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Session 3 - Equality and Inequality

Grade Band 6-8 - Equality and Inequality (Grade 6)

Lesson Activity 1: Model (15 - 20 minutes)

Activity 1:

Directions:

  • Have students complete the Recreational Center Pricing & Answers 
  • In the activity, students are given two options and asked to work through which option is the better choice based on how many days they visit the Recreation Center. The worksheet separates their work into various steps to help them reach their conclusion. 
  • The facilitator should review the student's responses before the next part of the lesson.
  • See below for common student misunderstandings and how to address these.

  • The facilitator may utilize the Inequalities Practice & Big Ideas Presentation to guide thinking. This support can happen after students work independently or to work through the activity together. 
  • Slides 2 and 14 list out the “Big Ideas” translating words into symbols and defining the meaning of the symbols. 
  • Slides 3 - 9 detail the Recreation Center problem. If slides are used to guide thinking, be sure to pause and give students time to discuss their thoughts before moving to answers.

Directions For Common Student Errors & Understanding Student Responses:

  • While students are doing the Recreation Center Pricing Activity, you will want to help when they get stuck. When they feel ready to share, look at their answers/responses.
  • Use the suggestions below to help decide if they “got it” or are still struggling with this skill.  
  • Answers for the activity are included on the activity sheet.

Decorative question mark:

Why are students doing this/what are they going to get out of it

This part of the lesson intends to assess if students can understand that there are multiple solutions to some problems, and explain under which conditions certain solutions work.

Focus: MP2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively and MP6: Attend to precision.

Sample Thinking Prompts

Common Problems

Question to Pose to Student

Student does not know how to start.

Have the student try to find the cost for each day and compare it to the $75. If it is less expensive, then circle it.

Student does not circle all the possible answers.

Have the student rework each day's choice to see if it is less than $75.

Student is not sure how to find the break-even day.

If the student knows that 18 days is too high, and 10 days is too low, have them try to guess and check (e.g., 11 days, 12 days, etc.) until they reach that day 15 is the same.