To sum up series in Algebra I, students can use a few helpful techniques:

1. Spotting Patterns: Look for patterns in the numbers. If you see a series like $2, 4, 6, \ldots, 20$, you can tell it goes up by 2 each time. This is called an arithmetic series.

2. Using Formulas: There are formulas you can use to find the sum. For an arithmetic series, the sum of the first $n$ terms can be found using this formula: $S_n = \frac{n}{2}(a_1 + a_n)$ Here, $a_1$ is the first number, and $a_n$ is the last number.

3. Finding Partial Sums: For a geometric series, you can find the sum using another formula: $S_n = a \frac{1 - r^n}{1 - r}$ In this case, $a$ is the first number, and $r$ is how much each term is multiplied by.

4. Practice Makes Perfect: The more you practice with different series, the better and faster you’ll get at calculations.

Keep using these techniques, and you'll get the hang of summing series in no time!