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...

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.

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...

If you think Dr. Seuss has no place in a math classroom, then take a look at this resource. Based on the classic children's book Green Eggs and Ham, this sequence of activities engages children learning to model real-world contexts...

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....

Algebra learners can always relate to ice cream. In 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...

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...

Straight to the point, learners are asked to compare a set of five expressions, determine which are equivalent, and then write equivalent equations for those that do not have any. A benefit is that they will review using properties...

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...

We use debt often to describe negative numbers and your learners will be able to see how it translates into math. They will be asked to go through a series of transactions and make simple equations for each one, following it with a...

The djinni in this resource offers gold coins. Learners use the properties of exponents to make their decision as one offer increases exponentially. This makes a great group project. As the commentary suggests, start by having groups...

Challenge algebra learners to use the difference of cubes to solve this problem. Once your charges have taken out the factor (a - b), combined the like terms and set them equal to zero, the problem becomes a factorable quadratic...

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...

Help young readers find, identify, and use their voices with a set of empowering activities based on Peter H. Reynolds' trilogy of books. Sky Color, Ish, and The Dot focus on recognizing moods and treating each other...

Factoring polynomials is an essential part of writing equivalent expressions and algebraic problem solving. Here is a card game that serves an engaging activity for reviewing factoring of polynomials.

Designed as a follow-up to the lesson plan titled Watch Out for Parenthesis 1, this activity asks young learners to write an equation for the calculation described with words rather than numbers and symbols. The treasure that 5th...

Ask your algebra learners to write an equation that has unit constraints. This commentary talks about the constraints, but does not show them in the equation. It is important that your mathematicians understand that the units apply to...

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....

Subway orders are the same in every language, right? An inquiry-based lesson presents a Subway ordering board from an Asian country. Given an order, learners must determine the cost by comparing symbols of the order to the symbols on the...

Help young mathematicians build a solid understanding of division with this base ten block activity. With the help of these popular math manipulatives, children model different math problems in order to reinforce the...

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

A boss who can't do math? Oh, no! Young entrepreneurs use linear and exponential models to determine which discount will yield the most profit on ticket sales.

Facilitate an understanding of equality using a modeling task. After watching different-sized cups being stacked, learners use their math skills to determine when the height of each cup tower will be the same. Meant as an introduction to...

It's more than just numbers on a line, its an organizational, mental math machine to help learners understand the value of numbers. The tool is handy when introducing positive and negative integers to see their values and...