Fruity Like Terms

I noticed that some of my students had difficulty with grasping the concept of "like terms."  I needed to find a way to make the concept concrete for them.  I found fruit to be an easy analogy.  Here is the mini-poster I created ...

Fruity Like Terms Printable by Beth Ferguson

You can download the poster from Scribd or from my TpT store ... free!

In my classroom, I enlarged the chart and posted it at the front of the room.  For students who struggled with the concept more than others, I created a handout of the chart and asked them to keep it in their notebook for reference.  In the coming year, when I review combining like terms, I'll bring fruit to the classroom!  Last year, I just used pictures.  But I think if we handle the fruit, it will help the concept to sink in!

How do you make challenging concepts concrete for students?