Comple'ng

the square is a process that is usually covered in grade 11 math courses.

 This lesson will focus only on quadra'cs with a leading coecient or a-value of 1. For example, y = x2 + 8x - 7 and not y = 2x2 + 8x 7. There is an important extra step in that procedure that is required to have a dierent leading coecient, and it will not be covered in this basic introduc'on An example of a quadra'c in vertex form is y = (x + 3)2 + 5. Students will have previous experience graphing quadra'cs in vertex form. Emphasize the benet of having the quadra'c in vertex form to allow for easier graphing.

These steps are very specic and should be completed in this order.

 This step is some'mes already completed for you. In those cases, you do not need to do anything in step 1. Be sure that your y-value is posi've, if it is not, then divide all terms by nega've 1 or change all of the signs from + to - or vice versa.

 Simply place brackets around the rst two terms. Not that in the case we are covering here a will always be equal to 1 and will not be wriPen in the ques'on. b represents a numerical coecient.

 Be sure to do this work to the side of the ques'on as to not muddle up the string of changes to the original func'on. Note that this value will always end up posi've because you are squaring a number.

 In this step we are adding this value in order to turn the expression within the brackets into a perfect trinomial square. This is why the process is called comple'ng the square.

 This step is easily forgoPen. Stress the importance of this step by making it very clear that the equa'on cannot be changed and must remain balanced. By adding and then subtrac'ng the same value, we are not changing the equa'on because we are adding zero (e.g. + 4 - 4 = 0). Adding zero does not change the equa'on. If we forget to subtract this value, then we are in fact changing the equa'on.

 In this step, we are using our previous knowledge of factoring to factor the perfect trinomial square within the brackets. If the previous steps have been completed correctly, then the factoring should always work out to be the same binomial twice. Another trick to this factoring is that the number is always going to be b 2. Do not teach this directly, but rather allow the students to discover the paPern on their own.

 In this step you just add the terms outside the bracket together. Remember that the rst term is a nega've.

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 This step is here to remind students of the reason for comple'ng the square. Vertex form is very good for graphing.

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 This is just a summary of the steps with a dierent example shown.

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 This is just a summary of the steps with a dierent example shown.

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 Conclude by reminding students why we want to be able to complete the square: it is to make graphing easy!

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