THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK

4
Math: Problem-Solving in
Functions and Algebra
x + 50=y
2

Contents Overview: The CUNY HSE Math Curriculum Framework 3

Curriculum Map 27
Unit Descriptions
Unit 1: Introducing Functions (Lesson) 31
Unit 2: Three Views of A Function (Teacher Support) 51
Unit 3: Rate of Change/Starting Amount (Lesson) 69
Unit 4: Systems of Equations: Making and Justifying Choices 101
(Teacher Support)
Unit 5: Nonlinear Functions (Teacher Support) 117
Unit 6: Modeling Exponential Growth (Teacher Support) 133
Unit 7: Equality (Teacher Support) 145
Unit 8: Developing Algebraic Reasoning Through Visual Patterns
Introduction: More Than Solving for x 157
Introduction to Visual Patterns (Lesson I) 163
An Open Approach to Visual Patterns (Lesson II) 183
A Sample Progression of Visual Patterns 196
Unit 9: Using Area Models to Understand Polynomials (Lesson) 201
Reflective Teaching 223
Resources for Teaching HSE Math 257

1
 The CUNY HSE Curriculum Framework
2015
Principal Authors
Kate Brandt Social Studies: Integrating Reading and Writing Curriculum Framework
Rebecca Leece Science: Matter and Energy Curriculum Framework
Mark Trushkowsky Math: Problem Solving in Functions and Algebra Curriculum Framework
Eric Appleton Math and Science: Contributing Author and
Curriculum Framework Production Coordinator
The City University Associate Author
of New York, Office Tyler Holzer, Math: Problem Solving in Functions and Algebra Curriculum Framework
of Academic Affairs Special Acknowledgement
Steve Hinds, for his visionary contributions to CUNY HSE math instruction.
John Mogulescu
Significant Contributions
Senior University Dean
Erna Golden, Shirley Miller
for Academic Affairs and
Dean of the School of Acknowledgements
Professional Studies Ellen Baxt, Gary Dine, Arnitta McKinley, Joan Stern, Ramon Tercero, Kevin Winkler
Project Director: Leslee Oppenheim
Suri Duitch
University Dean for Design and Layout: Renée Skuba | Graphic Design
Continuing Education and Video Production: Kieran O’Hare, Zachary Timm
Workforce Development The authors would like to thank their students in the Spring 2015 CUNY HSE
Demonstration Class who inspired their teaching and writing.
Leslee Oppenheim
University Director of Sabrina Abreu Fabio Castro Edith Leon
Language and Literacy Adam Alicea Iquis Dickerson Lashana Linton
Programs Janet Alicea Sandra Eisenberg Angel Osorio
Netea Banks Julien Fils Roxanne Perez
Eileen Berrios Renee Gulliver Miyako Smith
Asbury Brown Brad Lee Natasha Williams
Tiffany Carrian Ron Lee

For information about the CUNY Adult Literacy/HSE Program—its services,

educational curricula and instructional materials, or to inquire about training
options, please contact CUNY’s HSE Professional Development Team at:
http://literacy.cuny.edu

This project was made possible through WIA Incentive Grant funding from the U.S.
Department of Labor, with support from the New York State Department of Labor,
Division of Employment and Workforce Solutions, in collaboration with the New York
State Education Department, Office of Adult Career and Continuing Education Services.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This workforce solution was funded by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor. The solution was created
by the grantee and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The Department
of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, expressed or implied, with respect to such
information, including any information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability or
ownership. CUNY is an equal opportunity employer/program and auxiliary aids and services are available upon request
to individuals with disabilities.
 THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK

4 Math: Problem-Solving in
Functions and Algebra

Overview
Defining Math and Mindset

I
magine traveling alone in a country where you don’t speak the
language. Maybe you learn a few words like “please” and “thank Sections:
you” (and become more polite than you are in your native language). n Defining Mathematics
Maybe you memorize a whole sentence. You’re not sure what it means,
n Six Core Teaching and
but you know if you say it at the right time, people smile. But if you say Learning Principles
it at the wrong time, people seem annoyed or disappointed. You can’t for
n Basic Structure of a
the life of you figure out what is the right or wrong time to say it. Slowly, Math Lesson Plan
the isolation takes over and leaves you rigid and anxious. It is an anxiety
n Powerful Routines for
that comes from hearing everyone around you speaking a language you Math Classrooms
don’t know, that is different from the one inside your mind. You can feel
n How the Math Section
like you’ve lost your identity, like you have no sense of agency. You can’t Works
express who you are and it can feel like you are not really there.

Unfortunately, when it comes to math, this experience (and resulting

mindset) is how many adult students feel when they enter our
classrooms. At the root of this alienation is the way students define math
and mathematical learning.

HOW DO ADU LT E DUCATION STU DE NTS

FE E L ABOUT MATH E MATICS?

n Math is a club where only certain people—“math people”—are

allowed, and I am not one of them.
n Math is a set of procedures that make no sense that you just have
to memorize.
n Math is something you learn by sitting passively and watching
someone do a procedure on the board.
n Math is about getting the answer.
n All you need to do is learn all the formulas and you will
understand math.
n Doing math means repeating that same procedure to answer 15-25
identical problems.

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n Being good at math means being fast.

n Understanding math means getting all the answers correct.
n Math is something that doesn’t have to make sense—if you know
the keywords, they will tell you what to do.
n Math has little to do with “me” (except in terms of money).
n Math has nothing to do with communication, creativity or
intuition.

n There is one right way to solve a math problem—so if you don’t

know it, you might as well put down your pencil and wait for the
teacher to show you.

Not all of our students feel this way about math, but many of them do.
And there is a strong correlation between students who believe these
statements and students who have real problems and unproductive
struggle with math.

How is it that students from all across the U.S. and from countries all
over the world have the same misconceptions about what it means to do,
learn and understand math? It has to do with the way almost all of us
were taught math. Not many of us had teachers who told us those things
explicitly (though I have heard some stories). But still the message got
across through the way we were taught. Even those of us who were
successful in our own math education are not necessarily immune.

It is telling how many adult education math teachers say they are
learning more math as teachers than they ever did in school. That
statement really says a lot about how adults (and people in general)
learn math. As teachers, we not only have to work on math problems,
but we need to find engaging ways to talk about mathematical
concepts. We need to find different strategies and ways to represent and
explain things when students aren’t understanding. We need to try to
understand each student’s reasoning, both when it is correct and when
it is not. Each of those aspects of teaching are activities at the heart of
what it means to do and study mathematics.

Mathematics is an “interconnected body of

ideas and reasoning processes… [learned
through] collaborative activity in which
learners are challenged and arrive at
understanding through discussion.” (Swan, 2005)

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There is a lot we can do through the choices we make as teachers. We

can give students the genuine experiences they need to reshape the
harmful preconceived notions of what math is and who they can be
in a math classroom. For example, we can present problems before
showing students how to solve them. By putting the problem before the
explanation, we put student thinking and reasoning at the heart of our
lessons. We convey to students that math can come from them, that they
can develop strategies for working on problems they’ve never seen before.

One classroom routine that can get students to question the idea that
math is just a set of procedures to be memorized is an activity called,
“Sometimes, Always, Never.” The basic idea is you give students a
mathematical statement and ask them to categorize it as always being
true, sometimes being true or never being true. If it is true, students
have to give an example, and if it is not true (or not always true),
they need to provide a counterexample. For example, you might ask
students to consider, “Difference means subtraction.” This statement
is sometimes true, but not always. A counterexample might be, “There
is a 35 year age difference between Paulina and her son. If Paulina’s
son is 8, how old is Paulina?” Students who think “difference” always
means subtraction will subtract 8 from 35 and say that Paulina must be
27. “Sometimes, Always, Never” is an important activity to do multiple
times over the course of a semester. The more you do it, the more you
will see your students bring the question to other aspects of your class—
when learning a new content, when considering a classmate’s strategy,
they’ll begin to question the boundaries and exceptions of mathematical
statements. For more on this idea, look for the article “13 Rules that
Expire” cited in the math resources section.

STU DE NT M ISTAKES AR E EXPECTE D,

R ESPECTE D AN D I NSPECTE D

Students tend to think of mistakes in math as failures and as proof

that they “are just not good at math.” For teachers, when student
mistakes or misunderstandings come out, it can be tempting to move
past them as quickly as possible. Teachers often keep calling on different
students until the correct answer comes out. As an alternative, what
if we asked questions designed to draw out those common mistakes
and misconceptions? What if we treated student mistakes like the
discoveries they are and framed them as opportunities for everyone to
learn something? We need to hear from students who don’t know the
answer, as much as we need to hear from those who do. A mistake that
is not addressed is usually a mistake that will be repeated. A student
mistake can also serve as a “canary in a mineshaft”—if one student is
capable of making it, others might as well, even if they didn’t this time.

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For more on how to use student mistakes, check out the following
reviews on CollectEdNY.org:

• http://www.collectedny.org/2015/03/my-favorite-no-a-great-way-to-
celebrate-student-mistakes-in-math/

• http://www.collectedny.org/2015/04/mistakes-in-math-expected-
respected-and-inspected/

A FI NAL WOR D ON WHAT IT M EANS TO DO MATH

The Common Core Mathematics Standards are composed of two parts

of equal importance. The content standards address what math content
students should learn at different grade levels. The 8 Standards for
Mathematical Practice (MP), are a redefinition and a guide for what it
means to do math and what it means to be a mathematically proficient
student. The 8 MPs are what students should be doing in math classes
at every level, with whatever content they are learning. Phil Daro
(2015), one of the writers of the CC math standards has said the MPs
are a way to define the content of students mathematical character.
Too many of our students say, “I am not a math person.” They say that
because to them, being a math person means already knowing the
math content. The 8 Standards of Mathematical Practice are a way of
redefining what it means to be a “math person”—it’s not how much math
content you know, but more about your attitudes and what you do to
make sense of and learn math. The 8 MPs define the way mathematical
knowledge comes together and gets used, as well as productive attitudes
and habits of mind in the study of math. The math lessons and activities
in this curriculum framework offer ample opportunities for students to
explore all 8 Math Practices.

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Underlying Teaching and

Learning Principles
The following research-based teaching principles are at the center of the
work we do at the CUNY Adult Literacy and High School Equivalency
Program. These principles informed all of the work in this document,
from the content selection down to the design of each problem.

CORE PRINCIPLE #1
Implement a Content-Based Approach
“The model of the student as an empty vessel
to be filled with knowledge provided by the
teacher must be replaced. Instead, the teacher
must actively inquire into students’ thinking,
creating classroom tasks and conditions which
student thinking can be revealed. Students’
initial conceptions then provide the foundation
on which more formal understanding of the
subject matter is built.”
– from How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience and School (2004)

TEACH DE PTH OVE R B R EADTH

We need to teach with Focus and teach less, so students can

learn more.

One of the biggest challenges we face in adult education math

instruction is the amount (and difficulty) of material we feel pressured
to teach and that students are expected to learn. All teachers want what
is best for their students and sometimes it feels like we should try to
cover as much as possible, to give them a taste of everything they might
see on their HSE exam.

Now more than ever, it is important to remember both the short-term

and the long-term learning goals we have for our students. Both the
Common Core and the research back up what our experience tells us.
When students receive instruction that is “a mile wide and an inch
deep,” they often lack the ability to apply what they know to new

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situations, or remember what they’ve already “learned.” Many of us

have asked ourselves questions like, “My students knew how to do
this two weeks ago, what happened?” or “Why don’t my students see
that they can use what we learned to solve that problem to solve this
one?” The answer to both questions is the same: Without a deep enough
understanding, students won’t transfer what they know to new situations
or to retain what they do in class. It may feel strange to spend more
time on fewer topics, but if we try to cover everything, we end up having
to re-teach things anyway, often right in the middle of a lesson on a
completely different topic.

“You can’t We should accept that we cannot teach everything and then make some
choices about how we will focus our resources, especially our time. We
make a plant should not let any assessments work us up into such a panic that we lose
grow by sight of some of our greatest strengths—our practice of starting from
pulling on it, where students are and our serious respect for their learning processes.
As a student once told me, “You can’t make a plant grow by pulling on it,
you only make you only make it rootless.”
it rootless.”
The math problems students will see on their HSE exams will be far
—Student more complex than what we find in workbooks and what was on the
old G.E.D. Just knowing formulas will not be enough. Experience with
routine problems that can be answered simply by using a memorized
set of procedures or steps will not be enough. At the heart of teaching
with focus is time. We need to give students time. Time to work on and
struggle with complex problems. Time to present different solution
methods. Time to discuss, appreciate and analyze each other’s methods.
Time to debate and to write in math class. Time to revise their work.
Time to reflect on what they are learning, what they understand, how
they understand it and what questions they still have. Students feel
great urgency to find shortcuts and move quickly to the test. It is our
responsibility to slow the classroom down so that people learn the
content.

