy to hear it helped! Factoring was SO HARD for my students but taking it one step at a time helped them feel more confident. I hope you ate having a great school year! - Shana

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    2. You too! I use your ideas and materials all the time! I am a first year teacher so reading your posts is very helpful. Your experiences give me confidence going into my lessons and help me feel like I know what I am doing. Thanks again so much for sharing your thoughts and experiences!

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    3. Really it's my honor that you even read my silly little blog! :) I hope that you are having a great first year and that you reach out if you ever need anything. I mean it! scaffoldedmath@gmail.com

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  3. This Prezi is great! Can I ask what the QR codes on your pennant activity are for?

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    1. Thanks so much! The QR codes are programmed with the answers, so when you scan them with a QR code scanning app the answer appears on your screen. They're meant to be a quick way for teachers to check answers before each pennant is hung up in the classroom.

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