From: Mary Lou (for Teacher2Teacher Service)
Date: Mar 13, 1998 at 19:44:09
Subject: Re: Algebra 1 activity needed

Colleen, do your students know how to use algebra tiles?  If they do, perhaps they 
could make a set of tiles to represent a polynomial. Perhaps they could make a 
solution to the product of three binomials. 

For example: what does (x + 2)(x + 1)(x + 0.5) look like? It is a solid. 

I suggest this as a project for partners. They would have to make 8 rectangular 
solids with dimensions that gave all of the different products such as 
x by x by x, x by x by .5, x by x by 1, etc.

Have you ever seen the book by Don Balka using number tiles? It is sold by 
Creative Publications/Dale Seymour. Using the ten number tiles, which are 
0, 1, 2, ..., 8, 9, students would have to make up sheets where all ten of the 
tiles are used exactly once. I have done this with factoring, multiplication, 
roots, and powers. Students working together could make an entire book of 
different problems for you. My algebra 1 students always enjoyed doing the sheets.  
They might enjoy making them if their names were on them!

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