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- 1Identify and recall simple mathematical operations and variables to translate word instructions into algebraic expressions
- 2Display on the board: 'Ama has some oranges and buys 5 more. How many does she have now?' Ask learners: What number do we use to show what Ama started with? Learners hold up fingers to show if they think it is a number, a letter, or a symbol. Take responses and explain: we use a letter to show an unknown number.
- 3Write these three statements on the board: (1) 'Add 3 to a number'; (2) 'Take away 7 from a number'; (3) 'Double a number'. Learners stand up if the instruction means addition, sit down if it means subtraction, and clap if it means multiplication. Call on one learner from each group to explain which instruction they matched.
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- TRANSLATING WORDS INTO LETTERS AND NUMBERS
- 1Write on the textbook page and board: 'Kwame's age is x years. Next year he will be one year older.' Ask learners to write in their exercise books: What will Kwame's age be next year? Write the answer using x. Show the worked example: x + 1. Explain: x is the unknown number (his age), and + 1 means 'one year older'. Repeat with: 'Yaw had GH₵20 and spent GH₵8 on a book. How much money does he have left?' Learners write: 20 - 8 or x - 8. Use the calculator to verify: 20 - 8 = 12.
- 2Display 5 word problems on the board using Ghanaian market context: (1) 'Afi bought x tomatoes and was given 3 more from her friend'; (2) 'A trader had x bags of rice and sold 4 bags'; (3) 'Kofi's height is x cm and he grew 5 cm'; (4) 'Efua had GH₵x and spent GH₵15'; (5) 'A farm has x cocoa plants and x yam plants in total.' Learners work in pairs using their exercise books to write each as an algebraic expression. Invite a confident learner to write answers on the board: (1) x + 3; (2) x - 4; (3) x + 5; (4) x - 15; (5) x + x or 2x.
- 3Learners who found this easy create their own 2 word problems using Ghanaian shop or market scenarios and write them as algebraic expressions. Struggling learners work with the first 3 problems only, writing each expression with a peer's support. Fast finishers present their own problem to the class and ask a peer to translate it.
- 4Struggling learners: provide a word bank with symbols (+, -, ×) and pre-written variable letters (x, y). Fast finishers: ask them to create problems using 2 variables (e.g., 'Adwoa has x apples and y bananas').
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- 1Textbook
- 2Exercise book
- 3Calculator
- 4Board and marker
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- 1Hold up card with word problems one at a time. Learners write the algebraic expression in their exercise books, then raise their hand when ready. Call on one learner from each group who is ready and ask them to state their answer aloud. Class repeats chorally three times to consolidate.
- 2Learners pair-check with the person sitting next to them. One learner reads a word problem aloud; the partner translates it into an algebraic expression. Switch roles. Ask: 'Who found an expression their partner wrote differently?' Take one example and show both ways on the board, explaining they are the same.
Exercise
- 1Translate these 3 word problems into algebraic expressions: (1) 'Yakubu has x mangoes and picks 8 more. How many does he have now?' (2) 'A seamstress has GH₵x and spends GH₵25 on fabric. How much is left?' (3) 'Mariama's mother is x years old and her father is 3 years older. What is the father's age?' Write your answers in your exercise book.
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- 1Recall like terms and identify coefficients to understand how to combine algebraic expressions
- 2Write on the board: 3x, 5x, 2y, 7x, 4y, 9x. Ask learners: Which expressions have the same letter? Learners sort them by holding up cards or pointing. Show that 3x, 5x, 7x, and 9x are 'like terms' (same letter), while 2y and 4y are 'like terms' (same letter). Ask: Why do you think we group them together?
- 3Display: 2a + 3a and 4b + 5b. Ask learners to whisper to their partner: What number is in front of the letter a? What number is in front of the letter b? These front numbers are called coefficients. Take a few responses. Explain: The coefficient tells us how many of each letter we have. When we have like terms, we can add or subtract the coefficients.
