Lesson Title: Identifying Parts of an Expression
Date: _____________ Teacher(s): _________ ___________
Course: Common Core 6
Start/end times: _________________________
Lesson Standards/Objective(s):
6.EE.A.2. Write, read, and evaluate expressions in which letters stand for numbers.
2b. Identify parts of an expression, using mathematical terms (sum, term, product, factor, quotient, coefficient); view
one or more parts of an expression 2(8 + 7) as a product of two factors; (8 + 7) as both a single entity and a sum of
two terms.
MP1:
MP2:
MP4:
MP6:
Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
Model with mathematics.
Attend to precision.
Lesson Launch Notes: Exactly how will you use the
first five minutes of the lesson?
Using the vocabulary matching cards provided match
the vocabulary word with it’s definition and visual
example.
Lesson Closure Notes: Exactly what summary activity,
questions, and discussion will close the lesson and
connect big ideas? List the questions. Provide a
foreshadowing of tomorrow.
Write a word problem to represent the expression
3x 15 .
Lesson Tasks, Problems, and Activities (attach resource sheets): What specific activities, investigations,
problems, questions, or tasks will students be working on during the lesson? Be sure to indicate strategic

connections to appropriate mathematical practices.
1. Have students participate in the “Identify parts of an Expression four corners activity.” Give each student a card
with a component of an expression. Display an expression and have students go to the corner represented on
their card. Change cards after each problem. (Look for evidence of MP1.)
2. Have a class discussion to review the meaning of variable, expression, coefficient, constant, exponent and term.
Make sure students can use the appropriate term to describe a mathematical sentence. (Look for evidence of
MP6.)
3. Display a few problems in expression, picture and word form. Have the students determine the coefficient,
constant, exponent, and number of terms.
For Example: 2x  5 , a number increased by 4, a picture of 2 squares and a 4
4. Have students participate in the Send a problem activity. Give each pair of students a problem, have the students
represent the problem in two different forms (as an expression, in words or as a visual model). Then state
coefficient, constant, exponent and number of terms. Give the students a few minutes to complete their problem
and them
pass the problem to the next group. Each group should have a new problem to complete. (Look for
evidence if MP1, MP2, MP4, and MP6.)
5. Lead a whole class discussion to review big ideas from this lesson and address any misconceptions. (Look for
evidence of MP 6)
Evidence of Success: What exactly do I expect students to be able to do by the end of the lesson, and how will I
measure student success? That is, deliberate consideration of what performances will convince you (and any outside
observer) that your students have developed a deepened and conceptual understanding.
Students will be able to identify the different parts of an expression as well as represent expressions in multiple
forms. Success will be measured by accurately completing the send a problem activity, 4 corners and homework.
Teachers may chose to collect the closure problem and/or the send a problem activity as a formative assessment
HCPSS Secondary Mathematics Office (v2.1); adapted from: Leinwand, S. (2009). Accessible mathematics: 10 instructional shifts that raise student
achievement. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Lesson Title: Identifying Parts of an Expression
Course: Common Core 6
Date: _____________ Teacher(s): _________ ___________ Start/end times: _________________________
Notes and Nuances: Vocabulary, connections, anticipated misconceptions (and how they will be addressed), etc.
Vocabulary: coefficient, constant, exponent, expression, term, variable
Misconceptions: Students tend to confuse coefficient and constant. Make sure students understand that coefficients
represent the unknown or variable and constants are numbers being added or subtracted.
Terms are only separated by addition and subtraction, not multiplication and division.
Resources: What materials or resources are essential
for students to successfully complete the lesson tasks or
activities?
Homework: Exactly what follow-up homework tasks,
problems, and/or exercises will be assigned upon the
completion of the lesson?
Vocabulary matching cards
4 corners PowerPoint and cards
Send a problem problems
Write an expression that contains a variable, coefficient,
constant and 3 terms
Lesson Reflections: How do you know that you were effective? What questions, connected to the lesson
standards/objectives and evidence of success, will you use to reflect on the effectiveness of this lesson?
Can students identify the number of terms?
Can students use proper vocabulary to translate expressions and pictures?
Do students understand the difference between coefficient and constant?
Do students understand “like terms”?
Howard County Public Schools Office of Secondary Mathematics Curricular Projects has licensed this
product under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
HCPSS Secondary Mathematics Office (v2.1); adapted from: Leinwand, S. (2009). Accessible mathematics: 10 instructional shifts that raise student
achievement. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.