Lesson 3: Distributive Property
Duration of Days: 2
Lesson Objective
Apply the Distributive Property to generate equivalent numerical and algebraic expressions, and use area models to justify the equivalence of expressions.
How does the Distributive Property allow us to rewrite an expression without grouping symbols?
How can an area model visually demonstrate that a product of a number and a sum is equal to the sum of two products?
Why does the factor outside the parentheses need to be multiplied by every term inside the parentheses?
Distributive Property,
Equivalent Expressions,
Term,
Factor,
Product,
Sum,
Area Model,
Expand
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.EE.A.3: Apply the properties of operations to generate equivalent expressions.
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.EE.A.4: Identify when two expressions are equivalent.
This 2-day lesson introduces students to structural transformations of expressions.
DOK Level: Level 2 (Skill/Concept)
Students frequently multiply only the first term inside the parentheses and leave the second term untouched.
Students often struggle to correctly distribute over subtraction or handle a negative coefficient, forgetting that the operational sign belongs to the term following it.
Use color-coded "rainbow arrows" to physically track distribution steps from the outside factor to both inside terms
Error analysis
Exit Ticket