Parts of a Radical Graphic Organizer

I created this parts of a radical graphic organizer for my Algebra 1 students to glue in their interactive math notebooks. I want to share the file with you as well!

As a first year teacher, I am still working on my pacing.  How long do I need to devote to this unit?  How fast should I move?  Next year, I feel like I will be much more prepared to map out my curriculum plan for the entire school year.  I attempted to do that this year, but I never ended up using it because it turned out to be made up of entirely wrong guesses.  Yeah, let’s just say my Algebra 1 students didn’t master factoring polynomials in 2-3 days… 

The last unit I will be covering before Algebra 1 state testing will be radicals.  We’re in the middle of the unit now, and I feel like we are moving at a snail’s pace.  I guess one of the reasons I am being so intentional in how I teach radicals is because my Algebra 2 students tended to struggle with them this year.  I wrongly assumed that they had had an in-depth introduction to them in Algebra 1. 

I’m also trying to fit new material and EOI review material into a 50-minute class period.  By focusing on only one facet of radicals each day, I am able to find time to do both. 

Here is how my unit on radicals has progressed so far:
Day 1 – Vocabulary Survey; Prime and Composite Numbers; Prime Factorization*
Day 2 – Parts of a Radical
Day 3 – Simplify Radicals
Day 4 – Simplify Radicals, continued
Day 5 – Add and Subtract Radicals
Day 6 – Multiply Radicals

I still need to cover dividing radicals and rationalizing the denominator. 

I have really been emphasizing vocabulary this semester.  This unit on radicals is no exception.  I learned a lot from teaching radicals to my Algebra 2 students last semester, and I’m putting that knowledge to work to create the best possible learning experience for my Algebra 1 students.

Confession time.  Even though I have a BS in Mathematics, I started my teaching career without knowing crucial words like “index” and “radicand.”  Do you know how frustrating it is to constantly have to keep describing the index as the small number that can be found to the top and left of the radical symbol?  It’s frustrating enough to make you stop your lesson and google “parts of a radical.”  After that terrible experience in Algebra 2, I decided that I would teach my Algebra 1 students the crucial vocabulary words from the start. ‘

I created this graphic organizer over the parts of a radical for our interactive notebooks.  Students were allowed to choose their own index and radicand.   

On the next page of our notebook, I created a practice sheet of sorts.  I cut and pasted some radicals from a free Kuta worksheet.  All my students had to do was identify the index and the radicand.  The students were excited about having an “easy” lesson.  They were less excited when I handed out an EOI review packet… 

Alternate Version with Coefficient

I later edited this graphic organizer to include a coefficient.

Parts of a Radical Graphic Organizer with Coefficient (PDF) (981 downloads )

Parts of a Radical Graphic Organizer with Coefficient (Editable Publisher File ZIP) (786 downloads )

Alternate Version with Rationalizing the Denominator

I also created another version of the parts of a radical graphic organizer that includes notes on rationalizing the denominator.

Parts of a Radical Graphic Organizer with Rationalizing the Denominator (PDF) (711 downloads )

Parts of a Radical Graphic Organizer with Rationalizing the Denominator (Editable Publisher File ZIP) (699 downloads )