There are several examples of the “teach less, learn more” philosophy
working. Here is one:

The TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science

Study) is one of those international tests you often hear about, on
which students in the US do not perform particularly well. Because
it is an international test, it is not written to favor one country’s
curriculum over another. In fact, the curriculum in Singapore only
covers 45% of what is on the TIMSS test. The U.S. curriculum
covers 80% of what is on the TIMSS test. And yet students in
Singapore were number 1 in the world on the TIMSS, while the

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U.S .was in the middle of the pack. In this case, U.S. students may
have covered more topics, but they did not develop a deep enough
understanding to transfer it to different problems. The students
from Singapore were not hurt by the fact that the learned less than
half of the content on the TIMSS assessments. The student from
the US may well have been hurt by curricula that tried to cover too
much too quickly.

In the spirit of narrowing how much content we cover, this curriculum

framework targets functions and algebraic reasoning. Concentrating
on these topics allowed us to create a greater coherence between the
topics and to go deeply into some high yield topics that will position
students for mathematical success on their HSE exams, college, career
and life. Focusing deeply on the major concepts in these two topics will
allow students to secure the mathematical foundations, conceptual
understanding, procedural skill and fluency, and ability to apply the
math they have learned to solve all kinds of problems—inside and
outside the math classroom.

AI M FOR COH E R E NCE

Teaching with coherence means that each lesson is not a new event, but
builds on the knowledge students bring to each activity/concept/class. It
also means making explicit connections between math topics, problems,
and solution methods. Limiting the math we teach, focusing on high
yield content allows us the time we need to help students develop an
understanding of the structure of mathematics as a discipline, which
helps with both retention and transference. Aiming for coherence means
helping students understand how things fit together—and that they are
related in the first place.

CORE PRINCIPLE #2
Provide Scaffolded Instruction
We need to start where our students are, or we run the risk of leaving
them behind. Teachers of adult math learners often have to contend with
“mixed-level” classrooms—classrooms with a dramatically wider range
of student abilities than are generally found in the other subject areas.
Sometimes, the mixed-level can even be embodied in a single student.
You might have an immigrant student who is very good at calculations,
but who struggles with word problems. You might have a student who

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works in construction and can solve complex problems involving volume

and operations with fractions, but who can’t read a graph. At the core of
our scaffolded math instruction are rich, non-routine problems that can
be approached with a wide variety of student methods, from drawing
pictures, guess-and-check and writing equations. Teachers prepared
with support questions and extension questions can keep an entire class
of “mixed-level” students working on the same problem and engaged in
the productive struggle at the heart of each student’s proximal zone of
development (ZPD). ZPD is a concept developed by Lev Vygotsky that
looks at three kinds of learner experiences—there are the things that
can do without help, there are the things they can’t do and there are the
things they can do with some guidance. The third category is the ZPD
and where learning happens. We offer students problems that have a
low entry and a high ceiling. A problem is a “low entry” if it is accessible
to wide range of different different students, where every student can
begin and find their own level of engagement. It has a “high ceiling”
if there are a lot of possibilities for students to get into challenging
mathematics, where the problem can be extended for students who
need to be challenged further in order to say in their ZPD. The lessons,
teacher supports and additional resources to follow are all built around
these types of problems.

People learn math best when they can start with intuitive
understandings, move into concrete manipulation, then into
representational, and finally abstract and communicative levels of
understanding and discussing mathematical concepts (Sharma, 1988).

Here’s an example of a scaffolded progression:

In exploring how multiplication is about sets or groups, a teacher might
start by flashing a photo of a carton of eggs and asking the class how
many eggs they saw. Students will easily say 12. Did you count them all?
No, I just knew that eggs come in a dozen. This is the intuitive level.

The next step may be to show a baking tin full of 12 muffins in 3 rows
of 4 each. If we ask students to tell us how many muffins are there
without counting each individual muffin, then ask how they know, they
may say that there counted by 3’s or counted by 4’s or a student may
say that there are 3 rows of 4, so they multiplied 3 times 4. This is the
concrete level.

The next question may ask students to use colored tiles to create
as many rectangles as they can with 12 tiles. Students may show
rectangles formed of these dimensions: 1 × 12, 2 × 6 and 3 × 4. This
could also be considered the concrete level.

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A next question may ask students to use grid paper to draw rectangles
with 24 squares (also concrete), but then ask for a number of squares
that can’t be drawn on the given grid paper. The resulting drawing
of, say, a rectangle 60 squares tall and 20 squares wide would become
representational, since it would no longer be efficient to count every
square.

Finally, a symbolic relationship between the length, width and the area
could be discovered: length × width = area. This is a representational
level of understanding.

Each of the steps from intuitive to concrete to representational to abstract

are scaffolds for students’ thinking. Some students may need intuitive
and concrete ways of thinking more than others in order to understand
the concepts, but the opportunity for all students to use these ways
of thinking and to communicate with each other about them deepens
everyone’s knowledge and helps prepare students for abstract thinking.

Our principle of providing scaffolded instruction is explored further in the

Lessons, the Teacher Supports and especially in the Adaptation section.

CORE PRINCIPLE #3
Stimulate Active Learning
E NGAG E STU DE NTS I N PRODUCTIVE STR UGG LE

Look up “Perseverance” in the dictionary and it will say something like:

“To persist in or remain constant to a purpose,

idea, or task in the face of obstacles or
discouragement.”
In order for students to develop perseverance in mathematical problem-
solving, they have to learn how to work through struggle. They have to
build up some experiences of feeling stuck, sticking with it and having
a breakthrough. They will not be able to do this if we step in too soon or
too often.

I like to think of our role as teachers as similar to that of a weight-lifting

spotter in a gym. If the spotter keeps their hands on the weight and just
lifts, he or she will be the one who gets stronger, not the weight lifter.
A good spotter watches the person lifting weights and lets them do the
work. When the lifter gets stuck, the spotter offers words of support and
encouragement. If the lifter still can’t proceed, the spotter helps, just

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enough to get them past, sometimes only using a few fingers, and does
the least amount of lifting they can. The spotter keeps the lifter able
to work and develop beyond instances of struggle. It may be helpful to
think of our work with students in a similar way. You can’t get stronger
or develop perseverance watching someone else lift weights. Students
have to learn to work through struggle, not stop and wait for someone
else to do the work when they get stuck. As a general rule, we should try
to never take the pencil out of a student’s hands.
This can be one of the hardest things for us as teachers to do. It can be
tempting to just show students how to solve a problem as soon as they
get stuck. It is often what they want us to do and if we do show them,
they will be thankful and happy, which makes us feel great. But when
we do that, what are we teaching them about their ability and
independence? How are we preparing them to keep going the next time
they struggle?

We should be honest with our students and tell them that we are
preparing them for HSE exams and college and life, all of which will
give them problems they’ve never seen before. In math class, we need
to build our tolerance to uncertainty and struggle. We need to separate
ourselves from the notion that math problems are like sitcom problems,
solved quickly and neatly to perfect resolution. Our students need to
understand that struggle is not a bad thing. Too many adult students
interpret struggle as a deficit on their part. As soon as they start to
struggle, they put down their pencils and say things like, “I just don’t
get it. I’m not good at math.” Reacting to struggle that way makes it
more difficult to learn, since working through struggle is a necessary
part of the learning process.

When students are struggling, we should aspire to only ask them

questions—and to ask as few questions as it takes to get them moving
on their own.

n When students ask a question about one of the conditions that

make the problem “problematic”, encourage them and reflect
question back to them

n Answer most questions with “Good question. What do you think?”

n When students start to shut down, get them talking. Ask them to
describe the situation in their own words. Ask them what they’ve
tried so far.

n When students are stuck, suggest a strategy—for example, “Can

you draw a picture?” or “What could the answer be? Is there a way
you can check that? What have you tried from our list of problem-
solving strategies?”

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CHALLE NG I NG, NON-ROUTI N E PROB LE MS

“A problem is defined…as any task for which

the students have no prescribed or memorized
rules or methods, nor is there a perception
by students that there is a specific correct
solution method.” –Hiebert (1997)
The problems found in the math framework fit the above definition and
the criteria for a good problem below:

n The problem should allow for different approaches/solution

methods.

n The problem should have a low entry and a high ceiling, meaning
it should allow for students at different levels to approach the
problem in a way that makes sense for them (you might have a
lower level student who is able to work on the problem drawing a
picture, whereas a more advanced student might create a chart or
an equation).

n Students should be unable to proceed immediately towards a

solution.

n It should promote discussion, both of different approaches and of

targeted math concepts or problem-solving strategies.

Many teachers have gotten the message that the Common Core and
HSE math is more rigorous and more difficult than what students
faced on the GED. This increased rigor is often understood as more
advanced mathematical topics. This is only part of the story. The other
part of the story is that students are going to need to face problems
that will require them to make choices, try different things, change
course if necessary, adapt and be flexible in their thinking and know
for themselves when they are done and if they are correct. Instead of
being centered around worksheets where students are answering a lot
of questions, this framework is built around students working on one
problem at a time. The problems allow for teachers to bring in formal
mathematics after students have brought their rich thinking, sense-
making and communication to bear. The problems are designed to draw
the mathematics out of our students and build from there.

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CORE PRINCIPLE #4:

Facilitate and Plan for Collaborative
Learning
“No matter how kindly, clearly, patiently,
or slowly teachers explain, teachers cannot
make students understand. Understanding
takes place in students’ minds as they connect
new information with previously developed
ideas, and teaching through problem-solving
is a powerful way to promote this kind of
thinking. Teachers can help guide their
students, but understanding occurs as a by-
product of solving problems and reflecting on
the thinking that went into those problem
solutions.” –Diana Lambdin
E M PHASI Z E M ETHODS OVE R ANSWE RS

Learning math is a collaborative activity. This includes group work

and student presentations. After students work on a problem, we shift
our attention to exploring our methods. While you are interacting with
students during their group work, be on the look out for which strategies
you’d like to discuss and start thinking about the order in which you
want those presentations to go. In general, you want to look at the more
concrete strategies first and then move towards the more abstract ones.
Start with the strategy that you think is most accessible to all of your
students and then look at the ones that connect to the specific math
content you want to explore.

Students tend to think that math ends once you have the answer. We
can help them see beyond that by taking seriously the learning that
happens after students already have the answer to the problem. It is
not uncommon for student presentations and the discussion of different
solution methods to take just as long as it took for students to work on
the problem, if not longer. There is a lot of mathematics to be learned
after the problem is done. If we honor that, students will learn to
honor it as well. And once they realize how much they get out of the
discussions, it can make a large impact in their ideas about how people
learn mathematics.

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 u n d e r ly i n g t e ac h i n g a n d l e a r n i n g p r i n c i p l e s

When students present their strategies, we want other students to engage

with them. We want to help students make their thinking understood and
we want other students to understand the thinking of their classmates.

Here are some questions that can help achieve these goals:

n Constantly ask, Can you show us how you did that?

n When a student presents their thinking and part of their reasoning

is unclear, ask them to tell the class more about what they did
there.

n When students present their thinking, give other students an

opportunity to ask questions—if they don’t have any, ask at least one
question. You can also ask the rest of the class questions about the
strategy. You want them to realize that being able to explain what
was done in their own words is the threshold for understanding.

n After a student explains their thinking, ask someone else in class to

explain a potentially confusing aspect of the student’s thinking.

n After a presentation, ask students to turn to a partner and take

2 minutes to talk about something they appreciate about the
strategy. Share out afterwards, having students speak directly to
the student(s) whose strategy they are appreciating.

n Once a few strategies have been discussed, you can start asking
questions like, How are these strategies different? How are they
similar?

Help everyone realize who they should be listening to during student

presentations. One strategy is to sit down in the seat of the student who is
presenting. This will take the focus off of you, as the teacher. Let students
do the talking, including clarification of their ideas.

