Algebra 1

This curriculum is based on a schedule with 50 minute classes. Here is a Google Drive folder with every handout and another folder with an answer key for every handout. Also, many problems throughout the curriculum, including all multiple choice questions, are released items retrieved from ACT, New Visions, PARCC, PSAT, SAT, and TEA. Finally, check out the pedagogy page to see snapshots of how to implement these lessons.

1st Nine Weeks

Day 1 – Laying the Foundation for Groupwork
Day 2 – Solving Equations: Introduction
Day 3 – Solving Multi-Step Equations
Day 4 – Solving Multi-Step Equations (Day 2)
Day 5 – Solving Equations with a Variable on Both Sides
Day 6 – Solving Equations with a Variable on Both Sides (Day 2)
Day 7 – Solving Equations (Day 6)
Day 8 – Solving Equations (Day 7) [Chromebooks]
Day 9 – Concept Quiz: Solving Equations
Day 10 – Solving One Variable Inequalities: Introduction [Chromebooks]
Day 11 – Solving One Variable Inequalities (Day 2)
Day 12 – Solving One Variable Inequalities (Day 3)
Day 13 – Solving One Variable Inequalities (Day 4)
Day 14 – Identifying Functions [Chromebooks]
Day 15 – Function Notation [Chromebooks]
Day 16 – Families of Functions
Day 17 – Domain & Range [Chromebooks]
Day 18 – Domain & Range (Day 2)
Day 19 – Domain & Range (Day 3) [Chromebooks]
Day 20 – Domain & Range (Day 4)
Day 21 – Domain & Range (Day 5)
Day 22 – Concept Quiz: Domain & Range
Day 23 – Slope Introduction [Chromebooks]
Day 24 – Slope (Day 2)
Day 25 – Slope (Day 3)
Day 26 – Slope (Day 4)
Day 27 – Slope (Day 5) [Chromebooks]
Day 28 – Concept Quiz: Slope
Day 29 – Review for District Test
Day 30 – Linear Equations: Introduction
Day 31 – Graphing Slope-Intercept Form
Day 32 – Writing Slope-Intercept Form
Day 33 – Slope-Intercept Form (Day 4) [Chromebooks]
Day 34 – Slope-Intercept Form (Day 5)
Day 35 – Slope-Intercept Form (Day 6)
Day 36 – Slope-Intercept Form (Day 7) [Chromebooks]
Day 37 – Concept Quiz: Slope-Intercept Form

2nd Nine Weeks

Day 38 – Standard Form
Day 39 – Standard Form (Day 2)
Day 40 – Solving for y
Day 41 – Solving for y (Day 2) [Chromebooks]
Day 42 – Point-Slope Form
Day 43 – Point-Slope Form (Day 2)
Day 44 – Linear Marbleslides [Chromebooks]
Day 45 – Parallel & Perpendicular Lines
Day 46 – Parallel & Perpendicular Lines (Day 2)
Day 47 – Scatter Plots and Lines of Fit
Day 48 – Analyzing Lines of Fit / Linear Regression [Chromebooks]
Day 49 – Linear Inequalities
Day 50 – Linear Inequalities (Day 2)
Day 51 – Linear Inequalities (Day 3) [Chromebooks]
Day 52 – Linear Inequalities (Day 4)
Day 53 – Linear Inequalities (Day 5) [Chromebooks]
Day 54 – Concept Quiz: Linear Inequalities
Day 55 – Systems of Equations: Introduction
Day 56 – Systems of Equations: Solving by Graphing [Chromebooks]
Day 57 – Systems of Equations: Solving by Graphing (Day 2)
Day 58 – Systems of Equations: Substitution Method
Day 59 – Systems of Equations: Substitution Method (Day 2)
Day 60 – Systems of Equations: Elimination Method
Day 61 – Systems of Equations: Elimination Method (Day 2)
Day 62 – Systems of Equations: Altogether
Day 63 – Systems of Equations: Altogether (Day 2) [Chromebooks]
Day 64 – Concept Quiz: Systems of Equations
Day 65 – Systems of Linear Inequalities
Day 66 – Systems of Linear Inequalities (Day 2) [Chromebooks]
Day 67 – Systems of Linear Inequalities (Day 3) [Chromebooks]
Day 68 – Review for District Test

