Factoring Trinomials with Algebra Tiles Visual Guide

This week, I worked on a visual guide for factoring quadratic trinomials using algebra tiles. It has 10 examples, and each example includes the number of tiles needed with any zero pairs, notes about the example and a common student misconception about arranging the tiles for that trinomial. 

If you have never used algebra tiles to factor trinomials and want to give them a try, I wrote this guide to make it easy to get started.

The guide covers quadratic trinomials where A=1 and where A>1, including when zero pairs are needed because of negative values. There are 10 factoring examples with their common misconceptions, along with 2 additional examples for simplifying a quadratic expression in vertex form and solving a quadratic equation by completing the square.

I've been making algebra tiles factoring videos for social media and YouTube, and thought it would be nice to have a printable algebra tiles visual guide that also shows some of the misconceptions students may have about arranging the algebra tiles when factoring quadratics.

Examples in the guide include:

• x² + 5x + 4 
• x² – x – 6 
• x² + x – 6 
• x² + 5x – 6 
• x² – 4x + 3 
• x² – 9 
• 2x² + 7x + 3 
• 2x² + x – 1 
• 3x² + 4x + 1 
• 3x² + x – 2
• Simplify (x + 3)² – 4 
• Solve x² + 2x = 3 by completing the square

If you find there's an example you'd like added to the guide, please send me an email. I'm happy to add it in. You can find the guide here.

Algebra Tiles Visual Guide

Additional resources:

Algebra tiles blog posts

Algebra tiles YouTube playlist

Normal Distribution Curve Reference Sheet

 

We started our statistics unit in algebra 2 and so far have reviewed box and whiskers plots, dot plots, histograms and learned about skewed data, interquartile range and experimental vs. observational studies. Last week, we started learning about normal distribution and will be on this topic for a little while. We move onto z scores tomorrow.

We gave students a simplified version of the curve with whole number percentages to make calculations easier to manage. I wanted to share this reference with you in case it would be helpful for your students, too. If you'd rather keep the decimals in the percentages, there's also a blank curve in the file.

We printed a bunch on this orange paper (the orange reminded me of that funny normal distribution ghost meme) and laminated them so that students can write on their curves while working.

You can download this normal curve reference here from my Google Drive.

Browse statistics activities

More algebra 2 activities

Rounding Decimals Escape Room

A few weeks ago, I shared a free rounding money cheat sheet that a teacher had asked me to make. Then just last week, a neighbor asked if I could help her daughter with her rounding whole numbers homework. It seems everyone is rounding all of a sudden! 

In this post, I want to share a new rounding decimals math escape room. There's also a special code below:)

Solving equations visually using cut paper algebra tiles

Algebra tiles help make math visual for students, and paper algebra tiles take it a step further because we can cut them into fractions. In this post are a few short cut paper algebra tiles videos for solving 1-step and 2-step equations that include when x is a fraction.

This first equation is a simple 1-step equation where x is being divided by 4.

 

Next up is another 1-step equation where the coefficient of x is a negative fraction. 

Rounding Money Cheat Sheet for Middle & High School Math

A teacher emailed to ask if I could make a math cheat sheet for rounding money to the nearest cent. It took me a few weeks to come up with the format. I hope it ends up being helpful in your classroom if your students are solving rounding problems to the nearest hundredth. 

How many times have you heard, "wait, does $45.678 round to $45.67 or $45.68?" Your students are in the middle of solving compound interest problems, and suddenly you overhear an elementary skill rearing its ugly head-- rounding. Why is rounding money to the hundredths place such a sticking point for students, even older students in middle and high school? 

4 Editable New Year's Math Review Coloring Activities

Happy New Year 2026! If you're looking for a midyear review for your middle school 6th grade, 7th grade, 8th grade or algebra 1 students, there are 4 editable math review activities updated for 2026 linked below. Each comes with 20 review questions and a 2026 coloring sheet, and will be updated every year. The math reviews can be used to refresh skills or as semester 1 review when students come back from winter break. 

Each of the 4 math reviews comes with a 2026 coloring page and an editable 2-page worksheet with topics covered between back to school and the new year. 

Algebra 1 Midyear Review

Topics include:

• Multiplying binomials 
• Factoring quadratic trinomials 
• Finding parallel and perpendicular lines through given points
• Calculating slope and y-intercept from a table 
• Converting standard form equations to slope-intercept form 
• Identifying domain and range of graphs

This algebra activity is editable in PowerPoint and includes 20 questions. 

Students answer the questions on their worksheets, then color their 2026 based on the key. An answer key is included.

8th Grade Math Midyear Review

Topics include:

Domain and Range Finder Tools

Do your students struggle finding domain and range of graphs? I made a couple printable domain and range tools to help our students this year.

There are directions pointing students to look at x for domain and y for range as they drag each tool across the graphs. There are also directions printed on the tool for what to record for domain and range when a graph has an arrow.

We have always used rulers to find where graphs start and stop, but I wanted something a bit more self-teaching for our students this year. The graph cards in the photo are a free download on my blog here.

You can find the domain and range finder tools here on my website.

I also made a new domain and range of graphs cheat sheet for our students that you can find here in my drive.

UPDATE: A 3rd tool for finding increasing/decreasing intervals of graphs has been added to the file linked below.

> Browse all domain and range activities

Domain & Range Finder Tools