Pamela Olmstead has
been a middle school math and science teacher for 15 years at Chehalis Middle
School (Chehalis, WA). One lesson that she has referred to all year long is Balancing Shapes, which uses the online applet Pan Balance—Shapes. Before she begins teaching students about
equations or algebra, she takes them to the lab and asks them to use the shapes
and the teeter-totter to figure out how to make both sides of an equation
equal. Then she lets kids explore until they begin to show comprehension. Olmstead
says that this helps “students who are intimidated by math and numbers have
fun. They can see that they are successful with the shapes.” Olmstead also says
that the activity is effective because it gives “immediate feedback, and I can
see what they have stored. When we eventually introduce equations, my kids
really understand what they are doing and why.”
In order to
supplement this activity, Olmstead uses the same concept in the classroom by
having students stand up and portray different numbers. There is also a student
variable and a student equal sign. By having students move around, one-step
equations are easily solved. Furthermore, while doing this, Olmstead has the
students show their work as they solve the equation (moving from concrete to
abstract). Even when introducing negative numbers in equations, students are
able to be successful because they understand the concept of the equal sign.
To see more lesson
plans using this applet, visit:
