Free Algebra 1 Lesson Plans
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Math Medic Algebra 1 Units
Algebra 1 sets the foundation for higher-level math. Students build conceptual understanding around equivalence, solving equations, and the differences between linear, quadratic, and exponential functions, with an emphasis on describing how these functions change.
You get ready-to-be-taught lessons for each day of the school year. Every lesson follows the Experience First, Formalize Later (EFFL) model: students work in small groups on an activity, then you formalize the learning together. Homework, quizzes, and tests for every unit are available through Math Medic Plus.
- Equations that describe patterns
- Describing arithmetic patterns
- Making use of structure
- Writing rules for patterns
- Patterns and equivalent expressions
- Connecting patterns across representations
- Proportional reasoning and relationships in the coordinate plane
- The slope of a line and linear equations
- Graphing lines and linear reasoning
- Horizontal and vertical lines
- Exploring equivalence
- Representing and solving linear problems
- Solving equations by balancing and inverse operations
- Reasoning with linear equations
- Writing and solving inequalities
- Interpreting linear systems in context
- Interpreting solutions to a linear system graphically
- Solving linear systems using substitution and elimination
- Solving and graphing systems of linear inequalities
- Using and interpreting function notation
- Concept of a function
- Functions in multiple representations
- Interpreting graphs of functions
- Connecting sequences and functions
- Linear functions
- Nonlinear growth
- Step functions
- Graphing and solving absolute value functions
- Exponent rules, power functions
- Square roots and exponents
- Quadratic growth
- Transforming quadratic functions
- Features and forms of quadratic functions
- Writing quadratics in factored form
- Solving quadratics
- Geometric sequences
- Exponential functions
- Graphs and transformations of exponential functions
- Interpreting models for exponential growth and decay
- Rational exponents and exponential models
Why This Works
Algebra 1 is the gateway course. Students who leave it believing math is a set of steps to copy tend to struggle for the next three years. Getting them to reason about structure, not just follow procedures, is the whole job. Here’s how the course does it.
Students Do the Algebra Before They’re Told the Algebra
Every lesson opens with an activity students can work through in groups without you at the front of the room. They use their intuition to reason through scenarios, look for patterns, and work through a carefully sequenced set of questions designed to illuminate a big conceptual idea.
Then you bring the class back together and connect what they just did to the formal notation and formulas. Students add that formal learning in the margins of the same page they just worked on, in a second color. Students explore topics using strategies and language that make sense to them, before being introduced to the formal vocabulary and conventions. This makes the learning stick.
What Teachers Get Back
- Planning time. A day-by-day sequence for every unit in the course. Planning starts from a lesson, not a blank page.
- Facilitation support on every lesson. Each lesson post tells you what to watch for as groups work, which strategies to showcase, and where students usually get stuck.
- Differentiation and enrichment tips. Every lesson post carries its own short list of ways to give students another entry point, and ways to stretch the ones who are ready for more.
- Color-coded answer keys. The formal learning appears in the margins in a second color, so you can see exactly what to add and when.
- With Math Medic Plus: aligned homework, quizzes, and tests for every unit, plus a lesson video for every lesson.
Complete Your Curriculum
with Math Medic Plus
With a Math Medic Plus teacher subscription, you get access to our full curriculum resources. This includes ready-made assessments, lesson videos, and many more teacher resources.
Have Questions? Let Us Know!
Moving to a new curriculum can be a big step, but we’re here to help! Reach out to our team to learn more about making the switch to Math Medic as seamless as possible.
What Makes it Different
A Full Year, Day by Day
Most sites hand you activities. Math Medic hands you the course: a day-by-day schedule with the supplemental materials to go with it. Lessons are free. Assessments and lesson videos come with Math Medic Plus.
Built Around Student Discovery
Our lesson model uses activities to let students lead. Teachers don’t lecture. They respond.
Written by Classroom Teachers
Math Medic was created by high school math teachers, based on years of teaching math themselves. We’re not a publishing company. We’re your colleagues, and an extension of your math department.
The way this approach has changed my teaching style has been a complete game changer. Activities like these where we can bring the content to the students in a tangible way have been reinvigorating
The Math Medic resources are incredibly rich and powerful and steeped in the promotion of conceptual, applied thinking. Without a doubt, Math Medic has made me a better teacher.
This year, we went all in with Math Medic. And, so far, so good! As expected, it’s outside of a lot of comfort zones, but students are definitely thinking, talking, and developing concepts more deeply. So, thank you!
Trusted in Classrooms Like Yours
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Additional Resources
Bringing Algebra 1 to Your Whole Department
Math coaches, curriculum directors, department chairs, and principals use Math Medic to bring coherence across a team without running a textbook adoption.
With a department or district subscription:
- Every teacher works from the same sequence and the same assessments
- New and out-of-field teachers get facilitation support built into every lesson
- Lesson videos cover student absences, make-up work, and teacher prep
- Standards alignment documents are available for curriculum review
- Pricing is transparent: $325 per teacher, per course, or $595 per teacher for the five-course core bundle
Moving a department to a new curriculum is a big step. Our team, led by our Head of School Adoptions, will walk you through what a rollout looks like and what it costs.
Sign Up for a Free Account
Get instant access to every Algebra 1 lesson plan by creating a free account.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Every Algebra 1 lesson plan, activity, and answer key is free with a Math Medic account. Homework, quizzes, tests, and lesson videos are available through a Math Medic Plus subscription, starting at $325 per teacher, per year.
The Math Medic Algebra 1 curriculum was written with the Common Core State Standards in mind, and it addresses the content standards of many states. Our Algebra 1 standards alignment is available for curriculum review. Don’t see an alignment for your state? Send us a message to request one.
No. The Math Medic curriculum is not tied to a textbook. We built the sequence of topics from the standards and from what worked with our own students, so you have everything you need to teach without one. For homework, quizzes, and tests, we use the Assessment Platform included in Math Medic Plus.
Math Medic Plus is a yearly teacher subscription that builds on the free lessons. It adds the Assessment Platform (premade and customizable homework, quizzes, and tests), a lesson video for every lesson, and Teacher Resources including post-assessment instructional guides, caregiver communications, and student self-reflection pages.
A free account unlocks every daily lesson plan, in-class activity, and answer key for the course, plus the lesson posts with facilitation, differentiation, and enrichment tips. Homework, quizzes, tests, and lesson videos come with Math Medic Plus.
Yes. Math Medic Plus is available to individual teachers, departments, and districts. For multi-teacher pricing, request a custom quote.