Factoring by the Greatest Common Factor (GCF)

Introduction - Notes

Once we have spent some time practicing how to determine the GCF, we start to discuss how to factor by the GCF. As mentioned in the previous lesson, there is a digital set of notes I use to teach both finding and factoring by the GCF. Click the image to view more.

Activity

To help practice the concept, students complete a doctor analysis activity. A doctor analysis is essentially an error analysis. Students will analyze various “patient cards” and determine whether they are sick (incorrect) or well (correct). If incorrect, they will need to identify the mistake and then determine the correct solution. An error analysis is a great way to check student understanding. Students typically need to have a pretty solid grasp of a concept in order to determine whether a problem was solved correctly.