FOCUS R ESPONSI B I LITY WITH STU DE NTS.

n Don’t exert authority by saying what is right or wrong.

n Respond to most student explanations with, What do the rest of you

think?

n Ask, How do we know this answer is correct?

n Model thinking and powerful methods. When students have done

all they can, the teacher can demonstrate other approaches. If this
is done at the beginning, however, students will simply imitate the
method and not appreciate why it was needed. Whenever possible,
teachers should draw from presented student work.

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CORE PRINCIPLE #5
Make Time For and Encourage Metacognition
and Self-Regulated Learning
We need to give students time to reflect on their sense-making process.
After doing math (working on problems, discussing those problems and
analyzing different strategies), students need time to pair share and/or
write to help them think about what happened. You can have students
write in math journals, or you can give them exit tickets, with the few
questions you want them to respond to. Either way, you want to collect
the responses as often as you can, provide feedback and return them to
students.

Here are some examples of things you want students to be thinking

about:

n What was challenging about this problem? Where did you get
stuck? What did you do when you got stuck?

n What strategies worked for you?

n What was the best mistake you made today? What did you learn
from that mistake?

n How did you get started on the problem?

n How is this problem similar to other problems we have

worked on?

n What was the best question asked in class today—it could have
been asked by you, another student or the teacher. How did that
question help you?

n What do you want to remember about your work on this problem?

n What are two things you want to remember about today’s class?
What questions do you still have?

n How do you think what we did today is connected to what we

were doing last week?

n If you could go back in time to the moment before you started

working on this problem, what advice would you give yourself?

n What did you learn from working on this problem? What did
you learn from explaining your strategy? What is one thing you
learned from someone else’s strategy?

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 u n d e r ly i n g t e ac h i n g a n d l e a r n i n g p r i n c i p l e s

n What did <student’s name> do to help make her thinking

and strategy clear to us?

n What general problem-solving strategies can we add to our

class list?

n In ten sentences, summarize what we did today for a student

who is not here.

When appropriate, we also want students to know why we are making

the choices we are making as teachers. When we discuss different
solution methods and go from concrete to more abstract, we can tell
students we do that because that is how people learn (and ask them how
it felt). When students ask us if their answer is correct and we answer
by asking them, “What do you think?”, we should explain that we are
not trying to frustrate them, but instead to help them be independent
and develop their ability to judge the validity of their answers.

CORE PRINCIPLE #6:

Problem-Solving Strategies are
Integrated into Content Learning
In addition to the math content, we want our students to build a
toolbox of problem-solving strategies. We want students to think of
these strategies as things they can do to help themselves make sense of
challenging problems. These strategies help with perseverance when we
frame them as “things you can do when you have no idea what to do.” To see the
classroom video,
Respecting Problem-
SOM E E FFECTIVE PROB LE M-SOLVI NG STRATEG I ES:
Solving Strategies:
n Draw a picture/Make a n Act it out The Handshake
visual representation Problem, visit the
n Work on a similar and
CUNY HSE Curriculum
n Organize your thinking/ simpler problem
Framework web site at
Make a chart
n Use a model http://literacy.cuny.
n Guess and check edu/hseframework.
n Create an equation
n Work backwards

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH INTRODUCTION TO MATHEMATICS 17

 b a s i c st r u c t u r e o f a m at h l e s s o n p l a n

Basic Structure of a Math Lesson Plan

Here is the basic structure that each of the York City teacher. Billy gives students pieces
lessons and teacher supports in the math of newsprint/butcher paper to work on and has
section follow. them fold the paper in half. On one half, they do
all of their work—this is the messy side. On the
1 Launch other half, they rewrite and add labels to their
Math lessons begin with a launch, which process so that it will be clear to others during
prepares students for the core problem of the their presentation. Many students will need to
day. The launch can be a discussion, writing do this several times before they get better at it.
assignment, open-ended question, photograph,
video, or anything else that helps get students 4 Student Presentations and Debrief

thinking about the context of the problem to Students present their reasoning and problem-
come. It should be accessible enough that every solving process to their classmates and analyze
student feels comfortable contributing. each other’s work.

2 Problem-Posing 5 Teacher Summary

Teacher engages students in a task. This might This is an opportunity for teachers to make
just be giving out the core problem. It might be explicit connections to the mathematical content
giving students the situation—without the actual objectives for the day and student work on
math problem/question—and asking them to the core problem. This is when teachers might
create a visual representation of the situation. It introduce vocabulary and formal notation (“You
might be giving students a problem and a list of know that relationship you noticed? Well, in
problem-solving strategies and asking students mathematics there is a name for it…”). It is
to circle all of the strategies they think might be also a moment where a teacher might speak to
helpful in making sense of the problem. particular mathematical habits of mind they saw
that they want to celebrate.
3 Student Work

Student have the opportunity to work on their 6 Reflection

own at first, and then in groups. The first phase Students are given time to look back over the
of the student work is their engaging with the day’s class. It is a moment for students to
problem. The second phase is having students consider what they did and be explicit about
work out how they are going to explain what what they learned. Whatever form the reflection
they did to the rest of the class. I learned a takes, teachers can use this reflection as a final
great process for this from Billy Wharton, a New formative assessment for day.

18 INTRODUCTION TO MATHEMATICS THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

 P ow e r f u l R o u t i n e s f o r t h e M at h C l a s s r o o m

Powerful Routines for

the Math Classroom
Here are three rich and rewarding math routines that teachers can
incorporate into their daily instruction. They are all adaptable and can
be used with any kind of content. See the web-based resources at the
end of the math section for more of these kind of activities/routines.

NUMBER TALKS
Number Talks are something teachers can do as a warm-up in the
beginning of class to help students build computational fluency, number
sense and mathematical reasoning. Number talks don’t need to be longer
than 5-15 minutes and can be done with students at any level.

It starts with a problem or a question posed by a teacher.

Which is greater, 86 × 38 or 88 × 36?

Are there more inches in a mile or seconds in a day?
What is 25 × 29?

But, before you pick up your pencil, try to figure out the answer in your
head. It makes it a much more interesting problem.

Number Talks emphasize mental math because the goal is to get

students to perform operations with numbers in ways that are
meaningful to them, as opposed to just following memorized procedures.

Even the most straight forward looking calculation can have multiple
solution methods, especially if you have to calculate it mentally. Before
you read any further, take a moment to multiply 18 × 5 in your head.

How did you do it?

• Did you do 9 × 5 + 9 × 5?

• Did you do 10 × 9?

• Did you do 5 × 10 + 5 × 8?

• Did you do 5 × 20 – 5 × 2?

• Did you the standard procedure: 8 × 5 is 40, write the 0,

carry the 4, and then 5 × 1 is 5 plus the 4 is 9?

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If we wrote it out by hand, most of us would be far more likely to use

the last method. Having to do it in our head encourages us to use our
number sense.

The goal of number talks is for students to develop computational

fluency. In order to do that, they need to understand certain
mathematical concepts like the fact that the numbers are composed
of smaller numbers and can be taken apart and combined in different
ways.

You can do number talks in a variety of ways, but here’s one possible
format:

1 Give the students the prompt. Write it on the board, write it on a

large piece of newsprint and hang it on the wall, project it.

2 Give students a few minutes to work on the problem in their

heads. Tell them beforehand to give a thumbs up when they have
an answer. You want to give all students the full amount of time
to work on it, without the pressure of competing with quicker
students.

3 Ask students to share their answers. Write them up on the board

without indicating which (if any) are correct.

4 Ask a few willing students to share their method for mentally

calculating their answer. A student does not need to have gotten
as far as an answer to share their approach with the group. As
students share, teachers write down what they are saying.

Check out the resource www.mathtalks.net to learn more about

Number Talks.

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USING GRAPHS IN MATH CLASS:

OPEN-ENDED ACTIVITIES

Data and graph reasoning skills are vitally important in math, both in
terms of HSE assessment and in the real-world and workplace. These To see the
skills are also essential in science and social studies. Below you will find classroom video,
eight effective strategies for developing these skills with your students. Graphs Tell a Story:
Using Data to
n Before handing out the graph, announce the title to your students Understand the Past,
and have them make written or verbal predictions about what visit the CUNY HSE
they think the data will show. After giving them the graph, Curriculum Framework
compare the class predictions to the actual data. This is a great web site at http://
way to engage student interest and/or prior knowledge. literacy.cuny.edu/
I am about to show you a data set titled “Life Expectancy in the hseframework.
U.S. 1900-2000”. What do you expect the data will show?

n Give your students the graph/chart without any attached

questions, and ask them to write and talk about what they notice
about the data. This is a good approach with all students, and
particularly so for lower-level students who feel less confident
about reading graphs. When we attach questions to a graph,
students will often narrowly focus on those questions and they fail
to consider the graph more broadly.

What do you notice?

What do you see that interests you? What do you want to
know more about?
What do you have questions about?

n Ask your students to create true and false statements about the
data in the graph. Students can try and stump one another by
reading their statements and challenging others to decide if the
statements are true or false.

Write three true statements based on this data.

Write two true statements and two false statements based
on this data.

n Ask your students to write questions that could be asked and

answered based on the data. (If you do this, it is a good idea to
take their submissions and create a handout from it for a later
class. When you use student questions, identify them by name
beside each one.)

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Create three questions that can be answered using information

from the graph.

n Ask your students to write a few sentences in a journalistic style

that describes the data. Encourage students to write more about
trends in the data rather than to report a series of individual
pieces of data.

You work for a newspaper. Your editor wants a short article

describing the history of executions in the United States. Write a
few paragraphs that describe executions in the United States from
1930 to 2005. Assume the reader cannot see the graph.

n Give your students a graph without a title and ask them to come
up with their own title. This requires students to convey an
overall impression of a set of data in a few words. This works best
if you encourage creative titles that might be used in a newspaper,
and not titles that merely repeat the axes labels.

n Particularly for data over time, ask students to make predictions

for the future based on the trends observed in the data. Insist
that students defend their predictions with calculations using
those earlier trends. Discourage predictions based on hunches and
background knowledge.

n Ask your students to debate an issue and create graphs to support

their position. You might break the class into three groups—
factory workers, middle management and CEOs. Give them the
salaries for each position and ask each group to design a graph to
present their recommendations.

WHY OPE N-E N DE D DATA AN D G RAPH ACTIVITI ES?

Open-ended activities allow students to engage up graphs and/or data to pursue those interests
with the graphs at their own level as they do further. Because the direction comes from the
rich work interpreting graphs. These kinds of students themselves, students call upon their
activities can be particularly effective in math life experiences and they can see how math
classrooms where there is a wide range in connects to things that they care about, not to
student abilities. They emphasize students mention the other HSE content areas.
taking responsibility for the information that
Our role as teachers is to help students verify
is central to the discussion, and develop
their observations and the observations of their
student ability to speak and write in precise
peers. We can also ask follow-up questions to
mathematical statements. Also, because these
help students go deeper into the stories to be
activities offer a lot of room for student interests
found in every graph.
to come out, they often pave the way to follow-

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WRITING IS THINKING
Writing is an important aspect of math instruction. Below are
some examples of prompts that can generate rich student writing
in math class.

Prompts to Reveal Preconceived Notions/Initial Conceptions

n We can ask students to write about what they think/know
about a math concept:

What I know about <math topic> so far:

Questions I have about <math topic> are:

n We can ask students to compare related mathematical concepts:

How are multiplication and division similar? How are they

different?
How are fractions similar to decimals? How are they different?

Sample Social-Emotional Learning Prompts

n We can ask students to write about math/school in personal
terms:

• What is the best way to learn math? Explain why you think so.
• Who/what has influenced the way you do math?
• Who/what has influenced the way you feel about math?
• What are three values that are important to you? How can
those values help you in math class?
• Describe a positive memory you have about something that
happened in a math class.
• Describe a negative memory about something that happened
in a math class.
• What makes math challenging? What can we do to help ourselves
when we feel challenged?
• What does it mean to be a good math student?

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Prompts to Encourage Student Analysis

n After we have different students/groups present their thinking on
the board, we can ask each member of class to write a description
of the method that appeals to them most to explain what they
appreciate about the strategy/method.

n When we have a class discussion/debate where students try to

convince each other of something, instead of us acting as the
judge, we can ask our students to write about their opinion,
citing what evidence offered by their classmates convinced them.

n We can give them a problem, but instead of asking them to

solve it, we can ask them to write out the steps they would take
to solve it.

n We can ask our student to present an argument with evidence—

for example: If the price of a jacket is raised 50% and then
lowered 50%, is the final price the same as the original price?
Prove your answer.

n We can give students a mathematical statement and ask them

to write a response to it—for example:

“In 1985, 32% of Nigerians were living on less than $1 a day.

