Lesson Planning Sheet Title: Rationalizing Denominators Learning Objectives: By the end of the lesson: All students should

d be able to rationalise a denominator with a integer term as the numerator Most students should be able to rationalise a denominator with a surd as the numerator Some students should be able to rationalise a denominator with a integer and surd in the numerator Key words: Surd, Denominator, Rationalise, Product Learning Activities Starter/Introduction On the first slide students recap their understanding of simplifying surds using square factors. Emphasise the need to always simplify surds wherever possible. Students could present their solutions on mini-whiteboards for the teacher to assess understanding of prerequisite knowledge. Development Explain that the term rationalise in this instance means to make rational and usable by writing the denominator as a term that can be written as a whole and rational number. For pose the question How can we use Equivalent Fractions to make the denominator rational without changing the actual value? for the students to discuss. The ideal response would indicate multiplying the fraction by

Resources: Calculators Mini-Whiteboards

. therefore,

( )

. Ask the students to simplify

on

their mini-whiteboards. Continue working through the questions on the second slide with the class , using mini-whiteboards to assess, until students are able to work through the problems on the third slide independently. The use of natural display calculators should be encouraged for the students to self assess as they work. Plenary The questions on the final slide are meant to extend the idea of rationalising denominators since students first need to calculate the product of two fractions, rationalise then simplify to the form a +b . Students should work in pairs on a single mini-whiteboard to encourage mathematical discussion. Differentiation More able: Rationalising denominators such as a +b extends the topic to complex conjugates. Students should determine the complex conjugate for themselves by considering terms that eliminate the surd. Less Able When rationalising the dominator students should consider the power and multiplication rules of indices, for instance, = 2.