Mouse=Mouse: Using a Book to Explore Variable and Equality

In the book Balancing Act by Ellen Stoll Walsh, two mice find a teeter-totter and have a fun time balancing each other. When more animal friends come along to join them, they find their teeter-totter unbalanced. This hands-on lesson uses the book as an introduction to the concept that both sides of an equation need to be equal and balanced in order to use the "equal to" symbol; otherwise the "not equal to" symbol must be used. In addition, students use pictures and symbolic letters to represent variables in an equation.

Odd Man Out: Identifying Sums of Numbers as Odd or Even

In this lesson, students use a visual model using snap cubes or grid paper to build numbers in two columns to show whether they are odd or even. They then use the models to generalize about sums of odd and even numbers.

Extending to Symbols

In Parts I and II of this investigation, students learn about the notion of equivalence in concrete and numerical settings. As students begin to use symbolic representations they use variables as place holders or unknowns. This part of the i-Math investigation illustrates the continued transition from the concrete balance view of equivalence to a more abstract view.

Making Rectangles

In this activity, students use their knowledge of number, measurement and geometry to plan the steps necessary for a ladybug to draw rectangles of different sizes. As they experiment, students begin to understand the relationship between the shape of a rectangle and the lengths of its sides. They also develop a sense of the amount of turn in a right angle.

Making Triangles

In this activity, students use 45- and 90-degree angles to create triangles, and develop an understanding of the relationship between angles and the shape of triangle. Students use their knowledge of number, measurement and geometry to design a "virtual path" using two different angles to help a ladybug reach its hiding place under a leaf.

Making Virtual Triangles

In this lesson, students use virtual manipulatives to explore triangles. They create virtual representations of triangles on an electronic geoboard. They also identify shapes within shapes using tangrams. This activity is appropriate for a computer lab, so all students have access to the virtual manipulatives.

Many Sets of Buttons

Students classify buttons and make disjoint and overlapping Venn diagrams. In an extension, they make and record linear patterns.

Mapping All of Me

Students use the knowledge and skills gained from previous lesson by placing yarn strips appropriately on 4' × 3' strips of paper and drawing around them to create a map of their body. Then the students use directional and positional words to describe their body map.