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These handy free printable school cheat sheets are a great way to refresh memories and have on hand for quick reference.

I mentioned the "airplane" method for factoring in a recent post. Someone asked me what that was, so I thought I'd share. I have seen a lot of methods for factoring a quadratic with a leading coefficient. Out of the ones I've tried, this is my favorite. The analogy to an airplane is a bit of a stretch, but students seem to remember it pretty well. So I'll take it. I should also mention that, before I show this to students, I always spend some time letting them work on these by trial and error. I figure a process like this is worthless if they don't actually understand what they are doing. Once I feel like students understand the concept but they are still struggling to get every problem to work, I show them this. We treat it like a shortcut, and boy do they appreciate it! Here is an example: First, my students know they will need two binomials, so I start with two sets of parenthesis. Then I put the leading coefficient in each parenthesis. Hopefully, the students have a problem with this. We talk about why it is a problem, and I promise them that we will get rid of the extra 2 before we're all done. Then, multiply a and c. (See the airplane wings? Use your imagination.) Look for two numbers with product ac and sum b. (Propeller? I know this is really a stretch.) Put those numbers in the parenthesis. Divide the extra 2. (The landing? Maybe.) It is pretty cheesy, but when students are having trouble I can say something like "you forgot the landing", and they know what I mean. Done. For something like this, you may need to divide both binomials. I point out how dividing by 3 and by 2 is the same as dividing by 6. We just choose the division that will keep integers. Happy factoring!

Mathematics is used to communicate information about a wide range of different subjects...

Are your students reluctant to learn multiplication? Do you find that your students are struggling to understand the basics? I’ve watched far too many kids walk through the door of my class…

Learn to multiply binomials by using the foil method

Are you looking for some real world practice to teach the Pythagorean Theorem? This set of Pythagorean Theorem practice is a great way to help kids see its importance and relevance in life. Kids do well with math problems that they can relate to, or at least ones that would make sense in their worldviews. This post shares some understanding of what it means and how to apply it to solve problems.

This study guide is a must have reference when teaching and reviewing for the Texas STARR Algebra I End of Course Exam or any Algebra I EOC. I created this product after working with average students and special populations. I address the most frequent areas of confusion and difficulty. I added, cha...