Using an Elevator to Evaluate Signed Number Expressions

Using the idea of an elevator moving up and down, students will be given a small set of rules to add and subtract signed integers.

The idea behind the method of adding and subtracting signed integers offerred in these lesson is that the number of rules that students have to memorize and the amount of understanding are minimal.

Math Content

Adding and subtracting of signed integers.

Prerequisite Knowledge

(none)

Individual Lessons

Lesson 1 - Elevator Arithmetic

Students will use vertical movement of an elevator to evaluate signed number expressions.

The idea behind the method of adding and subtracting signed integers offerred in this lesson and the next is that the number of rules that students have to memorize and the amount of understanding are minimal, while the underlying concepts are not trivialized.

Lesson 2 - Flipping for Integers

In this lesson, students will adapt expressions that add or subtract two signed integers. This lesson builds on the previous lesson in the unit, where students add/subtract just a positive integer from a signed integer.

Then, students will play a game that practices adding and subtracting with signed integers. The game will enforce the skill of arithmetic with integers, but will also get students thinking about maximizing their sum, and ordering signed numbers.

Lesson 3 - Comparisons of Integers, using an Elevator

not sure about developing this lesson