Planes and Wheat

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This is a simple exercise in creating equations from a situation with many variables. By giving three different scenarios, the problem requires students to keep going back to the definitions of the variables, thus emphasizing the importance of defining variables when you write an equation. In order to reinforce this aspect of the problem, the variables have not been given names that remind the student of what they stand for. The emphasis here is on setting up equations, not solving them.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Illustrative Mathematics

Buying a Car

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The emphasis in this task is on the progression of equations, from two that involve different values of the sales tax, to one that involves the sales tax as a parameter. It is designed to foster the habit of looking for regularity in solution procedures, so that students don't approach every equation as a new problem but learn to notice familiar types.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Illustrative Mathematics

Using Two Variables to Express Algebraic Relationships

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Students are introduced to algebraic expressions that use more than one variable and have multiple solutions. They figure out combinations of two items at different costs, with each combination adding up to 100.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Authors: U.S. Department of Education, WNET