Practice writing algebraic expressions from written phrases. The objective is to consider two seemingly similar phrases, write them as algebraic expressions, and then simplify using the order of operations. Learners are challenged to...

Trick out mathematical expressions. Scholars participate in a computerized magic trick where the computer guesses the final answer to a series of operations. Pupils investigate the trick to determine what is happening. Individuals then...

Explore a basic pattern to practice writing expressions. In collaborative groups, learners examine a contextual pattern and write an expression to model it. The task encourages groups to describe the pattern in multiple ways.

Algebra learners can always relate to ice cream. For this case, a carton of ice cream has been at room temperature for t minutes. Given an expression for the temperature of the ice cream, it is up to your number crunchers to...

An interesting way to look at the kitchen floor is to count the number of tiles in the border. Fred starts with four white floor tiles and writes an expression for the number of tiles needed for the colored border. Algebra learners are...

Can your mathematicians come up with an easy way to convert miles to kilometers? Start by asking learners to write an algebraic expression for each of the descriptions given. Once they determine that they are both the same, ask...

Algebra learners are to make sense of two different-sized sand trucks and the number of trips each truck makes. The resource lists four different expressions based on the size of each truck and the number of deliveries the trucks make....

Make a game out of solving equations. This particular activity works well for pairs of learners. Follow the instructions to have player one pick a number and player two verbally give an equation. Participants need to make sense of a...

While this activity is centered around expressions that represent the perimeter of a rectangle, it also hits at the fundamental concept of equivalent expressions, simplifing expressions, and like-terms. Classmates express their...

Your young landscapers do concentration calculations in this problem dealing with mixing fertilizer. Learners use and analyze rational expressions within this context.

Your algebra learners analyze the value of an algebraic expression to decide if it will increase, decrease, or stay the same when one variable is changed as the others stay constant. Their collaborative efforts culminate with a written...

Help mathematicians see that a formula found in a physics book has an algebraic structure. Though the formula given in the resource looks complicated, learners are to break down the expressions and interpret each part separately....

Your young physicists analyze the forms of four equivalent exponential expressions representing an amount of a radioactive material in a substance. They show how each expression is equivalent to the others and what aspects of the decay...

Your algebra learners will manipulate an expression's form in order to make obvious the value of it increasing, decreasing, or staying the same, when one variable is changed as the others stay constant. Your future physicists'...

Is it possible for a rectangle to have the same area and perimeter? If you disregard units, it happens! In a challenging task, groups work to determine the rectangles that meet these criterion. The hope is that learners will naturally...

Scientist work with negative integer exponents all the time. Here, participants will learn how to relate negative exponents to time and to generate equivalent numerical expressions. Learners will apply the properties of integer exponents...

Positive or negative, zero or no solution, are all possibilities for the solution of a linear equation. Here the resource gives examples of linear equations in one variable and their type of solutions. The resource comes with commentary...

Pre-algebra pupils need to understand that two expressions are only equal if they have the same value. Show them that once the expression is multiplied by a number, the value of the expression changes. It makes for a good lead-in to...

It is up to the learner to find the amount of juice originally in a bottle, knowing what fraction of the juice is left, and the amount that has been consumed. The accompanying commentary provides a useful and detailed description of...

The properties of exponents are all linked together and it is your mathematicians' job to discover and apply those rules. The comprehensive lesson plan begins with a pre-assessment task to check for prior knowledge and then goes into a...

Written to assess students' knowledge of interpreting expressions that represent a quantity in terms of its context, this machine-scored task also allows for a good discussion about units guiding the problem solving and solution.

Your statisticians will see that an expression is made up of one or more parts that can be seen as a single entity. Learners give an explanation, in terms of the structure. of the expression and, why it halves in value when n is quadrupled.

Here is a great learning task that focuses on the development of areas in computational fluency including strategies in mental math. Young learners are guided through a list of addition expressions that help them visually understand the...

Somewhat of a puzzle, this problem gets pre-algebra preteens to write an expression representing a seating chart using triangle-shaped tables. This single task is an applicable lesson for meeting sixth grade Common Core math standards....