Exploring Mathematics

This file includes 36 cards with terms (constant and variables) written on them. Hand students a term as they walk in the door and begin class by having them sort themselves into groups by finding people 'like' them. Once students are sorted, have a class discussion about like terms and introduce vocabulary such as 'constant' and 'coefficient'. Also in this file is a 3-slide powerpoint presentation. Slide 2 includes all of the definitions that have just been discussed (variable, coefficient,

This 7-slide powerpoint presentation is designed as for use in an Algebra I classroom as an introduction to solving literal equations (solving for a specific variable when multiple variables appear). Slides 2 and 4 are used as whole-class examples where the new equations are solved side-by-side with more familiar equations that involve only one variable. The teacher can work back-and-forth between the two problems using the familiar to inform what should be done next in the new. This also g

I have found that students struggle with writing equations from story problems. To help scaffold this skill, I first have them reverse it by writing story problems to correspond with variables and equations that I give them. Included in the zip file is a 5-slide powerpoint that I use to introduce and practice the topic. It starts with a systems of equations story problem, and we work together as a class to write the corresponding equations. I use this slide to introduce the concept of defi