Start a basic lesson using a fast food menu to teach beginning algebra students the correct order of operations in an equation. Make a fast food menu with items and prices, and then ask a student to make an order. Have the class rewrite the order as an equation and try to solve it to find the total cost of the food. If they use the wrong order of operations, show them that the total cost doesn't make sense.
In he hand squeeze lesson, have three students hold hands, and when you say "now," have the first person squeeze the hand of the second person, who squeezes the hand of the third. When the last person in the chain feels the squeeze, they say "now," and you record the amount of time it took. Make a graph of the results, and use the graph to teach the elements of graphic equations.
Gather seven stepping stones or mats and six students . On the three mats to the left, stand three students facing the middle, unoccupied mat, and three students on the mats to the right, also facing the center. The goal is for each student to move so that the students originally standing on the right mats are on the left ones, and vice versa, with the middle open once again. The rules are that if you start on the left, you can move to the right, and vice versa. Only one student can move at a time, and you can "jump" another student s if there is an unoccupied stone on the opposite side. After doing this activity with four, five, six, seven, eight, nine and 10 students, look for patters to find out the number of moves it takes to complete the puzzle. Make equations for these patterns.
This is an intermediate algebra lesson. Pascal's triangle is an arrangement of numbers into a triangle shape. It is made up of binomial coefficients and contains numerous patters within its numbers. It is a great teaching tool for binomial expansions, and you can use it as a teaching tool to challenge students to find as many patterns and equations as they can.