3rd Nine Weeks

Day 69 – Properties of Exponents
Day 70 – Properties of Exponents (Day 2)
Day 71 – Radicals and Rational Exponents
Day 72 – Properties of Exponents (Day 4)
Day 73 – Properties of Exponents (Day 5)
Day 74 – Properties of Exponents (Day 6) [Chromebooks]
Day 75 – Concept Quiz: Properties of Exponents
Day 76 – Exponential Functions: Introduction [Chromebooks]
Day 77 – Graphing Exponential Functions [Chromebooks]
Day 78 – Graphing Exponential Functions (Day 2)
Day 79 – Writing Exponential Functions
Day 80 – Writing Exponential Functions (Day 2) [Chromebooks]
Day 81 – Exponential Functions: Matching [Chromebooks]
Day 82 – Exponential Functions: Altogether
Day 83 – Concept Quiz: Exponential Functions
Day 84 – Geometric Sequences
Day 85 – Recursively Defined Sequences
Day 86 – Quadratics: Introduction [Chromebooks]
Day 87 – Graphing Quadratics: y = ax²+c [Chromebooks]
Day 88 – Graphing Quadratics (Day 2)
Day 89 – Graphing Quadratics: Vertex Form
Day 90 – Graphing Quadratics (Day 4)
Day 91 – Graphing Quadratics (Day 5) [Chromebooks]
Day 92 – Graphing Quadratics (Day 6) [Chromebooks]
Day 93 – Concept Quiz: Graphing Quadratics & Identifying Features
Day 94 – Multiplying Polynomials
Day 95 – Multiplying Polynomials (Day 2)
Day 96 – Multiplying Polynomials (Day 3)
Day 97 – Factoring Trinomials
Day 98 – Factoring Trinomials (Day 2)
Day 99 – Factoring Trinomials (Day 3)
Day 100 – Factoring Trinomials (Day 4) [Chromebooks]
Day 101 –  Factoring Trinomials (Day 5) [Chromebooks]
Day 102 – Concept Quiz: Multiplying Polynomials & Factoring Trinomials
Day 103 – Review for District Test
Day 104 – Dividing Polynomials
Day 105 – Simplifying Radicals
Day 106 – Simplifying Radicals (Day 2)
Day 107 – Simplifying Radicals (Day 3)
Day 108 – Simplifying Radicals (Day 4) [Chromebooks]

4th Nine Weeks

Day 109 – Concept Quiz: Simplifying Radicals
Day 110 – Solving Quadratics by Graphing
Day 111 – Solving Quadratics (Day 2)
Day 112 – Solving Quadratics Using Square Roots
Day 113 – Solving Quadratics (Day 4)
Day 114 – Completing the Square
Day 115 – Completing the Square (Day 2)
Day 116 – Completing the Square (Day 3)
Day 117 – Quadratic Formula
Day 118 – Quadratic Formula (Day 2)
Day 119 – Solving Quadratics Altogether
Day 120 – Solving Quadratics Altogether (Day 2) [Chromebooks]
Day 121 – Concept Quiz: Solving Quadratics
Day 122 – Writing Quadratic Functions
Day 123 – Transformations: Introduction [Chromebooks]
Day 124 – Transformations: Horizontal & Vertical Shifts [Chromebooks]
Day 125 – Transformations: Reflections, Stretches & Shrinks [Chromebooks]
Day 126 – Transformations (Day 4) [Chromebooks]
Day 127 – Transformations (Day 5) [Chromebooks]
Day 128 – Concept Quiz: Transformations

STAAR Review for 9 Days

Day 129 – Linear, Quadratic, and Exponential [Chromebooks]
Day 130 – Match My Line [Chromebooks]
Day 131 – Coin Capture: Lines [Chromebooks]
Day 132 – Linear Equations vs. Linear Inequalities [Chromebooks]
Day 133 – Playing Catch-Up: Systems Recap [Chromebooks]
Day 134 – More Systems Recap: Two Trains
Day 135 – Marbleslides: Exponentials [Chromebooks]
Day 136 – Marbleslides: Parabolas [Chromebooks]
Day 137 – Super Mario Quadratics [Chromebooks]

After STAAR Fun

Day 138-143 – Desmos Art Project [Chromebooks]
Day 144-146 – Student Created Estimation / 3 Act Math [Chromebooks]

36 thoughts on “Algebra 1”

  1. I’m Texas teacher and your page is amazing. I’m going to implement it in part this year and in full next year!!! Thanks for sharing.

  2. Hi Dane,

    My name is Andy and I’m an Algebra/French Teacher in Alaska. Your website and course structure is well-organized and most importantly ENGAGING. Would you mind if used some of the pieces in creating my own school webpages and specific pieces as templates?

    1. Hey Andy,

      Thank you for the kind words! I really appreciate it. You’re more than welcome to use anything on the site. I’m happy to share! My only ask is that everything remains free. Thanks for asking!

  3. Thank you for sharing all of your resources! Sometimes I feel like I’m searching all over the place for different resources, so I love that you have warm-ups and concepts all in one place. Keep up the awesome work!

  4. Dane,

    First of all, EXCELLENT website and curriculum. I greatly appreciate your dedication and hardwork you have put into all your lesson plans. I stumbled across it the end of last year while researching Dan Meyer’s 3 Act Tasks. I have been using your geometry curriculum to great effect. My kids have been greatly engaged and seem to be truly learning. I have also applaud your school for grading based on knowledge, not just test taking skills. I have applied the same kind of grading in my own classroom! I really want to thank you for helping me teach better lesson plans, especially as a newer teacher.

    I do wonder, do you guys not teach any kind of piecewise functions in Algebra 1? Or go over absolute value functions/equations/inequalities? I am also teaching a remedial Algebra 1 class and have been looking for good lesson plans to help them have a better understanding.

    Thanks a bunch,
    Kevin Grogaard

    1. Hey Kevin,

      Thank you so much for the kind words! I really appreciate it. I’m happy to hear the site has been useful. Feel free to send feedback for improvement anytime as well!

      In Texas, Algebra 1 does not include piecewise functions or absolute value functions. I believe we cover those things in Algebra 2. As for remedial Algebra 1, I’ve taught that many times, and I use most of the lessons on this site. The only difference is that I tend to spend a little more time on each concept to help solidify. This may lead to some concepts not getting enough time, so it’s important to spend the most time on the most heavily tested concepts in your state.

      Hope that helps. Thanks again!

  5. Dane, your site is absolutely terrific. The TEKS unfortunately encourage wide and shallow learning but you’ve done an masterful job in turning your curriculum into meaningful learning that encourage deep understandings. Thank you for your willingness to share. My colleague is teaching Algebra 2 next year and is interested in this style of teaching. Do you have any recommendations for places to look for Algebra 2 activities that incorporate the same style as you?

  6. Hello,
    Thank you for this great resource. I noticed your answer key folder is empty except for day 126-138. Is there a place I can find them?
    Thanks !

    1. Hey Rus,

      Thank you for the kind words! Hmm that’s strange. It may be a glitch. I just checked, and all the answer keys are showing up now. Let me know if you check again and still can’t see the rest.

  8. Hi Dane,

    I’m teaching Algebra 1 this year and love your resources and concept quizzes. Out of curiosity, I noticed there is a large jump from the day 10 quiz to day 23 quiz. Is there any particular reason why the some of the content in between those days is not assessed?

    1. Hey Kayleigh,

      Thanks for the question and kind words! Here’s a detailed breakdown about why some concepts are quizzed and some aren’t. For the un-quizzed concepts between day 11 and 17, I decided that they were important, but not crucial enough to be included in the top 20ish concepts for Algebra 1. Solving One-Variable Inequalities was the toughest one to keep out. My reasoning for that one is that I’ve quizzed it in the past, and I had trouble finding ways to assess the inequality aspect at a high level. When I was grading, the solving equations portion of it ended up being the main focus. Therefore, I kept solving equations as a quizzed concept, but just decided to only spend a decent chunk of days teaching inequalities without formally assessing it.

