Course: College Algebra (MATH 120) · Silver Oak University (fictional sample) · Prof. Calloway
Module: Week 2 of 16 · Fall 2026 · in-person, two 75-minute sessions
Objective covered: Objective 2 — Solve linear equations, linear inequalities, and absolute-value equations and inequalities in one variable, and interpret solutions in context.

This file holds two pieces: (A) the Module 2 Overview page ("Start Here") and (B) the Welcome Announcement that drips out when the module opens. Dates below assume a Tuesday/Thursday session pattern with Week 2 meeting Tue Sep 8 and Thu Sep 10, and end-of-week work due Sunday Sep 13, 11:59 p.m. (Note: Labor Day is Monday Sep 7 — no class that day; your first session of Week 2 is Tuesday Sep 8.) Adjust the day-of-week and times to match your section.

(A) Module 2 Overview — Start Here

Welcome to Week 2: Linear Equations & Inequalities

This is your home base for the week. Read it first, then work the checklist below from top to bottom. Everything you need is linked inside the module.

Week 1 gave you the rules for rewriting expressions without changing their value. Week 2 is the first time we do something with an expression: we set it equal to something and solve. Linear equations are the simplest move in all of algebra — and the techniques here (isolating a variable, distributing, keeping track of signs) are the foundation for every equation type we'll meet this term.

The week's big question

"How do we find the value of a variable that makes an equation — or an inequality — true, and how do we communicate what that solution means?"

By Sunday you'll solve linear equations with fractions, variables on both sides, and distributing; read and write interval notation; solve linear inequalities (including the flip-sign rule); and tackle absolute-value equations and inequalities.

By the end of this week, you can…

Use this as a checklist. If you can do all four, you're ready for the quiz.

• [ ] Solve a linear equation in one variable — clearing fractions, distributing, collecting variables on one side — and identify when an equation has no solution or infinitely many solutions.
• [ ] Solve a linear inequality, write the solution in interval notation, and remember to flip the inequality sign when multiplying or dividing by a negative number.
• [ ] Solve an absolute-value equation using |X| = a → X = a or X = −a (for a ≥ 0), and recognize that |X| = a has no solution when a < 0.
• [ ] Solve an absolute-value inequality — |X| < a gives an "and" compound inequality, |X| > a gives an "or" — and write the answer in interval notation.

What's due this week, and when

Work these in order — each one gets you ready for the next.

Heads-up on the AI tutorial: chatbots often fumble inequalities — they'll forget to flip the sign when dividing by a negative, or mis-classify whether an absolute-value inequality gives an "and" or an "or." Catching the model is the point.

Late policy reminder: 10% off per day late. If life happens, reach out before the deadline.

How to succeed this week

• Keep the inequality-sign flip front of mind. Every time you multiply or divide both sides of an inequality by a negative number, the direction flips. Write it at the top of your scratch paper until it's automatic.
• Clear fractions first on linear equations. Find the LCD of every fraction in the equation, multiply every term by it, then solve the integer version. Far fewer sign errors than fraction-by-fraction.
• For absolute value: identify a, then decide. Write the equation as |X| = a. If a < 0 → stop, no solution. If a ≥ 0 → split into X = a and X = −a and solve both.
• Interval notation: bracket vs. parenthesis. Square bracket [ or ] means the endpoint is included (≤ or ≥); parenthesis ( or ) means it is excluded (< or >). Infinity always gets a parenthesis.
• Treat the chatbot as a smart intern, not an oracle. It drafts; you check. That habit is the whole semester in miniature.

See you Tuesday — the semester's first equation-solving day. Bring a pencil and a skeptical eye.

(B) Welcome Announcement — Module 2

Release setting: post on the module's start day (offset = 0 days), i.e., Tue Sep 8, 2026 — not before. (Note: Labor Day is Monday Sep 7 — campus is closed; this post goes live Tuesday.) If your platform won't preserve the scheduled date on import, post this as a draft labeled "Release: Tue Sep 8."*

Subject: Week 2 is here — and so is the first equation-solving day ⚖️

Hi everyone,

Quick heads-up first: Monday Sep 7 is Labor Day — no class, enjoy the long weekend. We pick back up Tuesday Sep 8.

And when we do, we're diving into the most important mechanical skill in all of College Algebra: solving equations. Last week you learned the rules for rewriting expressions. This week you use them to find the value of an unknown — which is really what most people mean when they say "algebra."

This week — Linear Equations & Inequalities — we tackle the big question: How do we find the value of a variable that makes an equation (or an inequality) true? By Sunday you'll solve linear equations with fractions and variables on both sides, write inequality solutions in interval notation (and remember that flipping inequality signs isn't optional when dividing by a negative), and handle absolute-value equations and inequalities.

Three things not to miss:
1. Lecture Tutorial 2 — work through solving equations, inequalities, and absolute-value problems with one approved chatbot and submit the share link. Chatbots forget to flip the inequality sign all the time — catching that is the lesson. Due Sun Sep 13.
2. Quiz 2 (no AI on quizzes) and Discussion 2 — "Spot the Sign Error" — the discussion is a quick AI-dialogue diagnosis of a sign-flip mistake; start early and leave time to reply to classmates. Both close Sun Sep 13.
3. Assignment 2 — four AI-coached problems with a self-scored report; due Sun Sep 13.

One promise: every week this semester leads with a plain-language idea before the notation. Solving a linear equation is "keep doing the same thing to both sides until the variable is alone." We'll say that in the first minute Tuesday, and the algebra will follow.

Open the Start Here / Module Overview page first — it has the full checklist and all the due dates. See you Tuesday.

See you soon,
Prof. Calloway