In 2007, 71% of Nigerians were living on less than $1 a day.
Between 1974 and 2007, $728,500,000,000 in oil revenues
flowed into Nigeria.”

or

“In 2013, in the United States, more than 45 million people were
living below the poverty line. In 2013, the population of the state
of California was 38.4 million people. One in five children in the
United States lives below the poverty line.”

Don’t Check Your Math at the Classroom Door

Ask students to write about a time they used math in the past week
(outside of class). This will give you rich material for designing problems
and developing lessons using the math in students’ lives. It opens
students’ minds to have them looking for math outside of class. It also
helps break down the false wall many students have put up between
classroom math and life math.

24 INTRODUCTION TO MATHEMATICS THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

 h ow t h e m at h s e c t i o n wo r ks

How the Math Section Works

The Mathematics section consists of four parts: Curriculum Map,
9 content-based Units, a model for Teacher Reflection and a list of
Resources.

TH E CU R R ICU LU M MAP

The Curriculum Map provides an overview of the mathematical content

explored in the units. The map lists the skills and concepts developed
within each unit. You will notice that many of the skills and concepts
appear in more than one unit. The map allows you to see all the
units in which a particular concept is taught—introduced, returned
to and expanded. You can also see the content spiraling through the
units. Finally, the map also illustrates the overlap between the units,
demonstrating how we begin new topics by building off of what has
come before.

TH E 9 U N ITS

n Introducing Functions (lesson)

n Three Views of A Function (teacher support)
n Rate of Change/Starting Amount (lesson)
n Systems of Equations: Making and Justifying Choices (teacher support)
n Nonlinear Functions (teacher support)
n Exponential Growth and Decay (teacher support)
n Equality (teacher support)
n Developing Algebraic Reasoning through Visual Patterns
• Introduction to Visual Patterns (lesson)
• An Open Approach to Visual Patterns (lesson)
n Using Area Models to Understand Polynomials (lesson)

The 9 units are made up of 5 model Lessons and 5 Teacher Supports.

(If that math seems a little off, it is because there are two full lessons in
Unit 8).

Each Unit is centered around either a Lesson or Teacher Support. The 5

Lessons are full-descriptions of activities, from launch to reflection, with
step-by-step teacher notes, student handouts and samples of student
work. The 5 Teacher Supports are each organized around a core problem
and contain a list of skills, key vocabulary, an overview of the problem,

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH INTRODUCTION TO MATHEMATICS 25

 h ow t h e m at h s e c t i o n wo r ks

and suggestions for how to teach and process the problem. We also
suggest supplemental problems which expand on the core problems and
explore other important content within the unit.

The first six units are focused on functions and are meant to be
implemented sequentially.

Teachers have more flexibility when it comes to when and how they
implement the final three units.

n Unit 7 focuses on a core concept of algebra that is often challenging

for adult education math students—equality.

n Unit 8 is designed to introduce teachers to the power of developing

student algebraic reasoning through visual patterns. The unit
features two full model lessons, a sample progression of visual
patterns that teachers can work with using the model of either
lesson and additional resources. The unit also lists other areas of
algebra that can be explored through visual patterns and invites
teachers to create their own lessons, targeting those topics using
visual patterns.

n Unit 9 is a progression teachers can implement over a series of

classes. The progression starts with the idea of multiplication as
repeated addition and develops a coherent thread through area
to multiplication with polynomials. It is a model of coherence
in instruction, where students not only gain the ability to
multiply polynomials, but also understand how it connects to the
multiplication of integers they have been doing for years.

Works Cited:
Daro, P. (2015). Formative Principles of the Common Core State Standards (video).
http://serpmedia.org/daro-talks/
Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (2004). How People Learn: Brain, Mind,
Experience, and School.
Hiebert, J. (1997). Making Sense: Teaching and Learning Mathematics with Understanding.
Portsmouth, NH: Hienemann.
Lambdin, D. (2003). Benefits of Teaching through Problem Solving. In F. Lester (Ed.),
Teaching Mathematics through Problem Solving (pp. 3–14). Reston, VA: National Council
of Teachers of Mathematics.
Sharma, M. C. (1988). Levels of Knowing Mathematics. Math Notebook, v6.
Swan, M. (2005). Improving Learning in Mathematics: Challenges and Strategies. DfES,
http://www.ncetm.org.uk/files/224/improving_learning_in_mathematicsi.pdf.

26 INTRODUCTION TO MATHEMATICS THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

Math Curriculum Map
T his map details the skills and understandings that students will develop through
their work across the 9 units. The chart guides teachers to see which skills are
explored in each unit. You will notice that many skills are developed over several
units and that others come back in later units. This spiraling is designed to support
student retention and transference of fundamental content. You will also notice that
that there is generally an overlap from one unit to the next. This is to reinforce and
build off of prior understandings.

UNIT UNIT UNIT UNIT UNIT UNIT UNIT UNIT UNIT

DESCRIPTION
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8* 9
Understanding that for each input in a function, there
can be only one output.
Using a one or two-operation rule to complete an
In/Out function table.
Given a rule, determining an output from an input
and vice versa.
Identifying a one-operation rule that fits a given
table of In/Out values
Identifying a two-operation rule that fits a given
table of In/Out values
Understanding that a function rule must fit all the
In/Out values in the table for that function
Creating function rules in abstract context and using
them to complete an In/Out function table.

Creating, reading, and interpreting tables

Creating tables from one- and two-operation rules

Plotting points in a one-quadrant graph

Relating tables to linear graphs

Relating tables to nonlinear graphs

Drawing inferences and conclusions based on

graphed data

Interpreting points on a graph in real-world contexts

Using graphs to fill out tables and create function

rules
Testing whether an ordered pair fits a function, using
the rule or the graph
Discovering the relationship between rate of change,
starting amount, and function rules.

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH CURRICULUM MAP 27

 UNIT UNIT UNIT UNIT UNIT UNIT UNIT UNIT UNIT
DESCRIPTION
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8* 9
Using rate of change and starting amount to
determine function rules from tables.
Determining rate of change, starting amount, and
function rules for contextualized problems.

Working with fractional rates of change

Creating function rules that describe real-world

situations or visual patterns

Writing systems of equations in two variables

Using tables and graphs to compare two

linear functions
Understanding the significance of the point on the
graph where two lines intersect
Using tables, graphs, and guess & check to find
solutions to systems of linear functions
Seeing applications of systems of equations in
science and social studies contexts

Using systems of equations to make and justify choices

Interpreting systems of equations as a means of

negotiation between competing interests
Interpreting variables in function rules describing
real-world contexts

Translating to formal function notation

Interpreting function rules that describe

real-world situations
Using charts, tables, drawings and graphs to analyze
nonlinear change
Graphing quadratic functions and relating them to
function tables
Generating outputs from a rule written in
function notation
Understanding constraints on the domain (possible
inputs) of a function given a particular context
Seeing and recognizing the difference between the
graphs of quadratic and cubic functions
Applying quadratic function rules in specific
problem-solving contexts
Using tables, charts, and drawings to model
exponential growth and decay
Seeing exponential growth/decay models in
word problems
Distinguishing between situations that can be
modeled with linear and exponential functions

28 CURRICULUM MAP THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

 UNIT UNIT UNIT UNIT UNIT UNIT UNIT UNIT UNIT
DESCRIPTION
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8* 9
Observing that a quantity increasing exponentially
will eventually exceed a quantity increasing linearly
or as a polynomial function
Noticing that, in exponential functions, the variable
is in the exponent position, and interpreting
equations accordingly
Developing fluency with the different properties
of equality
Creating equations with two or more variables to
represent relationships between quantities

Identifying patterns and observing change

Using patterns to make predictions and

generalizations

Collecting data in a table

Developing strategies to move from concrete to

abstract models

Finding recursive and explicit rules

Creating a written description to define a linear

function relationship
Understanding the use of a variable in the context of a
function with two unknowns, (as opposed to solving
for a specific value of the variable)
Solving one-variable equations with one or two-
operations (finding the input when given the output
of a known function rule)

Connecting pattern exploration and algebra

Understanding multiplication as repeated addition

Develop a better sense of numbers, especially to

compose, decompose and factor integers
Understand the connection between the multiplication
of integers and the multiplication of polynomials
Understanding and using the commutative and
distributive properties of multiplication

Calculating area and perimeter of rectangles

Multiplying two-digit numbers

Multiplying binomials and trinomials (polynomials)

Understanding that two binomials are factors of

a single trinomial

Combining like terms

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH CURRICULUM MAP 29

* The student objectives for the lessons in Unit 8: Algebraic Reasoning through
Visual Patterns are included in the chart above. The introduction to Unit 8 also
describes a wide range of other math content you can teach through visual patterns,
seen below. Using visual patterns to draw out the content below holds further
potential for reinforcement and deepening the concepts listed above.

n organizing data (tables and graphs) n simplifying expressions

n creating/constructing expressions n input/output tables

n creating/constructing equations n independent/dependent variables

n understanding multiple uses of variables n coefficients

and constants
n the difference between an expression
n linear equations (like the arch problem) and an equation

n matching function equation to a situation n quadratic equations

n connecting parts of equations to n comparing linear, quadratic, cubic functions

concrete pictures
n second differences in quadratic functions
n rate of change/slope
n algebraic notation/function notation
n starting amount/y-intercept
n polynomials
n graphing (coordinate plane, ordered pairs)
n solving for a specific value of a variable
n equivalent functions/expressions
n order of operations
n combining like terms
n skip counting
n evaluating functions
n area and perimeter
n identifying graph of function (linear
n exponents
and quadratic)
n perfect squares

Elements of the Overview as well as Units 1, 2, and 3 draw on and adapt pieces of
curricula written by Steve Hinds, especially his lesson set titled, Functions Rule.

30 CURRICULUM MAP THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

 1 Introducing Functions

Lesson Plan
OBJ ECTIVES

Students will understand that for each input there can be only
one output.
Students will use a one-operation rule to complete an In/Out
function table.
Students will use a two-operation rule to complete an In/Out
function table.
Students will identify a one-operation rule that fits a given table
of In/Out values.
Students will identify a two-operation rule that fits a given table
of In/Out values.
Students will understand that a function rule must fit all the
In/Out values in the table for that function.
Students will create their own function rules and use it to fill
out an In/Out function table.

ACTIVITY 1 Launch: Math in Love

We begin our lesson with a
NOTE TO TEACHER launch to engage student
interest and to draw out some
This first activity gives students experience in working from a rule with
work that can serve as a
inputs to create a table of data. Students will use Maxine’s Rules for reference to build off of as
Love to figure out appropriate ages to date. Their own ages will be used we explore a content area.
as inputs in order to determine the outputs of acceptable ages of dating Students tend to see
partners. At the beginning, these skills (and vocabulary) are approached mathematics as disjointed
set of procedures to be
in an implicit way, but they will be made explicit by the end of the lesson.
memorized. We see that as
MATERIALS: Maxine’s Rules for Love handout an obstacle to their learning
and so we strive to connect
STEPS: mathematical ideas to work
they have already done.
1 Give students a few minutes to discuss the following question
In some cases that means
in pairs: connecting to work with
In your experience, does age matter when people are dating? previous content. In other
cases that means having them
2 Give students a few minutes to share their opinions with the class. do some work and then adding
Ask if anyone has (or had) a rule about the youngest or oldest structure and vocabulary. This
person they are (or were) willing to date. lesson models the latter.

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3 Tell them your friend Maxine has a very specific rule when it
comes to the age of people she would be willing to date.

4 Give students the handout and have them work in pairs to

answer the questions. Walk around for a few minutes and address
any questions.

5 On the board, draw two tables.

The first should look like this:

Name Age Youngest person you should date

The second should look like this:

When lesson planning, it can
be incredibly helpful to actually Name Age Oldest person you should date
map out what you want your
board to look like in advance.
If you have a big enough board,
it’s nice to be able to move
from left to right and leave the NOTE TO TEACH E R: Make sure to leave some space above the Age
board work up through to the columns and the Youngest/Oldest Person columns. Later on in the lesson
end of class. It can help you you’ll be adding the words “In” and “Out” above each, respectively.
make connections between
activities and help students
see how activities fit together As students finish the questions on the handout, ask them if they are
and build off each other. willing to go up and add their numbers to the charts. If some students
don’t want to share their age, that is okay, but make sure you look
over their work.

