algebra 1 warm-ups

1.2 – Properties of Real Numbers

Properties of real numbers. What a snooze fest, am I right? WRONG!

This set of notes turns that notion upside down and gets students involved in creating their own examples to demonstrate each property to make a lively and memorable lesson.

Classifying Real Numbers and the Real Number System

You might wonder, “why would I want to teach properties of real numbers?” It’s a simple way to help students start thinking algebraically and flexibly, especially after having a long summer off from math. These properties demonstrate nice rules for manipulating and moving numbers and variables around in expressions and will help them understand why certain moves are “legal” when we start solving equations. Helping students think flexibly and understand the structure of an expression is a huge step in their journey toward mathematical fluency.

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Starting the year off right is SO important for any class, but especially in Algebra 1, in particular. Everything that is done in the first unit lays the foundation for everything to come throughout the rest of the year, so there is is a lot riding on starting the year strong.

Here’s what to include in your first unit of Algebra 1 to start the year off right…

Students NEED to have a strong foundation, or else they’ll be fighting an uphill battle all year, which is no good. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what topics are most important for students to know (from vocabulary to skills), so that each following unit has a strong foundation. Here are all of the notes I used with my students during the 1st unit of Algebra 1.

If you want to look inside any of the pages included in this unit, you can take a look at these topic-specific posts for a more detailed look!