Date:

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Class: Year 7 Mixed

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Like Terms Activity Cards

Topic: Algebra
Lesson: Like Terms

New Century Year 7 Textbook Class Set

Teacher: Toby McGrath

Board Content

Annotations

From last lesson Simplify these:

(1) 6 3 + 2
(2) 7 2

Examples of questions from previous

lesson, with Q4 linking the skills from last
lesson to todays focus of like terms.

(3)
(4) + + +

Reminder: Ensure you are facing the front

and speaking clearly and slowly during
explanations for [student with hearing
impairment]s benefit!

Like Terms
We can only add or subtract algebraic terms
that have exactly the same variable. We call
these like terms.
Some examples:

, 5, 3, 9 are like terms.

2 , 2 2 , 10 2 15 2 are like terms.

4, , 8 are like terms.

So are 5, 11, 4, 17 3.

6, 10, 2 7 are NOT like terms

Circle the like terms in the following:

(1) 2, 12, 2, 5, 3
(2) 3 2 , 5, 5, 2 , 10 2

Like terms are like groups or families of

algebraic terms. We cant add or subtract
terms from different families.

Make it clear that and 2 are not like terms.

Relate to dog breeds!

= labrador
= poodle
= labradoodle = different breed!

Go through the first two examples with the

class (ask for volunteers for ideas) and get
them to try questions 3 and 4 by themselves.
Ask for student volunteers for answers
and/or writing answers on the board.

Time

(3) 10, 10, 9, 5, 2

(4) 4, 42 , 11 2 , 112 , 52

We can only add and subtract like terms!

Simplify the following:
(1) 2 2 + 5 + 3 + 3
(2) 20 + 3 2 7 2
(3) 2 + 1 + 2 + 2 +

Once again, take the class through examples

1 and 2 but leave them to try 3 and 4
independently. Ask for student volunteers to
write answers on board
Make it clear to the students to look at the
sign () in front of the term when collecting.

(4) 7 2 + 6 2 2 4
Discuss with class the commutativity of
multiplication and how this relates to like
terms, ie =

True or false:
5 + 10 = 15 ?

After finishing examples, begin Like Terms

Activity provided, involving each student
being given an algebraic term on a card and
having to find their like term family and
correctly sum together all their like terms.

Exercise 12-05 page 400

Q1 and Q4.

10

4 2

11 2

14 2

13

10

52 2

92 2

2 2

202 2

4 2

7 2

15 2

12

-3

-10

8 2

2 2

21 2