See my Do Now in my Strategy folder that explains my beginning of class routines.
Often, I create do nows that have problems that connect to the task that students will be working on that day. Today I want students realize that although the variables, values, and operations are the same the solution to each of these equations is different. I want students to see that in the first equation 30 – 15 = 15, so 15 must equal n here. In the second equation if you substitute 15 for n, your answer does not equal 15. Rather 45 – 30 = 15, so n must equal 45.
Some students may use guess and check or substitution to find the values for n. Other students may work backwards to find the value for n. I call on students to share out their thinking and the way they arrived at their answers. I do not explicitly teach students to use inverse operations to solve equations. When I have done this in the past it has resulted in students memorizing (and often confusing) a procedure and losing sight of what they are actually doing. Students are engaging in MP3: Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others and MP7: Look for and make use of structure.
We review the vocabulary words together. Students work independently on problems 1-4. If they get stuck I encourage them to substitute one of the numbers in the answer box into an equation to see if it works. I walk around and monitor student progress. A common mistake is that students think that 2 to the 4 power is equal to 8. Another common mistake is that students think that t = 12 in problem 1. They think that 18 = t – 6 is the same as 18 – 6 = t.
When most students have completed their work on these 4 problems we come back together. I present the common mistakes mentioned above as solutions to problem 1 and 2. Students participate in a Think Pair Share to discuss whether or not they agree with me and why. I call on students to share out their thoughts. I push students to use substitution to prove that my answers are indeed incorrect. Students are engaging in MP2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively and MP3: Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
Notes:
I tell students that they will be working independently to match an equation with a solution. When they find a match, they record it in the table. I remind students that if they get stuck they can look at their notes in the packet to remind them of strategies they can use.
As students work I walk around to monitor student progress. I observe what strategies students are using and which equations are challenging for students. I use these observations to help inform my questions in the closure. Students are engaging in MP2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively, MP6: Attend to precision, and MP7: Look for and make use of structure.
If students find their matches, they raise their hand. I quickly scan their work. If they are on track, I send them to check their work using the key. If they successfully complete this work, they work on the challenge questions.
I use my observations to pose a question to students. For instance, if I notice that many students struggled with p + 13 ¾ = 32 ¾ I ask students to participate in a Think Pair Share about how to find a solution. I call on students to share out their thinking. I ask students if they found their solution using a different strategy. I want students to be exposed to multiple strategies for finding solutions to equations.
I pass out the Ticket to Go and the HW Finding Solutions to Equations.