This cluster includes the following access points.
Vetted resources educators can use to teach the concepts and skills in this topic.
| Name |
Description |
| Is the Equation True or False?: | Students are given sets of equations and asked to circle the equations that are true. |
| More True and False Equations: | Students are given a set of equations and asked to circle the equations that are true. |
| True or Not True: | Students examine four equations and state if they are true or not true. Students must also justify their reasoning. |
| Unknowns In Word Problems: | Students are read a word problem and given an equation that matches the problem, and then asked to solve for the unknown in the equation. |
| What Is the Missing Number?: | Students are given equations and asked to find missing numbers. |
| Unknowns In Equations: | Students are asked to find the unknown in three different equations and explain their reasoning. |
| Equality: | Students are asked to justify why two equations are true using two different strategies. |
| Find the Missing Number: | Students are given equations with a missing number and asked to find the missing number. |
| Equal or Not Equal: | The student determines if a given equation is true or false. |
| Name |
Description |
| Equals are Easy: | Students will discover that the equal sign has the same meaning in various parts of a number sentence. Practice will be given placing the equal sign in the beginning, middle and end of an equation. |
| Balance the Equations!: | In this lesson the students will determine if two numbers, two addition and/or subtraction equations are the same as or equal to each other. This is a real balance act that will have the students understanding the meaning of an equal sign. |
| The Whole Part: | Students will participate in a variety of activities and use part-part-whole graphic organizers to discover unknown addends in put together addition situations. |
| Show It Another Way: | In this lesson, students will apply properties of addition in order to add three whole numbers. Students will then decompose the sum using tens and ones. |
| Make Mine Equal: | Students will explore the meaning of the equal sign by creating and completing equations that have two addends on each side of the equation. Note that this lesson focuses on addition equations, though it can easily be adapted to include subtraction equations. |
| Weigh your options!: | Students will explore the meaning of the equal sign by representing an equation with manipulatives on a scale. The students will be asked to decide if an addition or subtraction equation is true or false by proving it with and without a scale. Students will determine the missing number in addition or subtraction equations. |
| Balancing Equations: | This is an engaging, hands-on lesson to help the students understand the meaning of the equal sign. The lesson is written using a pan/equal arm balance but may be done with just connecting cubes. |
| Understanding the Equal Sign: | This lesson helps students to understand the meaning of the equal sign and to realize that one side of an equation must equal (balance) the other side of the equation. |
| Ladybug Missing Numbers: | This lesson will introduce the concept of determining missing numbers in addition equations. |
| Dangerous Doubles (Doubling Numbers): | This lesson teaches students to use the strategy doubling numbers and doubles plus or minus one in order to use mental math to add one-digit numbers. The students are engaged in learning through the read-aloud of "Double the Ducks" by Stephen Murphy and then get to work with a partner to draw doubles and write equations that relate to their drawings. Students individually work on solving word problems using these strategies and manipulatives as necessary to solve. |
| True or False?: | In this lesson, students will explore true and false addition and subtraction equations through a variety of hands-on learning activities. Detailed center ideas are also covered in this lesson. |
| Name |
Description |
| Equality Number Sentences: | The purpose of this instructional task is for students to help students understand the meaning of the equal sign and to use it appropriately. The idea is that students should be comparing the number of circles in each of the rectangles and to write an equation that reflects the fact there are an equal number in each of the boxes (when this is the case). |
| Find the Missing Number: | This task asks students to solve addition and subtraction equations with different structures so that they are able to see the connections between addition and subtraction more easily. Examples should be presented with the the sum or difference on either side of the equal sign in order to dispel the notion that = means "compute." |
| Kiri's Mathematics Match Game: | In all versions, students must engage basic addition and subtraction facts. In the memory version, after a student has turned over one card, in order to know whether there is a match using cards they've seen, they need to to solve equations of the form ?+b=c, b+?=c, ?-b=c, and b-?=c. |
| Valid Equalities?: | The purpose of this task is to help broaden and deepen students' understanding of the equals sign and equality. This task helps students attend to precision by helping them explicitly attend to the meaning of mathematical notation and carefully analyze whether it is being used correctly. |
| Using lengths to represent equality: | The act of trying to find equal lengths with the rods helps students develop a physical understanding for the meaning of equality. Students are more likely to generate and understand complex equalities than they would be able to do only abstractly. |
Vetted resources students can use to learn the concepts and skills in this topic.
Vetted resources caregivers can use to help students learn the concepts and skills in this topic.
| Title |
Description |
| Equality Number Sentences: | The purpose of this instructional task is for students to help students understand the meaning of the equal sign and to use it appropriately. The idea is that students should be comparing the number of circles in each of the rectangles and to write an equation that reflects the fact there are an equal number in each of the boxes (when this is the case). |
| Find the Missing Number: | This task asks students to solve addition and subtraction equations with different structures so that they are able to see the connections between addition and subtraction more easily. Examples should be presented with the the sum or difference on either side of the equal sign in order to dispel the notion that = means "compute." |
| Kiri's Mathematics Match Game: | In all versions, students must engage basic addition and subtraction facts. In the memory version, after a student has turned over one card, in order to know whether there is a match using cards they've seen, they need to to solve equations of the form ?+b=c, b+?=c, ?-b=c, and b-?=c. |
| Valid Equalities?: | The purpose of this task is to help broaden and deepen students' understanding of the equals sign and equality. This task helps students attend to precision by helping them explicitly attend to the meaning of mathematical notation and carefully analyze whether it is being used correctly. |
| Using lengths to represent equality: | The act of trying to find equal lengths with the rods helps students develop a physical understanding for the meaning of equality. Students are more likely to generate and understand complex equalities than they would be able to do only abstractly. |
