Algebra 1 Honors

Algebra 1 (A1) builds essential concepts necessary for students to meet their post-secondary goals (whether they pursue additional study or enter the workforce). This can result in helping students to function as effective citizens, and to recognize the wonder, joy, and beauty of mathematics (NCTM, 2018). Algebra is important and useful in most careers. It is one of the most common and malleable types of mathematics, because it is valuable in a range of activities from ordinary decision making to advanced training in scientific and technological fields. The ability to understand and apply algebraic thinking is a crucial steppingstone on a successful journey in life. Algebra is a collection of unifying concepts that enable one to solve problems flexibly. The standards and indicators in A1 are sorted within the strands of Data, Probability, and Statistical Reasoning (DPSR); Measurement, Geometry, and Spatial Reasoning (MGSR); Numerical Reasoning (NR); and Patterns, Algebra, and Functional Reasoning (PAFR). The study of algebra is inextricably linked to the study of functions, which are fundamental objects in mathematics that model many life situations involving change. A1 provides experiences for students to see how mathematics can be used systematically to represent patterns and relationships among numbers and other objects, analyze change, and model everyday events and problems of life and society. A1 emphasizes functions, including linear (as introduced in seventh and eighth grades), absolute value, quadratic, and exponential; and functions as explicit (relation between input and output) and recursive (relation between successive values). Properties of algebra are applied to convert between forms of expressions and to solve equations (factoring, completing the square, rules of powers, and radicals). 

Graphing is a vital component of study in A1. Graphs of equations and inequalities consist of all points (discrete or continuous) whose ordered pairs satisfy the relationship within the domain and range. Students find points of intersection between two graphed functions that correspond to the solutions of the equations of the two functions, and transform graphs of functions (through translation, reflection, rotation, and dilation) by performing operations on the input or output. A1 serves as a study of linear, quadratic, exponential, and absolute value functions. Equations and expressions with linear and quadratic terms are also studied to learn how algebraic expressions model real-world situations. Statistical reasoning is studied to learn how data are represented and interpreted and how models, particularly linear, can be used to make predictions.

 Prerequisite course: Geometry with Statistics