Students have begun learning how to solve algebraic equations. They started by learning about the distributive property and simplifying expressions. In order to develop the distributive property, students used algebra tiles to model what multiplying by a variable expression would look like. They were then able to generalize based on the answers they got in the examples we did. Students then used their understanding of combining like terms to simplify algebraic equations that then required one step to solve. We then used algebra tiles again to figure out how to solve two step problems. Again, students were able to generalize from the examples we did to determine how to solve two step equations.
Here's how we solved the equation 3x + 6 = 12 using algebra tiles:
Here's how we solved the equation 3x + 6 = 12 using algebra tiles: