Beacon Lesson Plan Library
Are You a Radical or Just a Square Root?
Johnny Wolfe
Santa Rosa District Schools
Description
The inverse of squaring is finding a square root. Square roots are found in many formulas used in many disciplines.
Standards
Florida Sunshine State Standards
MA.A.1.4.2
Understands the relative size of integers, rational numbers, irrational numbers, real numbers and complex numbers.
MA.A.1.4.4
Understands that numbers can be represented in a variety of equivalent forms using integers, fractions, decimals, and percents, scientific notation, exponents, radicals, absolute value, or logarithms.
Florida Process Standards
Numeric Problem Solvers
03 Florida students use numeric operations and concepts to describe, analyze, communicate, synthesize numeric data, and to identify and solve problems.
Materials
- Overhead transparencies (if examples are to be worked on overhead) for Are You A Radical or Just A Square Root? (see attached file)
- Marking pens (for overhead)
- Are You A Radical or Just A Square Root? Examples (see attached file)
- Are You A Radical or Just A Square Root? Worksheet (see attached file)
- Are You A Radical or Just A Square Root? Checklist (see attached file)
Preparations
1. Prepare transparencies (if teacher uses overhead for examples) for examples (see attached file).
2. Have marking pens (for overhead).
3. Have examples prepared and ready to demonstrate to students. (See attached file.)
4. Have enough copies of the worksheet for each student. (See attached file.)
5. Have enough copies of the checklist for each student. (See attached file.)
Procedures
Prior Knowledge: Students should be familiar with basic operation skills such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, exponents, fractions, decimals, distributive property, and factoring. NOTE: This lesson does not deal with irrational numbers and complex numbers in SSS MA.A.1.4.2, nor does it deal with percents, scientific notation, absolute value, or logarithms in SSS MA.A.1.4.4.
1. Go over definition of squaring. Make sure students realize that x
2 means (x
2), not (-x)
2.
Thus, parentheses are necessary for indicating the square of a negative number. (See #1 on attached file: Examples.)
2. Have students complete Warm-up activity. (See #2 on attached file: Examples.)
3. Discuss Squares and their inverse, Square roots. (See #3 on attached file: Examples.)
4. Introduce students to the definition of a Square Root. (See #4 on attached file: Examples.)
5. Present students with Thought Provoker. (See #5 on attached file: Examples.)
6. Go over terminology with students. (See #6 on attached file: Examples.)
7. Discuss Square roots and negative numbers. (See #7 on attached file: Examples.)
8. Discuss various prefixes to square roots such as +, -, and + or - symbols. (See #8 on attached file: Examples.)
9. Work example #9. (See attached file: Examples.)
10. Work example #10. (See attached file: Examples.)
11. Work example #11. (See attached file: Examples.)
12. Work example #12. (See attached file: Examples.)
13. Work example #13. (See attached file: Examples.)
14. Work example #14. (See attached file: Examples.)
15. Work example #15. (See attached file: Examples.)
16. Work example #16. (See attached file: Examples.)
17. Discuss simplifying a radical expression. (See #17 on attached file: Examples).
18. Introduce Product Property of Square Roots. (See #18 on attached file: Examples.)
19. Discuss prime factorizations and square roots. (See #19 on attached file: Examples.)
20. Work example #20. (See attached file: Examples.)
21. Discus the Quotient Property of Square Roots. (See #21 on attached file: Worksheet.)
22. Work example #22. (See attached file: Examples.)
23. Work example #23. (See attached file: Examples.)
24. Distribute the Worksheet. (See attached file.)
25. Distribute the Checklist. (See attached file.)
26. The student will write their responses on the Worksheet.
27. The teacher will move from student to student observing the students' work and lending assistance.
Assessments
The student Worksheet will be collected and scored according to the Are You A Radical or Just A Square Root? Checklist. (See attached file.)
Extensions
Students may be interested in the origin of mathematical symbols, such as square root. Have students research the origin of these terms.
Web Links
Web supplement for Are You a Radical or Just a Square Root? Aplusmath Squar Root Flash Cards
|