Rationalising Denominator - Scaffolded worksheets

Three printable worksheet involving finding the equations of straight lines with hints to guide LAP at KS5 or MAP at KS4.

It’s been very difficult to find good scaffolded resources at KS5 so I have decided to create my own.

The aim of the resource is to provide a No scaffolding alongside a Medium and High amount of scaffolding without reducing the level of difficulty of the question by suggesting next steps in the working to guide students through the process who may otherwise become stuck. The question is not answered for them rather hints given to the next steps. That way they can retain independence from you, the teacher, whilst making progress through a question and applying the skills they have to new contexts.

One of the biggest barriers to our pupils’ progress is applying the skills in the correct places. When told what to do, they can do it. These worksheets guides them through and helps them to think in the correct way with the aim that they become more independent in the future.

Skills involved:

• Simplifying surds
• Expanding brackets
• Difference of two squares
• Rationalising the denominator with one surd term in the denominator,
• Rationalising the denominator with two terms in the denominator,
• Rationalising the denominator with two terms in the denominator and numerator,
• Rationalising the denominator with two terms in the denominator being squared,