Clip 9/20: Multiplying and Factoring Polynomial Expressions Lesson Part 2C
Overview
Melissa Nix asks her eighth-grade students to pull back from the mathematics for a moment and evaluate their process: “How do you feel about this multiplying, un-multiplying, area, and dimensions thing? Where are you sitting right now with all this information? Just chat for a second.” Students share with their partners.
Melissa then asks students to increase their cognitive demand by working on a problem with four dimensions, looking for areas. She notes that she will give them some of the pieces, but not all, so that they will need to use “puzzle-solving skills.”
She invites students to understand the problem by parsing sections of the problem read aloud and understanding what each is asking. With each reading of a section of the problem – a scenario about parts of a carnival – Melissa pauses and asks students to visualize the shapes, the dimensions, what the component areas are, and what the overall shape of the carnival is. Students identify what information they have, and what information they’re seeking.
Teacher Commentary
Teacher Commentary
When a student shares an error or revises their thinking, they give us a window into another way of approaching the task that, probably, other students also had. … And usually, in considering mistakes, there is something that's still right: “How did you deviate? Let's look and see what minor tweak we can make to make this right.”