Year 9 Maths Lesson Plan: Like Terms and Unlike Terms

Overview

This lesson plan is designed for Year 9 students in a New Zealand school and focuses on the concepts of like terms and unlike terms in algebra. It aligns with the New Zealand Curriculum's mathematics and statistics learning area, specifically aiming at Level 4 and beginning Level 5, emphasizing algebraic processes and thinking (NZC, Mathematics Standards).

This 60-minute session will engage students through a variety of instructional strategies including direct teaching, individual work, and interactive group activities to ensure understanding and application of the concepts taught.

Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

1. Define and identify like and unlike terms in algebraic expressions.
2. Simplify expressions by combining like terms.
3. Demonstrate understanding through verbal explanation and solving problems on the whiteboard.

Materials Needed

• Whiteboard and markers
• Maths notebooks and pencils for each student
• Printed worksheets
• Laptop and projector for presentation
• Set of algebraic expression cards for group activity (prepared in advance)

Standards Alignment

• Aligns with the New Zealand Curriculum, Level 4-5 Mathematics: applying basic algebraic techniques, properties, and processes to solve problems (NZ Curriculum Online).

Lesson Plan Details

Introduction (10 minutes)

• Warm-up activity: Start with a short mental arithmetic drill on basic algebraic simplification problems not involving like terms.
• Objective sharing: Briefly outline the goals of the lesson.

**Teacher Activity:**
Explain the terms 'like' and 'unlike' terms using simple examples and non-examples on the board. For instance, highlight 3x and 5x as like terms, while 3x and 5y are unlike terms.

Main Activity (35 minutes)

Part 1: Concept Reinforcement (15 minutes)

• Direct Instruction:
  • Use a presentation to show how terms are considered 'like' if they contain the same variable raised to the same power.
  • Display example problems and solve them by combining like terms.
• Worksheet Activity:
  • Distribute worksheets containing exercises on identifying and combining like terms.
  • Students work individually to complete the worksheets. Circulate to provide support as needed.

**Interactive Strategy:**
Ask students to come up to the whiteboard in turns to solve one problem each, explaining their reasoning to the class.

Part 2: Group Activity (20 minutes)

• Algebraic Expression Sort:
  • Divide students into small groups.
  • Each group receives a set of cards with different algebraic terms.
  • Task: Quickly sort the cards into piles of like and unlike terms.
  • Discussion: Groups explain their sorting strategy and present their findings.

Conclusion (15 minutes)

• Review and Recap:
  • Invite students to share what they learned about like and unlike terms.
  • Highlight common mistakes and clarify any misunderstandings.
• Exit Ticket:
  • Each student writes down the definition of like terms and provides one example of combining like terms.

**Reflective Closure:**
Ask students how this learning might apply to more complex algebraic work in the future, fostering connections to forthcoming topics.

Assessment

• Formative Assessment: Observations during group activities and worksheet responses.
• Summative Assessment: Exit ticket responses will be used to gauge individual student understanding.

Additional Resources

• For extra practice, students can access interactive algebra exercises on NZ Maths, which are aligned with the New Zealand mathematics curriculum.
• Teachers can find additional guidance and materials on algebra topics at Te Kete Ipurangi (TKI).

This lesson plan is crafted to engage Year 9 students actively in learning about and applying the concepts of like and unlike terms, foundational to further studies in algebra.