Your students will use a “real-life” problem to create an input-output table and write and graph a linear function to represent the situation.

This hands-on activity helps give concrete meaning to terms like function, input, output, dependent, and independent variables, rate of change, y-intercept, and linear equation.

Students can see what their equation looks like on the coordinate grid and how to use it to continue a pattern and find solutions.

Skills Used:

• Create a table to show a pattern
• Write a function from an input - output table
• Solve equations
• Write ordered pairs from a table
• Graph ordered pairs on a coordinate grid

Terms Used:

• Input, Output
• Dependent and Independent Variables
• Rate of Change
• Function
• y-intercept
• Linear Equation

How I use this product:

• Students work in partners, and each group is given the worksheets and a piece of yarn cut about 24 inches long.
• I strongly suggest that students lay the yarn flat on the table and leave the pieces in place as they make their cuts. This way, they preserve what they have done and can look back and double-check their records.
• I circulate and remind students that we are looking for a relationship between the # of cuts and the # of pieces.
• We follow up with a discussion about the vocabulary used in the activity.

Download Includes:

• Three pages
• Answer key

Time Required:

30 minutes

Supplies Needed:

• 24-inch piece of string/yarn per group
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Worksheets