6 Tell students that Maxine’s Rules for Love is an example of

something called a “function.” I like to compare functions to car
factories. What goes into car factories? Glass, metal, tires, rubber,
seats, carburetors, etc. Something happens to all those parts and
materials in the factory. And then something comes out—cars.
Functions work the same way, but with numbers. You have one
number that goes in, something happens to it, and another number
comes out.

7 Add the word “In” on top of the column for students’ ages. Add the
word “Out” on top of the column for the ages of the youngest/oldest
person they should date. For Maxine’s Rules for Love: One number
goes in (your age), you follow Maxine’s Rule, and then another
number comes out (the age of the youngest or oldest person you
should date). You are likely to have two students who are the same
age. If that happens, they should both talk and come up with the

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same youngest/oldest ages. Make sure to draw students’ attention

to this. If it doesn’t, ask what they would expect to happen if two
students of the same age used Maxine’s rule. You want them to
realize something along the lines of, If the same number goes in
and we do the same thing to it, the same number will come out.
Once everyone feels good about the rationale, write the following
sentence of the board and have them copy it into their notes:
When we are working with a function, each input can only have one
output. This is a rule that should be referenced in future classes.

8 Ask students what they think about Maxine’s Rule. Do they think it’s
reasonable? When does it make sense? When does it not make sense?

9 Tell students we are now going to explore the idea of functions in

a game called, “My Teacher is a Computer.”

ACTIVITY 2 My Teacher is a Computer As with all important points

you want to emphasize
in class, don’t assume
MATERIALS: Board/Newsprint and marker
that because one student
STEPS: understands that everyone
else understands too. Ask
1 The way the game works is as follows: Students give you a number, other students what they
you do something to that number in your head, and then you tell think of what was said. Ask
them to restate it in their
students what number comes out. They are going to keep giving you
own words. Ask them if it will
numbers to put into your computer and try to guess what is going always be true.
on inside the computer, i.e. what you are doing to the numbers in
your head. It is important to make clear that students should not
call out the rule. When they think they have figured out the rule,
they should raise their hand and say so without revealing what
they think the rule is.

2 Tell students that you are going to help them keep track of their
guesses in a table on the board or newsprint. Write In over the top
of the left column and explain that is where the numbers they give
you will be recorded. When write Out over the right column and
explain that is where you’ll record the numbers that come out of
your “computer.”

3 Next, give students a limit (maximum and minimum) for their

guesses. This step isn’t absolutely necessary, but might be a good
idea to keep things simple at first. I usually ask students to keep
their numbers between 0 and 20. Another option is to use the range
to introduce some algebraic notation. You might write 0 In 20
and see if anyone knows what it means. If someone does, great, but
chances are, very few of your students will be able to say, “The input
has to be greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 20.”

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That’s fine. Just write it on the board and have them copy both the
notation and the statement explaining what it means in their notes.
Whatever you decide, don’t spend more than a few minutes on
this step.

4 Repeat the request that students not call out the rule once they
think they have figured it out. Use “add 9” as your first rule.
Obviously, don’t tell students your rule. Instead, ask a student to
give you a number. Put that number in the “computer” and record
the number as an entry in In column. I like to give my students a
visual and actually act out the number going in by gesturing as if I
am actually putting the number into my head with my right hand
(so students will see it going in on the left). For the calculation part
I use both hands to mimic washing my hair. Finally, I gesture with
my left hand of a number coming out of my head. Then enter the
number that comes out to the Out column of the table, next to the
corresponding In number. Now, ask the class to give you different
numbers to put in the computer.

5 Once a student says they have figured out the rule, remind them
not to say it out loud. Instead of giving the rule, the student will get
an opportunity to show if their rule matches the computer. Give the
student a number to put in (still recording it in the table). Ask her,
If you put this number in, what number would come out? If she is
correct, tell her so and add the output in the table. If they give you
a number that is not what should come out, tell them so and record
the correct output in the chart—If you put a __ in, you will actually
get a ___ out. Either way, keep going until more students have
figured out the rule, handling their guesses in the same way.

6 6 Once you have a good number of students who have correctly

This language helps students identified the rule (by giving the correct output), ask one of them to
internalize a structure of say what it is that is happening inside your “computer” and write it
thinking that will help them above the table, next to the word, Rule. Once the rule is established,
develop flexibility as they have tell the class you want to go back and check to make sure that rule
to adapt to different kinds of
works with all of the inputs and outputs. Give them an opportunity
function questions.
to check. Once they are sure the rule works for all of the inputs
and outputs, ask a few students to talk you through their process.
Encourage them to use the language of functions: When you put a
14 in and subtract 4, you get a 10 out.

7 I recommend playing this game at least three times on the first

day. (The game can be used at different points in a curriculum on
functions, since you can use more complex rules as students become
comfortable analyzing input/output charts.) I like to use rules that
get more and more complicated. Try a few single step rules, and

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use different operations. You might try add 9, then subtract 4 and
finally multiply by 3.

8 Finally, play a round with a two-step rule. Try something simple,

but not too easy—like multiply by 4, plus 2. Follow the directions
for the game in steps 1 to 6, but I would recommend telling
students in the beginning that the rule they are looking for is a
two-step rule. It is not necessary, but if you don’t, it makes it more
challenging and at this point we still want to prioritize students
getting a feel for the flow of the input to the rule to the output. Keep
in mind that a two-step rule will likely take longer for students to
figure out than a single step rule.

After it is all said and done, your board might look something
like this:

9 Ask, Were any numbers you put in especially helpful for figuring out
the rule? How so? You can point them back to all of the tables and
rules written on the board. There is no need to push to get too much
out of students with this question, at this point. What they say
will depend on the In numbers that students suggested. But even
if their answer is “No,” it is a good question to ask to raise the idea
that there might be a strategy in choosing the numbers we put in.
Ask them to keep the question in mind. They might say things like
“putting a zero in was helpful” or “Choosing consecutive numbers
helped.” Though it is too early to make this point now, these are
useful connections to concepts like starting amount (y-intercept)
and rate of change (slope) in later classes.

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ACTIVITY 3 One Rule to Bind Them All

MATERIALS:
• One Rule to Bind Them handout, cut into individual strips,
one for each group
• Several sheets of newsprint and several markers (one for each
student group)

STEPS:

1 Break students into groups of 3 to 4 students. Give each group

a piece of newsprint and marker. If newsprint is not available,
consider breaking them into smaller groups and have them do the
activity on regular paper.

2 Explain that for the next activity they are going to be working with
functions, but in a different way. You are going to give each group
one input and one output—which is to say, “If this number goes in,
something happens to it and that number comes out.” Ask them to
write and label their In and their Out. Their job is to come up with
as many different ways as possible to explain what is the something
that might be happening.

3 THE ONE RULE TO BIND THEM handout has some sample Input/
Output pairs you can use. Cut out each pair and give one to each
group. Remember to give only one input and its corresponding
output to each group.
There is only one function rule that works with all of the inputs and
outputs: “times 2, then plus 2.”

4 Walk around as they are coming up with all the different ways to
get from their input number to their output number. If any groups
struggle, give them at least five minutes without any intervention
from you (unless they are struggling with understanding the
instructions). Here’s a potential series of questions you can ask to
help them get unstuck. Ask only enough for them to start working.

a. Is the number getting bigger or smaller?

b. What operations could you try to make the numbers bigger?
c. Is there a way to get from the input to the output in one step?
d. Are there any other ways to do it in one step?
e. How could we get from the number that went IN to the number
that came OUT doing two things?
f. Pick a number to multiply the IN by. What did you get?
How could you get from that number to the OUT?

36 UNIT 1: INTRODUCING FUNCTIONS THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

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5 You want each group to have several ways to get from their input
to their output. As you walk around, you might encourage some
friendly competition and say things like, Hmmm… this group found
8 different ways to go from their input to their output. And they’re
still looking for more!

6 You also need every group to have “times 2, then plus 2” in their list
of rules. Once that happens, have everyone tape their newsprint
next to each other on the wall. Ask each group to share all the
different ways they came up with to get from the IN to the OUT.
After every group has shared, ask the class what they notice. At
least one person will notice is that there is one way that is true for
all of the INs and OUTs: “times 2, then plus 2.” Ask the class what
they think about that.

Here’s an example of what it might all look like:

7 Draw a table with all of the inputs and outputs they’ve been
working with. In Out
Point to one of the rules for an input of 1 and an output of 4 other 1 4
than “times 2, then plus 2.” For example, “times 4.” Ask the class if 3 8
you should write that rule in the space above the table. Whatever
students say, yes or no, ask them to defend their answer and ask 5 12
other students what they think. You want students to arrive to 7 16
the conclusion that you can’t put “times 4” in as the function rule
because it only works for one of the input/output pairs. A function
10 22
rule must fit all of the input/output pairs.

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un i t • 1 lesson

For a final question, ask the class how many input/output pairs they
would need to come up with a rule for a function.

Can you do it with one pair? Can you do it with two?

ACTIVITY 4 Function Machines

MATERIALS:
• Function Machines 1 handout; Function Machines 2 handout
• Blank Function Machines (optional)

STEPS:

1 Tell students that they’ve been looking at a few different kinds of

function skills.

For Maxine’s Rule, they were given a rule and put numbers in to
find the numbers that come out. You might go back to the tables
on the board for that activity and ask students to add the rules for
each (divide by 2, then add 7; subtract 7 then times 2).

For My Teacher is a Computer and One Rule to Bind Them, they

had the inputs and the outputs and they had to come up with the
rule.

2 2 Explain they are now going to have an opportunity to practice those

skills using something called a “function machine.” Explain that a
When we know there is a
common mistake that students function machine can be a helpful way to think of functions, similar
might make—such as not to a car factory and to My Teacher is a Computer.
checking a rule against several
input/output pairs—it can Draw a picture of a function machine and the following table on the board:
be really nice for teachers
to “make” the mistake
themselves. It raises the issue In Out
but it puts the responsibility to
correct it onto your students. 3 6
It is always better if they are
the ones who say, “Add 3 only
5 10
works for the first input and 7 14
output. A function rule has to
work for all of the inputs and 9 18
outputs.”
11 22
13 26

Explain that function machines are another way to represent and

visualize functions. It is similar to the other models we’ve

38 UNIT 1: INTRODUCING FUNCTIONS THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

un i t • 1 lesson

looked at. A number from the left column of the table goes in (at
the top of the machine), something happens to that number in the
middle of the machine and then a number comes out of the bottom
of the machine.

Ask students what the rule is. You’ll get a range of answers, and if
they are correct, they will be equivalent—“times 2,” “double,” “the
in plus itself.” Add them all to the box and give students a chance
to decide if they are different rules or if they are all the same. If a
student does not suggest it, ask if the rule could be “add 3.” When
students say no, ask them why not. Even if they say the rule can
not be “add 3,” push back a little with, “But if you put a 3 in and
add 3, you will get a 6 to come out.”

3 Give out FUNCTION MACHINE 1 handouts and tell students that 3

each machine will give them different pieces of information about You may have some students
each function—their job is to use that information to figure out who use the inverse operation
what’s missing. Some of the machines will give inputs and outputs and work the rule backwards
but the rule will be missing. Some machines will give a rule and to go from the output to the
input. You may be tempted to
students will have to find the inputs and outputs. The bottom line
teach your students how to do
is, whatever is missing, they should try to find it. that yourself. I would strongly
encourage you to hold off at
Walk around and look at student work. Unless they ask you a
this point in your class’ work
question, try to spend at least five minutes just watching what they with functions. If a student
are doing. Be on the lookout for challenges, struggles, interesting happens to be able to do it on
strategies and common mistakes. These will give shape to the their own and is consistent
whole-class discussion. and understands why it works,
great. But for many students
One thing that you will definitely want to talk about in the whole- it can be confusing and our
class discussion is what students do when they are given a rule goal for this first lesson is
to get students comfortable
and an output and asked to find the input. For example, look at
with one function rule and its
the machine on the top right on page 1 of the FUNCTION MACHINES relationship with its function
1 handout. Students first have to figure out that the rule is table.
“subtract 4.” Once they do, they put the 20 in and get a 16 out.
What many students do next is put the 50 in (even though it is in
the Out column) and write 46 in the In column. This is a great and
important mistake for students to make and you should not address
it beforehand or intercede if you see a student making the mistake.