      Let me know if that helps!

  9. Hi Dane!

    First off…I LOVE your stuff. What you do with your concepts and instructional strategies are fantastic. I love the pacing and the outline of all the activities that you do. Last year my geometry PLC and I followed your timelines and addressed the same topics that you have listed. We pretty much followed it full-blown, with our twist on certain thing of course, and I must say it was a fantastic year. The kids learned so much….on a conceptual level, and retained it! We want to do the same thing this coming school year with Algebra. Couple questions….

    Do you have other math teachers at your school that teach the same classes? Are you on a PLC? If so, do they do things the same way as you? Do you have to convince other teachers to do it the way you are? I’m curious what other math teachers in your building think about all this….We will have 7 different teachers teaching Algebra 1 next year and we are all supposed to use the same timelines, same assessments, same essential standards, etc. You can imagine this is difficult…

    Do you feel like how you have algebra 1 right now is pretty solid? With the concepts and the pacing?

    Also, do I noticed at the end of the year in Geometry you had probability lessons but no links.
    We are starting the year next year in Algebra with a probability/statistics unit. Wondering if you had anything to share as far as probability goes and/or statistics? Keep up the great work! You inspire me.

    -Jake

    1. Hey Jake,

      Thank you so much for the kind words! I’m really happy to hear that the curriculum has been useful.

      I just sent you an email to answer your questions. Let me know if you received it. Looking forward to continuing the conversation.

  10. Hi Dane,
    I started the summer with a general search of SBG and came across your blog. I was overwhelmed at first, but have printed off each topic on SBG and feel like I’ve gotten a good understanding of what you are doing.

    I teach Algebra 1 and am excited to use this new idea in the fall.
    I am curious what your recent reply was to Jake concerning your feeling on how solid you felt the Algebra concepts and pacing were from last year.
    Also, would there be any changes you would implement moving forward(retakes, faux quizzes, student analysis, etc)?

    1. Hey Bailey,

      I’m excited to hear that you’re diving into SBG! Feel free to ask questions any time.

      As for the Algebra 1 curriculum, I feel very confident about the pacing and sequencing of the curriculum. Based on what I currently know about curriculum design, it’s as complete as I can make it.

      Moving forward, I’m thinking about requiring all kids to retake their quiz the first time (if they don’t make a 100) and not necessarily require an analysis handout to be completed. However, I will basically force them to complete the analysis without technically requiring it because it’s so crucial to their learning. I do want kids to know that I want all of them to retake so they can witness their own growth. I don’t want to hinder the growth opportunity. It’ll be an interesting line to balance, but that’s what I’m reflecting on right now.

      As for any retake after the 1st, those will definitely require an analysis handout and tutoring before offering the retake opportunity. The 2nd retake (or higher) is where students tend to try to work the system and do hail mary retakes.

      Also, always go with your gut when you see things you would do differently in the curriculum. If problems need to be done in a different order, or there need to be more challenging problems, make those changes. None of this is fool proof!

      Thanks for the comment!

    1. Hey Russ,

      Thanks for asking. I actually don’t have answer keys for the quizzes. I thought about making and posting them at one point, but I was afraid of students getting a hold of them. Let me know if you want to compare answers on any specific quizzes though, and I’ll work through them.

  13. Hi Dane,

    Just wanted to let you know I keep coming back to this blog each year…this I first visited about 4-5 years ago. Great stuff!

  14. Hi Dane,

    I noticed that your notes don’t tend to include a list of steps for solving problems. I am an Algebra II teacher, and I have been working to change my teaching style to more of a instigator of group discussions and a facilitator of learning. Your resources and articles have given me a lot of ideas. Could you explain the reasoning behind not giving a list of steps? Do students tend to struggle at first without having a specific list of steps to follow? Thanks.

    1. Hey Kim,

      Great question! I think it’s just a personal preference thing, and it’s not necessarily based on research or anything.

      I’m a bit of a minimalist, so I tend to keep handouts as clean as possible with as much room to write as possible. Therefore, one reason I don’t include steps is to save space and allow for more white space on the paper.

