Multiplying Polynomials

Give groups 5 minutes to review the posters they created on day 1 and to hang their posters around the room. If you have 8 groups, have groups 1-4 hang their posters in one location and groups 5-8 in a different location to prevent students from seeing the same method twice when rotating during the four rounds of the following activity.

Display slide 12 and introduce the Expert Stay and Stray strategy. Consider giving students clipboards to more easily take notes. Give each group some sticky notes and have them take out paper to take notes on.  Explain to students that one student from the group will stay at the poster as the expert and explain their group’s multiplying method to their audience. Everyone else from that group rotates (strays) to the next poster to listen and learn from the expert of that poster. Those who are listening need to pay careful attention because each round a new person stays and becomes the new expert/presenter. Continue previewing the activity by explaining that there will be four rounds, and that everyone will have a turn as the expert. There will be 3 minutes per round. The expert will also use a different color marker to add important information to the poster as they answer clarifying questions from their audience. Alternatively, sticky notes can be an option to add information instead of writing directly on the poster.

Within each group, assign each student a number. Show slide 13 and begin round 1. Direct all number 1s to stay at their posters, ready to present. Direct everyone else to move (stray) to the next poster and take notes and ask questions. Remind them that they are preparing to be the next expert. Stress to students that there are two goals by them learning different methods: They need to decide for themselves (1) when would this method be most efficient to use for multiplying polynomial expressions and (2) which method is their favorite and why.

Display slide 14 and start the 3-minute timer.

When the timer expires, direct students to “freeze,” and show slide 15 for round 2. Direct all number 4s to stay at the posters they are at. They are the new experts of that poster. Direct everyone else to move (stray) to the next poster and take notes, ask questions and listen carefully enough to be ready to be the next expert. Remind students of what they should be considering: when would this method be efficient and is this their favorite method and why.

Display slide 16 and start the 3-minute timer to begin round 2.

When the timer expires, repeat these steps using slides 17-20, where all number 2s are the experts for round 3, and all number 3s are the experts for round 4. 

When the timer expires the final time, direct students to find their original group.

Display slide 21 and have the students answer the questions on the slide and write their responses on the back of their Multiplying Methods handout.

• What did you notice that all the posters had in common?

• Was one method more efficient than the others? When and why?

• Which method is your favorite and why?

Once you discuss the questions above as a whole class, consider the misunderstandings that you heard and take time to clear up these misunderstandings for the students. Ask the class if there are any questions. Use this time to make sure students understand how to simplify polynomial expressions using multiplication.