Rather than just correcting them, you want to model a process they
could use in the future to (a) catch a similar mistake and (b) correct
themselves. Instead of stepping in, walk around and get a sense
of which students are making the mistake. After a little while,
start asking students to talk you through one of the machines. I’m
going to give you a sense of how the conversation might go for the
function machine on the top right, but you can use it as a guide to
discuss any of the machines where the output is given and students

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 1: INTRODUCING FUNCTIONS 39

un i t • 1 lesson

have to determine the input. Rather than asking them about the
46 right away, have them talk you through the whole machine. Ask
how they know the rule is “ subtract 4.” Encourage them to use the
language of the function machine: If you put a 6 in and subtract 4,
a 2 will come out. If you put an 8 in and subtract 4, a 4 will come
out….

Once they get to the 46, listen to what they say. Some students may
catch the mistake in their own throats when they say, “If you put a
46 in and subtract 4… wait.” Some students may switch columns
and say, “If you put a 50 in, and subtract 4, a 46 will come out.”

If that happens, use the visual of the machine and columns to ask
whether one of the earlier outputs is an input or an output.

You want to help students see that when they are given a rule and
an output the question changes and becomes, What number has to
go in, to follow that rule and give us this output? Another question
to help students to see this to ask, What is the difference between
the 20 and the 50?”

Once they understand they are looking for the number that goes in,
encourage them to use guess and check as an effective strategy. The
questions What could it be? or What if it was __? are good questions
for students as general problem-solving strategies and they can be
really helpful here. Students try a number, use the rule and see
if they get the given output. If not, are they too high or too low?
Should the next number they try be larger or smaller? How can we
use the other inputs and outputs to make our guesses?

4 Give out FUNCTION MACHINES 2 handout. Function machines are a

4 great way to introduce/review/explore different content areas. Once
Function Machines 2 students have an understanding of how they work, you can use
introduces rules that involve them to focus on topics you are working on in class. For example,
decimal multiplication. It can you will see FUNCTION MACHINES 2 has multiplication with decimals,
help students think of the
percent change and offers an opportunity to talk about square roots
decimals in terms of money
and the multiplication in terms and exponents.
of groups. Students may
5 In addition to the two function machine handouts, you will find
not remember the rules for
multiplying decimals. Another two pages of blank function machines. Use these blank machines
approach is to think of 3 x 1.50 to create your own rules over the course of a semester—it is a good
as “three groups of 1.50.” Seen way to continue student exposure to the core concepts of functions
this way, many student will be as well as incorporate other mathematical topics.
able to do the calculations in
their heads. 6 For students who want to practice function machines on their own,
I recommend the following Internet resource:
http://www.mathplayground.com/functionmachine.html

40 UNIT 1: INTRODUCING FUNCTIONS THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

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ACTIVITY 5 The Function Game

MATERIALS: Function Game handouts

STEPS:

1 Tell students that they have been doing a great job working on all
the different functions you’ve thrown at them and now it is their
turn. They are going to have an opportunity to create their own
function rules and tables. Ask them to write a one-operation rule
and a two-operation rule on a piece of paper. Tell them you are
going to try to figure out their rule and that they can try to make it
as difficult as they like.

2 Give out the FUNCTION GAME handouts. Ask students to use each of
the rules they came up with to fill out each of the In/Out function
tables. Make sure they do not write the rule on the handout! It will
be good practice for them to actually do the calculations themselves,
so for this activity I would encourage teachers to ask students not
3
to use calculators. Teachers can give out multiplication tables as support.
I like to pick out a few favorites
3 Have students write their names on the handouts and collect them. before the next class and ask
I always try to work on them, figure out all the rules, and give it those students if they would
back to students by the next class be willing to have the class
guess their rule using the
4 The Function Game is a great activity that works as an in-class structure of “My Teacher is a
assignment or as a homefun assignment. It serves as a good Computer” but changing it to
“My Classmate is a Computer.”
assessment that provides some insight into what students are
retaining from today’s function activities.

NOTE TO TEACH E R

As you are working through your students’ rules, look for ones
that don’t work. Spend some time and analyze why they don’t
In Out
work and ask yourself whether it is a good mistake for other
students to consider. For example, I once had a student whose 5 5
table looked like this (see right).

I started off our next class having the students who had written
5 10
some of my favorite rules play the My Classmate is a Computer 5 15
game with the class. Then I said I wanted to share My Favorite
No, which I explained as a really interesting mistake that I 5 20
thought everyone could learn from. I wrote the table on the
board and asked everyone to spend a minute just thinking about 5 25
what this mistake could teach us. After a few minutes, students
shared some of their ideas. One thing I definitely wanted to see if
5 30
anyone would say is that this does not fit with what we learned

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 1: INTRODUCING FUNCTIONS 41

un i t • 1 lesson

about functions because you have different outputs for the same input.
Someone else said something that the class liked when our conversation
shifted to where the mistake came from and how we could all be careful
to avoid it in the future. She said, “I think the rule is ‘times 5’ and they
meant ‘1 times 5’, ‘2 times 5’, etc. but maybe in their head they were
saying ‘5 times 1’, ‘5 times 2’, ‘5 times 3’, etc., and so they got confused
with the 5 and the In because they were doing the 5 first.”

Check-Out/Exit Ticket

n Ask students to look at the board to remember all the activities they’ve
done (Maxine’s Rules for Love, My Teacher is a Computer, One Rule to
Bind Them and the function machines.) Tell them that they are going to
write for a few minutes about what they want to remember about today’s
lesson.

n On a separate piece of paper—you’ll be collecting it—have students

answer the following two questions:

• What do you know about functions?

• What is one question you have about functions?
They will say different things and all are okay. Give them a couple of
minutes to think about the question and share their answers, either in
pairs or in a whole-class reflection. You may hear things like:

• “There are lots of different ways to get from an input to an output

but there is only one that works for all of them.”
• “What I understand is the rule has to be used with each in number
to equal the out number to make it a pattern.”
• “If you are looking for different ways to get from an input to an
output, it is easy to start with the one-operation possibilities first.”
• “When you are trying to figure out a rule, don’t cross out any of
your guesses.”
n Collect all of the responses as an assessment to make sure you hear
all voices and get a sense of what impressions students are leaving the
room with in terms of functions. Look for any common misconceptions
and misconceptions of individual students. Look for some well-phrased
reflections that you can bring back and share with the class.

42 UNIT 1: INTRODUCING FUNCTIONS THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

un i t • 1 l e s s o n / ac t i v i t y 1 / h a n d o u t

Maxine’s Rules for Love

Maxine has a mathematical rule that she uses when it comes to love. Maxine
says that, in her opinion, when it comes to the age difference between two
people in a romantic relationship, the younger person should never be younger
than half the older person’s age plus seven more years.

1 Following Maxine’s rule, would a couple made up of a 44 year old and

a 27 year old work? Explain your answer.

2 According to Maxine’s rule, what is the age of the youngest person you
should date?

Maxine has a slightly different rule for figuring out the age of the oldest person
she is willing to date. She says to find out the oldest person you should date,
take away 7 years from your current age and then double that number.

3 According to Maxine’s rule, what is the age of the oldest person you
should date?

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 1: INTRODUCING FUNCTIONS 43

un i t • 1 l e s s o n / ac t i v i t y 3 / c u t- o u t

One Rule to Bind Them

Teacher Instructions:
Cut out each In/Out pair. Give one to each group.

In Out In Out

7 16 3 8

In Out In Out

1 4 10 22

In Out

5 12

44 UNIT 1: INTRODUCING FUNCTIONS THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

 Function Machines 1
un i t • 1

In In Out In In Out
2 4 6 2
3 6 8 4
Rule Rule
5 10 10 6

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

10 20 14 10
20 40 20
Out Out
100 200 50

In In Out In In Out
1 6 10 5
15 20 14 7
Rule Rule
4 9 24 12
30 6
22 20

UNIT 1: INTRODUCING FUNCTIONS

Out Out
58 300

45
l e s s o n / ac t i v i t y 4 / h a n d o u t p g. 1
46
Function Machines 1
un i t • 1

In In Out In In Out
2 8 60 45
3 80

UNIT 1: INTRODUCING FUNCTIONS

Rule Rule
5 15
+6 –15
10 115
20 115
Out Out
100 26

In In Out In In Out
.50 6 8.25
.65 1.50 3.75
Rule Rule
1 5
– .10
1.2 10.75
5 21.25
Out Out
6.25 30
l e s s o n / ac t i v i t y 4 / h a n d o u t p g. 2

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

 Function Machines 2
un i t • 1

In In Out In In Out
16 8 10 40
10 2 2 8
Rule Rule
20 6

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

100 60
0 36
Out Out
95 320

In In Out In In Out
10 4
16 12
Rule Rule
20 16
Increase by 50% Decrease by 50%
6 24
75 50

UNIT 1: INTRODUCING FUNCTIONS

Out Out
36 100

47
l e s s o n / ac t i v i t y 4 / h a n d o u t p g. 3
48
Function Machines 2
un i t • 1

In In Out In In Out
1 1
4 2

UNIT 1: INTRODUCING FUNCTIONS

Rule Rule
12 5
Increase by 100% Times itself
15 36
2.6 64
Out Out
170 289

In In Out In In Out
1 1
2 2
Rule Rule
3 3
× 1.5 × 2.25
10 10
7.50 40
Out Out
16.50 18
l e s s o n / ac t i v i t y 4 / h a n d o u t p g. 4

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

 un i t • 1 l e s s o n / ac t i v i t y 4 / h a n d o u t p g. 5

Out

Out
In

In
Out

Out
Rule

Rule
In

In
More Function Machines

Out

Out
In

In
Out

Out
Rule

Rule
In

In

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 1: INTRODUCING FUNCTIONS 49

un i t • 1 l e s s o n / ac t i v i t y 4 / h a n d o u t

More Function Machines

Fill in missing values and/or rules.

Rule: Rule:

In Out In Out

Rule: Rule:

In Out In Out

50 UNIT 1: INTRODUCING FUNCTIONS THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

un i t • 1 l e s s o n / ac t i v i t y 5 / h a n d o u t

The Function Game

Now it is your turn. You are going to create your own function rules!

Write a one-operation rule and a two-operation rule on a separate piece

of paper. I am going to figure out your rule and you can try to make it as
difficult as you like. Use each rule to fill in the Inputs and Outputs for one
of the tables below. Do not write your rule on this handout!

Rule: Rule:

In Out In Out

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 1: INTRODUCING FUNCTIONS 51

 One of our greatest strengths—our
practice of starting from where
students are and having a serious
respect for their learning processes.

52 UNIT 1: INTRODUCING FUNCTIONS THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

 2 Three Views of a Function

T
he problems in this unit introduce students to the three views of a
function: a rule, a table, and a graph. At the heart of the unit is the
Commission Problem, which uses linear models for income growth
to teach the basics of plotting points and graphing linear functions.
After completing the problems in this unit, students will be able to draw
explicit connections between function rules, tables, and graphs, and
they will develop the foundational skills needed to interpret and graph
complex functions like those that they will see in future units and on an
HSE test.

SKI LLS DEVE LOPE D

n Creating, reading and interpreting tables

n Creating tables from one- and two-step rules
n Plotting points in a one-quadrant graph
n Relating tables to linear graphs
n Drawing inferences and conclusions based on graphed data
n Interpreting points on a graph in real-world contexts
n Testing whether an ordered pair fits a function, using the rule
and the graph

KEY VOCABULARY

axis: a fixed reference line used for placing coordinates. The horizontal axis is
the x-axis and the vertical axis is the y-axis. The axis of a graph might also be
labeled, connecting it to a real-world context.
function solution: a function solution is an ordered pair—an input and
an output—that fits a function rule. Put another way, solutions—also called
coordinates—are written as ordered pairs of the form (x, y), where x determines
the position along the horizontal axis, and y determines the position along the
y-axis. They are a set of values used to show an exact position. (coordinates)
linear: a relationship in which a graphed set of function solutions form a
straight line.
plane: a two-dimensional surface.

ratio: a comparison of two quantities, often written as a fraction. In this unit

and subsequent units, the slope of a line is the ratio of its vertical change (rise)
to its horizontal change (run).

