Variables on both sides (Day 1 of 2)

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Objective

SWBAT solve equations with variables on both sides.

Big Idea

Let kids become the kings/queens of Algebra Land by declaring which side of the equation is Variable Land and which side is Constant Land.

Lesson Author

Jeff Li MTP

New York, NY

Grade Level

Eighth grade

Subjects

Math

Algebra

Linear and Nonlinear Equations

Standards

8.EE.C.7

Solve linear equations in one variable.

8.EE.C.7a

Give examples of linear equations in one variable with one solution, infinitely many solutions, or no solutions. Show which of these possibilities is the case by successively transforming the given equation into simpler forms, until an equivalent equation of the form x = a, a = a, or a = b results (where a and b are different numbers).

8.EE.C.7b

Solve linear equations with rational number coefficients, including equations whose solutions require expanding expressions using the distributive property and collecting like terms.

MP2

Reason abstractly and quantitatively.

MP7

Look for and make use of structure.

Warm-up

10 minutes

Each day, students complete a warm-up that usually consists of spiraling the previous day's material, in addition to older material. Warm-up problems also sometimes extend lessons that students have encountered before to more unfamiliar contexts.

It's incredibly important to push application to real-world contexts, especially in the midst of a fairly "procedural" unit like solving equations. What does it actually MEAN when we solve an equation like this? I use the warm-ups each day - which I go over meticulously while the kids are fresh - to try to keep this at the forefront of students' minds.

That's why there are a series of application like algebra problems (like #2) that are important to make sure you go over in detail. I like using these problems to model the commutative property, also - there is more than one correct way to represent this equation.