      Also, it depends on the lesson, but sometimes I do display a list of steps for students to reference. For example, I displayed this when learning the quadratic formula.

      However, when I displayed those slides, I did it before teaching the content because I wanted to give students the opportunity to analyze the steps silently first and discuss with their groups after the silent time. Kind of like a mini notice and wonder moment.

      This tends to be the go to teacher move I use when learning how to solve problems that have repeatable steps. Give the kids the chance to notice and wonder a bit first, discuss with groups, and then I direct teach.

      Also, there are times where I use silent solution videos to help as well.

      Let me know if that answers your question!

  15. May I have permission to link your website onto my google classroom site as an additional resource for my students next year? I teach Algebra 1 and have learned so much from you and your site.

  17. Hi!! I’m a second year teacher in Dallas ISD (it’s my first year teaching Algebra, I moved up with my kids) and Geoff Krall recommended your site to me when I asked him if he knew of anyone who made STAAR-aligned curriculum. I’m really excited to use your stuff, thank you so much for making it all available! I am wondering, when there is just a worksheet or spiral practice linked of the day’s work and no facilitation notes, would you typically have students working in groups on that? Is it always supposed to be groupwork unless explicitly noted otherwise?

    Thanks,
    Audrey

    1. Hey Audrey! Great to hear from another Dallas area resident! Thank you for the kind words as well.

      I prefer to always keep students in groups unless we are having a test or quiz. For lessons without facilitation notes, I’d still chunk the lesson (see this post: https://whenmathhappens.com/2019/12/06/chunking-the-lesson/) because I don’t like letting students work in groups all class without guidance.

      In particular, I’d make sure to do the Think-Pair-Share routine (https://whenmathhappens.com/2019/11/04/think-pair-share/) for the most challenging problems in the handouts. For the easier problems, I’d probably have groups work on a few at a time, I’d circulate the room as they work, and if there are common errors, I’d go over those problems.

      For some of the lessons in the curriculum that don’t have notes, they may be “Chromebook days” where I check out the Chromebook cart and have students watch tutorial videos as they work through the handouts. They’d mainly work individually, but I keep them in groups so they can get peer support when needed.

      Do you have a particular lesson(s) in mind? I can go take a look and see if I remember how I handled it.

      1. Thank you, Dane! The chunking post was very helpful. There aren’t any particular lessons I need to know about — just wanted to make sure I was interpreting correctly that it’s all meant to be groupwork.

        I missed the first week of school because of Covid (breakthrough infection), so this is my first week trying to execute these lesson plans. So it’s very new for me and for the kids, but I’m definitely struggling with several classes. I expected some growing pains, but I’m also in a time crunch because DISD will only let me experiment for so long before they force me to use Guided Release because they think it improves scores. If you would ever have time, I would love to get coffee and pick your brain about your classroom philosophy and strategies for overcoming certain barriers. If not, maybe I can email you those questions.

        Hopefully it doesn’t seem like I’m taking advantage of your generosity! I just want my kids to have the best instruction, and I need to grow a lot to give them that.

  18. As a former expert in researching engineering education, I love this. I always felt “using failure as a scaffolding mechanism” was a topic I wanted to explore in detail. Through some interesting circumstances, I will be teaching Algebra 1 in HS. My question/comment is, your math seems off. For me, a nine week period is 45 days and four quarters should equate to the required 180 days in school. Obviously, there are “get to know you” and “last day before Christmas break” type days, but that does not seem to account for the 34 missing days. Am I missing something?

    Thanks

    1. Hey Kevin! Good question! For whatever reason, this was the actual amount of days of instruction I had the last year I taught Algebra 1. Some things I can think of:

      – Although our contract days were 180, I believe that included staff development days.
      – State exams (at least 3 days), district exams (2 days per nine weeks), and PSAT days
      – Our school had a Veteran’s Day parade that took a day
      – Our district had multiple non-instruction days focused on student culture building
      – Sick days
      – Early release days

      For all of the above, I didn’t plan full lessons to post on the website. I probably just did mini-lessons or remediation days.

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