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 2: THREE VIEWS OF A FUNCTION 53
un i t • 2 t e ac h e r s u p p o r t

Core Problem Overview:

The Commission Problem
The Commission Problem creates a situation in which a married
couple—Eric and Nancy—sell fish tanks for competing companies. Eric
is paid a monthly salary of $1400 and a commission of $75 for each
fish tank that he sells. Nancy is not paid a monthly salary, but her
commission is much higher; she earns $250 per fish tank. In working on
the Commission Problem, students will first make a choice about whose
job is better based on the numbers.

After students have had time to share their initial thoughts, they will
work to find how many fish tanks each person would need to sell in a
given month so that they both earn the same amount of money. Students
should be given time to struggle with the problem, and you should
support any method that the student has chosen. However, you should
try to help struggling students organize their information into a table.
The sample of work below shows a table used by a student to solve the
problem. Not all students will create a table like this one, but during the
processing part of the activity, you want to make sure that any students
with tables that resemble input/output tables go to the board and to
share their work with the group. You really want the table to come out.
If no students use this method, the teacher should share it, but only
after students have presented and commented on their own strategies.
In the end, all students should understand that Eric and Nancy will
make the same amount of money in a month when they both sell eight
fish tanks.

That is the point that will stand out to

students on the graph. That said, there
is more than one answer to this problem
the way it is phrased. Eight fish tanks is
the number of tanks Eric and Nancy need
to sell to earn the same amount of money
and sell the same number of fish tanks.
There are other ways for them to earn the
same amount. For example, if Eric sells
18 tanks and Nancy sells 11, they would
both earn $2750. If Eric sells 28 tanks
and Nancy sells 14, they would both earn
$3500. Teachers can use this fact as an
extension problem for students and ask,
Are there any other ways for them to earn
the same amount of money?

54 UNIT 2: THREE VIEWS OF A FUNCTION THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH
un i t • 2 t e ac h e r s u p p o r t

For the last part of the activity, distribute the graph showing Eric’s
income alongside Nancy’s income. Notice that the graph does not
indicate which line represents Eric and which represents Nancy. The
goal is for students to figure this out on their own, with some support
from you. You should first give students five minutes to look at the
graph on their own, and then lead a whole-class discussion about
the information represented in the graph. By the end of the activity,
students should be able to identify which line represents each person,
and they should also be able to extract information from the graph, such
as how much money the couple would make if they each sold twelve fish
tanks. You also want to have students spend some time talking about
the significance of the point where the two lines intersect. Depending
on the level of the class, you might choose to ask students to create a
function rule for Eric and Nancy. If students are not ready to do so at
this point, you can return to the tables and graph for the Commission
Problem after Unit 3: Rate of Change.

TEACH I NG TH E COR E PROB LE M

During the first part of the activity, in which students decide who has
a better job, you should help students to understand the problem by
asking clarifying questions. Some examples are:

n Tell me about what this problem is asking. Can you put it into
your own words?

n How much would Nancy make if she didn’t sell any fish tanks?
How much would Eric make?

n I see you think that Eric/Nancy has the better job. Can you tell
me how you decided that?

Once all students have made a decision and justified it in writing,

ask the class to vote on who has a better deal, and write the tally on
the board. Students who say that Eric does may point out that he will
still make money in a month when he isn’t able to sell any fish tanks,
whereas Nancy would make nothing. They may also note that Nancy
will always have to work a little bit harder, since her income is solely
dependent on the number of fish tanks that she sells. Students who
say that Nancy has a better job might say that she has the potential
of making more money in a month than Eric since she makes more
in commission per fish tank. At this point in the activity, do not tell
students that their choice is right or wrong; instead he or she should
allow time for the students to justify their choices and talk to one
another about the problem. You might hold a few different votes and see
if any of the arguments reverse an opinion or two. If they do, ask the

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 2: THREE VIEWS OF A FUNCTION 55
un i t • 2 t e ac h e r s u p p o r t

student who changed their vote to explain what they found compelling
about the argument that swayed them.

Then direct students to the question on the second page. Students

should be given ample time to work individually before they discuss
their findings with classmates. While the students are working, continue
to support their individual problem-solving efforts through questioning.
Some students will use guess-and-check to get started on the problem,
and you should support this method as much as possible. If students get
frustrated while trying this approach, ask if there is a way to organize
all of these guesses. Ideally, this will result in students creating a table
of some kind. As students are working, the teacher should check in
with each student and ask them to explain their thinking, how they got
started, and what aspects of the problem they are struggling with. Some
students will forget to figure Eric’s salary into his income. You will need
to help these students get back on track without giving too much away.

PROCESSI NG TH E PROB LE M

After all students have solved the problem through guess and check,
creating a table, or a combination of these methods, the teacher should
lead the class in a discussion of solution strategies. The teacher should
select three or four students to talk about their work and show it on the
board or on chart paper. During the presentation of solution strategies,
ask questions that help the class process the solution method being
demonstrated:

n What do you like about this method?

n How do we know that this answer is correct?

n Have we seen a table like this before? Where?

n How do the tables connect to the function machines from

the previous unit?

n Does this change your opinion of who has a better deal? Why?

Now that the class has talked about solution strategies, distribute the
graph of Eric and Nancy’s salaries. Ask the class to silently study the
graph for a few minutes on their own. After looking at the graph for a
few minutes, at least one of the students should notice that the numbers
match those that they were working with in solving the problem. Some
questions to help students process the graph are:

n Which line represents Eric? Which represents Nancy?

How do you know?

56 UNIT 2: THREE VIEWS OF A FUNCTION THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH
un i t • 2 t e ac h e r s u p p o r t

n Why does Eric’s line start higher than Nancy’s line?

n Who would make more in a month when both Eric and Nancy
sold four fish tanks? How much more?

n How much would Eric make if he sold twelve fish tanks? How
much would Nancy make?

n Which line is changing faster? Does that make sense given the
information in the problem?

n What do you notice about the difference in their earnings if they

each sell 16 fish tanks?

Take this opportunity to introduce the term axis and coordinate when
talking about specific data points on the graph. Add a third column
to the tables from the Commission Problem and have students write
in the ordered pairs. Students should then be asked to label the axes
“Earnings” or “Income” and “Number of Fish Tanks Sold.”

SU PPLE M E NTAL PROB LE MS

The supplemental problems in this unit build upon the core problem by
helping students become familiar with plotting points and lines in a one-
quadrant graph. Depending on the students’ familiarity with graphing
and their struggles during the commission problem, the teacher may
choose to use some or all of these problems in the classroom. Some may
also be assigned for homework.

n The Three Views of a Function

These problems offer practice for generating a table based on a
rule, creating coordinates, and then plotting them in the plane.
Students should be guided to connect the dots to form lines, and
they should talk about similarities and differences in the graphs
that they have created.

n Cooking with Functions

This problem builds upon the Three Views of a Function worksheet
by asking students to think about the correct ratio of water to rice
when cooking. Some of the data points will form a line representing
the correct 2:1 ratio, while others will fall either above or below the
line. These are points that do not fit the function rule. Students
will be asked to make conclusions about each of the points. For
example, one of the points is located at (3, 2). This point falls above
the line. By analyzing the graph and the ratio, students should see
that there is not enough water, and therefore the rice will be too
crunchy, or too dry. It is also interesting to ask students what they
notice about the points that are above the line and those that fall
below it.

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 2: THREE VIEWS OF A FUNCTION 57
un i t • 2 t e ac h e r s u p p o r t

n The Cab Fare Problem

In this problem, students will need to use data to construct a
graph and draw a conclusion about how a taxi company calculates
the total fare for a ride. Students are given information from
three riders. They will need to plot the points, identify a linear
relationship, and draw conclusions about what the fare would be
for other travel distances.

58 UNIT 2: THREE VIEWS OF A FUNCTION THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH
un i t • 2 t e ac h e r s u p p o r t / h a n d o u t 1 p g. 1

Core Problem
The Commission Problem
Eric and Nancy are married, and they work part-time as salespeople for two
different companies. They both sell fish tanks to high-end restaurants in the
New York City metro area. Eric’s employer pays him a monthly salary of $1400,
plus a commission of $75 for every fish tank that he sells. Nancy’s employer
does not pay her a salary. Instead, they offer her a commission of $250 for
every fish tank that she sells.

Nancy tells Eric that she has a better deal than he does, because she makes
more money on each fish tank that she sells. Eric says this isn’t true. “I have a
better deal,” he says, “because I get paid even if I sell zero fish tanks.”

Who is right? Why?

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 2: THREE VIEWS OF A FUNCTION 59
un i t • 2 t e ac h e r s u p p o r t / h a n d o u t 1 p g. 2

The Commission Problem, Part 2

Eric and Nancy want to contribute equally to their finances.

How many fish tanks would they each need to sell so that they bring
in the same amount of money?

60 UNIT 2: THREE VIEWS OF A FUNCTION THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH
un i t • 2 t e ac h e r s u p p o r t / h a n d o u t 1 p g. 3

The Commission Problem

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 2: THREE VIEWS OF A FUNCTION 61
un i t • 2 t e ac h e r s u p p o r t / h a n d o u t 2 p g. 1

The Three Views of a Function

Out
Rule: +4
In Out Solution
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
In

Out
Rule: ×2
In Out Solution
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
In

62 UNIT 2: THREE VIEWS OF A FUNCTION THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH
un i t • 2 t e ac h e r s u p p o r t / h a n d o u t 2 p g. 2

Out
Rule:

In Out Solution
(16, 14)
(15, 13)
14
13
12
11
10
9
In

Out
Rule:

In Out Solution

In

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 2: THREE VIEWS OF A FUNCTION 63
un i t • 2 t e ac h e r s u p p o r t / h a n d o u t 2 p g. 3

Out
Rule:

In Out Solution
1 2.5
2 5
3 7.5
4
5
6

In

Out
Rule:

In Out Solution

In

64 UNIT 2: THREE VIEWS OF A FUNCTION THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH
un i t • 2 t e ac h e r s u p p o r t / h a n d o u t 3 p g. 1

Cooking with Functions

A recipe calls for two cups of water for every one cup of rice.
Use this ratio to guide your reasoning below.

1 Complete the table below by determining which of the recipes are correct.
Then predict how the rice will turn out based on the ratio.

In Out Does the recipe follow How will the rice

the correct ratio? taste?
Water Rice YES or NO

2 1

3 2

5 2.5

6 3

7 2

9 4.5

12 4

13 10

14 7

Adapted from EMPower: Keeping Things in Proportion

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 2: THREE VIEWS OF A FUNCTION 65
un i t • 2 t e ac h e r s u p p o r t / h a n d o u t 3 p g. 2

2
Rice Now graph all the points and see whether your predictions were correct.

Water

3 Look at the graph. What do you notice?

66 UNIT 2: THREE VIEWS OF A FUNCTION THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH
un i t • 2 t e ac h e r s u p p o r t / h a n d o u t 4 p g. 1

The Cab Fare Problem

Three friends used the same taxi service to meet at a restaurant for dinner.
When they arrived at the restaurant, they compared their cab fare and tried
to figure out a rule that the taxi company used to calculate cost.

• Denise’s trip was only 1 mile and her total cost was $4.50.
• Mark said that his trip was 6 miles, and his total cost was $12.00
• Solange’s trip was 3 miles, and her total cost was $7.50
• Kate’s trip was 8 miles, and her total cost was $15.00.

1 Complete the table below for the three passengers.

Passenger Distance Cost Coordinate

Denise

Solange

Mark

Kate

2 Plot Denise, Mark, Solange, and Kate’s costs in the graph below, then draw a line
that connects the four coordinates.

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 2: THREE VIEWS OF A FUNCTION 67
un i t • 2 t e ac h e r s u p p o r t / h a n d o u t 4 p g. 2

Cost

Miles Traveled

3 What would be the total cost for a passenger who travels 10 miles?

4 The taxi company charges a base fee and a fee for each mile traveled.
What is the base fee, and what is the cost per mile?

68 UNIT 2: THREE VIEWS OF A FUNCTION THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH
 3 Rate of Change and Starting Amount
Lesson Plan

R
ate of change is a fundamental concept when working with
functions. Too often it is presented by writing y = mx + b on the
board, with m—the rate of change—being defined as the slope.
This lesson focuses students on function tables, looking for patterns and
making observations. From there, we connect what students see to how
the things they observe appear in function rules, and we introduce the
vocabulary of “rate of change” and “starting amount,” which can later be
referred to as “slope” and “y-intercept.” Before we talk about slope and
y-intercept though, we want students to have a flexible understanding
of how to identify rate of change and starting amount in tables, rules,
and graphs, and to know how they can use these concepts in solving
problems.