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- IDENTIFYING AND ADDING LIKE TERMS
- 1Write on the textbook and board: 3x + 2x. Circle the 3 and the 2. Say: These are coefficients. They tell us: '3 of x' plus '2 of x' equals how many of x? Learners respond: 5 of x, or 5x. Write: 3x + 2x = 5x. Repeat with: 4y + 6y = 10y, and 7a + 3a = 10a. Use a ruler and graph board to show the addition on a simple vertical layout: draw two columns, one for '4y' and one for '6y', and add down to show 10y.
- 2Give learners 6 expressions to simplify on the board using the exercise book and calculator to verify: (1) 5m + 2m; (2) 8p + 3p; (3) 6n + 4n; (4) 9q + q; (5) 10r + 5r; (6) 7s + 3s + 2s. Ask a learner who is confident to work out the first one on the board: 5m + 2m = 7m. Explain: We add the numbers 5 and 2 to get 7, then keep the m. Learners complete the rest in their exercise books in pairs. A volunteer from each pair brings their book to show the answers when finished.
- 3Fast finishers are given: 3x + 2x + 4x and 5a + 3a + 2a to simplify. They create two more expressions with 3 like terms and simplify them. Struggling learners work with expressions (1) and (2) only, using concrete examples: 'If you have 5 marbles and add 2 marbles, you have 7 marbles total. If x = marble, then 5x + 2x = 7x.' Use the calculator to check 5 + 2 = 7.
- 4Struggling learners: provide a template: '___ + ___ = ___' with blanks to fill in. Use the ruler to draw boxes for each term. Fast finishers: ask them to simplify expressions with negative coefficients (e.g., -3x + 5x).
- SUBTRACTING LIKE TERMS AND SIMPLIFYING MIXED EXPRESSIONS
- 5Write on the board: 8y - 3y. Ask: If you have 8 of something and take away 3, how many are left? Learners respond: 5. Write: 8y - 3y = 5y. Repeat with: 10a - 4a = 6a. Now write: 5x + 2x - 3x. Say: We have like terms all with x. First add 5x + 2x = 7x, then subtract: 7x - 3x = 4x. Verify with the calculator: 5 + 2 - 3 = 4. Write out the steps clearly on the textbook and board.
- 6Learners simplify 5 expressions in their exercise books: (1) 6b - 2b; (2) 9c - 4c; (3) 7d + 3d - 2d; (4) 10e + 5e - 6e; (5) 8f - 3f + f. Ask the group that finished first to present their answer for (1) to the class. Alternate between boys and girls for board responses on (2), (3), (4), and (5). Use the calculator to verify each answer with the class.
- 7Fast finishers tackle: 12g - 5g + 3g - 2g and are asked to explain their steps to a peer step-by-step. Struggling learners work with (1) and (2) only, using a number line drawn on the ruler to show the subtraction visually. Pair them with a stronger peer to guide them through step 1 of each expression.
- 8Struggling learners: break down subtraction into smaller steps: '12g - 5g' first, then subtract from that. Fast finishers: introduce expressions with coefficients of 1 written as just the variable (e.g., x instead of 1x).
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- 1Textbook
- 2Exercise book
- 3Calculator
- 4Ruler and graph board
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- 1Display 3 expressions on the board: (1) 4x + 3x; (2) 7m - 2m; (3) 6p + 2p - 3p. Learners write their simplified answers in their exercise books, then show fingers 1–5 to rate their confidence (1 = not confident, 5 = very confident). Ask the learners showing 4–5 fingers to share one answer and explain how they got it. Ask a learner showing 1–2 fingers to work with a peer to check their answer using the calculator.
- 2Learners compare their answers with the person sitting next to them using the textbook as a reference. Partners discuss: 'Are our answers the same? If not, where did we go wrong?' Invite 2–3 pairs who had different answers initially to share how they resolved it with the class.
Exercise
- 1Simplify these algebraic expressions by combining like terms. Write your working in your exercise book: (1) 5x + 3x; (2) 9m - 4m; (3) 6a + 2a - 3a; (4) 8b + b - 5b; (5) 7c - 2c + 4c. Use your calculator to check your coefficient calculations.
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