This lesson on Properties of Real Numbers is one that gets covered at the beginning of every Algebra course. Every year a few more properties are added to the list to master. In Algebra 2 these are of the up-most importance because these properties are not only essential pieces to knowing what to do IN a problem, but they are also a lot of times listed in the Directions of the problem. ( ESPECIALLY on Standardized Tests! )
It makes absolutely no difference how good your students are with computing algebra if they do not know how to interpret the directions to the problems.
The biggest issue I see in math today is that teachers assign many problems for homework that are all based on one lesson. This is great for practice but bad for actually having the students master the material.
A student does 50 problems all with the same directions. Repetition, practice makes perfect, and so on. They spend all day learning it then an hour at night doing home work problems on it.
Then a few weeks later or worse yet at the end of the course, those same problems that they perfected are on the final exam. The student knows exactly how to do it. Computationally they have it mastered.
There’s just one small problem, they don’t know what the directions on the final are telling them to do. They can’t put their skill set to use. They don’t understand the directions.
It’s like being able to use all of the tools in the toolbox but not being able to put together the dollhouse because the directions are in a foreign language!
Your lesson on Properties of Real Numbers is one of the most important lessons of the year. It gives the students defined rules to follow and confidence when seeing these vocabulary words on tests.
Do yourself a favor and don’t fly through this one thinking it’s review. Make sure your students know these inside and out so your life (and scores) are much better during exam week.