OBJ ECTIVES

Students will discover the relationship between rate of change,

starting amount, and function rules. COMMON CORE
STANDARDS OF
Students will use rate of change and starting amount to determine MATHEMATICAL PRACTICE
function rules from tables.
MP1; MP2; MP4;
Students will determine rate of change, starting amount, and function MP6; MP7; MP8
rules for contextualized problems.

HAN DOUTS

1 • What’s My Rule? 7 • Exploring Polygons

2 • Discovering Rules 1 8 • Weekend Getaway
3 • Discovering Rules 2 9 • Counting Cricket Chirps
4 • The Power of the Rate of Change 10 • Lightning and Thunder
5 • The Many Faces of Functions 11 • Temperature Scales
(see Teacher Note below) 12 • Measuring Babble
6 • Counting Antibodies

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 3: RATE OF CHANGE AND STARTING AMOUNT 69
un i t • 3 lesson

KEY VOCABULARY

rate of change: the constant change in the output when the inputs
are consecutive
starting amount: the value of the output when the input is zero

ACTIVITY 1 Launch
1 This opening activity is crucial to the lesson and cannot be rushed
or skipped. You will need at least 45–60 minutes to do the whole
thing. The point of this activity is to create the “headache” for which
the rate of change discovery will provide the “aspirin.” Like they did
with the Function Machine activity in the first unit, students are
going to look at abstract function tables and figure out the function
rule that fits. The big difference is that most of the rules here have
two operations. Though students struggle with this activity, it is
productive and they tend to persevere, particularly because it has
the elements of a puzzle that they feel motivated to solve.

2 Some of your students may be able to get straight to work on

these. Others may have a hard time getting started and/or get
frustrated easily. You might want to draw the first function table
(top-left corner) from the WHAT’S MY RULE? handout on the board
and discuss it as a class. Here’s an example of how you might frame
your questions:

Teacher: As I go from the input to the output, how are the

numbers changing?
Students: They are getting bigger.
Teacher: What operations usually make things bigger?
Students: Addition and multiplication.
Teacher: Ok, let’s try one of those. How could you use addition or
multiplication to get from 1 to 5?
Students: Add 4.
Teacher: Good. Is that the function rule? How do you know?
Students: 1 + 4 is 5, but 2 + 4 is not 7.
Teacher: Okay. Let’s try something else. But first, let’s keep track
of all the rules we try.
(Write “+4” on the side of the table and cross it out.)
What else can we do to get from 1 to 5?

70 UNIT 3: RATE OF CHANGE AND STARTING AMOUNT THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH
un i t • 3 lesson

Students: Multiply by 5.
Teacher: Good. Is that the rule for this function? And how do you
know?
Students: No, because 2 times 5 is not 7. It doesn’t work for the
other inputs and outputs.
Teacher: Good. Add that to the list of rules we’ve tried so far. So
it looks like we are going to need a two-step rule. How
can we use multiplication and addition together to get
from 1 to 5?
Students: ?
Teacher: When you multiplied 2 by 5, was the output too big or
too small?
Students: Too big.
Teacher: So what is another number we could multiply by?
Students: 4?
Teacher: Excellent! Let’s try it. If you put the 1 in and multiply
by 4, what do you need to do to get the output?

3 Walk around the room as students are looking for the rules that fit
each function table. Encourage them to keep track of their guesses
in the space on the side of the function tables or on a separate piece
of paper. After they come up with a rule or two, ask them if keeping
track of their guesses has been helpful.

4 If any students happen to notice the constant change in the outputs

when the inputs are consecutive, congratulate them and say that is
an important observation that the class will come back to later. But
don’t make too much of it at this point.

5 It will probably take your class about 45 minutes to complete the

sheet. If you have a few students who finish early, make sure the
rest of the class still has time to struggle through the handout. This
handout is a good equalizer in some ways, so it is unlikely that you
will have anyone who finishes too fast. For those who do, I like to
ask them to spend a few minutes to play the Function Game from
the Introducing Functions lesson in Unit 1. After working hard,
students enjoy the thought of trying to stump their teacher.

6 Once everyone is done, write the function tables on the board or on

newsprint. If you only have time to write some of them, focus on the
ones that have two-step rules. Now ask different students come up
and add the function rules they found. Make sure that the whole
class agrees on the correct rule for each table, and then ask for
volunteers to explain why each rule is correct.

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 3: RATE OF CHANGE AND STARTING AMOUNT 71
un i t • 3 lesson

7 As a final piece, ask students to reflect on the process. Ask them,

How did it feel working on finding these rules? and What strategies
were helpful to you?

ACTIVITY 2 Rate of Change Discovery

1 Tell students they are going to spend some time looking at functions
rules and tables to see if they notice any patterns that might help
them find rules in the future. Distribute the handout DISCOVERING
RULES 1 and have students use the function rules to complete the
tables. Once they are done, ask them, “What do you notice about
these two functions? How are they similar? How are they different?”
Some possible student responses:

n The outputs for both alternate between odd and even numbers.

n They both have × 3 in the rule.

n The outputs for both functions go up by 3.

n The inputs for both functions go up by 1. (See if there is a

student who knows the math word for this. If not you can
introduce the word consecutive.)

n The outputs on the right are 4 larger than the ones on the left.

2 We want to draw their attention to the difference in the outputs.

Once students have observed this difference, we can introduce the
formal name. Ask students to write the following definition on their
handout, and tell them that this is a crucial concept in functions:

The rate of change is the constant change in

the outputs when the inputs are consecutive.

For both of these functions the rate of change is 3. That means the
outputs grow by 3 when the inputs are consecutive.

3 Ask your students if the rate of change of 3 is visible anywhere else,

aside from the constant change in the outputs. We want them to
notice that the rate of change appears in two places: the table and
the rule.

4 Have students look back at the function tables from the Activity
1 Launch and ask them to identify the rate of change for each
function. Make sure they can identify the rate of change in both the
rule and the table. Almost all of the tables have consecutive inputs,

72 UNIT 3: RATE OF CHANGE AND STARTING AMOUNT THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH
un i t • 3 lesson

but two do not: “× 2 + 4” and “× 3 + 4.” For both of those, if students

don’t raise it themselves, ask why only the first 4 outputs show the
rate of change of 2 and 3, respectively. We want students to notice
that when the inputs are not consecutive, the rate of change is not
visible in the same way as when the inputs are consecutive.

5 You can talk about this more here, though students will have
an opportunity to explore this idea further during Activity 4. If
you want to pursue it, you might look at the function table from
the launch for the function “× 2 + 4”. The first four inputs are
consecutive, so you can easily observe the rate of change of 2. But
then the inputs jump from 4 to 9. And as the inputs make that
jump, the outputs go from 12 to 22. You can have students figure
out the outputs for the missing inputs of 5, 6, 7, and 8.

ACTIVITY 3 Starting Amount Discovery

1 Give out DISCOVERING RULES 2 and give students time to complete
the tables. Ask them to identify the rate of change for each function,
and make sure they can see it in both the table and in each rule.

2 Now, ask students to make observations about the similarities and

differences between the two functions in the same way you did for
the rate of change discovery. The one observation you want to focus
in on is the fact that both functions share one solution: (0, 4). They
may also notice that both functions have a “+ 4” in the rule. You
can ask them how the output could be the same for both of them if
they have different function rules (and different rates of change). If
the input is 0, it will knock out the first part of the function, since
anything times 0 is 0. That leaves you with the + 4.

3 Next, tell students that the shared solution is our second important
function concept of the day. Ask students to write the following
definition on the DISCOVERING RULES 2 handout:

The starting amount is the value of the

output when the input is zero.

Again, look back at the function tables from Activity 1 and find the
starting amount for each function. They should be able to find it
in the rule for all of them. For each table that doesn’t have an
input of 0, ask students what would come out if you put a 0 into
that function rule.

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 3: RATE OF CHANGE AND STARTING AMOUNT 73
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ACTIVITY 4 The Power of Rate of Change

1 Give students an opportunity to recognize the implications of

these two concepts. Have them work on THE POWER OF RATE OF
CHANGE handout.

2 The two functions tables on the top of the page have consecutive
inputs while the two on the bottom do not. You should not mention
this to students. In this activity, we want students to feel the speed
and efficiency with which their new knowledge will allow them
to come up with function rules. We also want them to make an
important mistake. The function table on the bottom left has the
same outputs as the function table above it. Many students will
write the same function rule for both because they don’t notice the
inputs on the bottom one are not consecutive. This is an important
mistake and you should not take away their opportunity to make
it and reflect on it. Most students will struggle with the function
table on the bottom right. Most will work on it as they would
have worked on all tables before they know about rate of change
and starting amount—guessing and checking rules. That is a fine
strategy while they are working. It is not necessary for everyone to
have gotten that last function rule before debriefing.

3 Have students come up, share their rule and explain how they
got it for the first two functions. Make sure to ask the class how
we know each rule works—does it work for all of the given inputs
and outputs?

4 Ask the class how knowing about rate of change and starting
amount impacts their abilities to come up with two-step
function rules.

5 Write the function table from the bottom left up on the board. Ask
if anyone found a rule for it. Then ask if anyone came up with a
different rule. The most common answer is likely to be “× 4 + 6”.
Some students may have come up with the correct answer—
“× 2 + 6”. If you get both, write them both on the board without
revealing which one is correct. Ask them which one fits all of the
inputs and outputs in the table and they will see it is “× 2 + 6”.
Ask them about why they think the “× 4 + 6”—which will be the
most common answer—doesn’t work. We want them to recognize
that the inputs being consecutive is an important part of the rate
of change. To help students see the rate of change of 2, you can add
the “missing” numbers to make the inputs consecutive.

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6 The function table on the bottom right is tricky because the inputs
are not in size order, and they are not consecutive. Most students
will assume this means the rate of change cannot be determined.
We want them to notice that there are two pairs of inputs that are
consecutive, if they rearrange the order of the inputs—the 8 and
9 and the 4 and 5. From there, they can identify the rate of change
of 4.

7 From this point on, you should always ask students to identify the
starting amount and rate of change for every function they look at.

TEACH E R NOTE: I NTRODUCI NG FOR MAL FU NCTION NOTATION

We have purposely held back on introducing and outputs are the same. The rate of change
formal notation of functions before now. We is the same. The starting amount is the same. If
believe it is important for students to have students get thrown by the new notation, have
a strong foundation in the concepts of the them focus on translating it back to a form they
functions—the function machine model, the three are comfortable with.
views of a function, rate of change and starting
amount—before they move into some of the The first change is to write the function rule as
more abstract notation. That said, at some point an equation—including the words “In” and “Out”
we do need to introduce our students (at least in the rule. The next change is writing the table
those at the HSE level) to the notation they are horizontally. The third change is to substitute
likely to encounter during the exam. x for the In and y for the Out. The next major
change is on the last page: p=10c + 120. We
If you are working with lower-level students, want students to realize that x and y are the
or if you think you want to keep your students most commonly used variables to represent, but
working on the foundational concepts, you will that other variables can be used as well. We
have to adapt the handouts for the rest of this also want them to see that regardless of what
unit, which all employ more formal notation. variables are used, we can tell which are the
We are including an activity titled, “The Many inputs and which are the outputs by where they
Faces of Function Rules” to help you and your appear in the rule and the table. The final change
students make the transition and be comfortable might be the strangest looking, but it is one that
with different ways of writing function rules. If students are likely to see on their HSE exam.
you feel your students are ready, this is a good
f(x) = 6x + 5 can be read as “f of x is 6x + 5,”
moment in their function study to do so.
or “the function of x is equal to 6x + 5.” Also,
As they work through this activity, a good way to you can ask for an output in the following way:
keep students centered is to ask them, for each “For the function f(x) = 6x + 5, what is f(21)?”
different version of the rule, what is different which means, “If you put a 21 into this function,
and what is the same. The principles of inputs what comes out?”

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 3: RATE OF CHANGE AND STARTING AMOUNT 75
un i t • 3 lesson

Looking at Functions in
ACTIVITY 5
Real-World Contexts

F
ollowing are seven activities, each of which give students a chance
to use their understanding of rates of change and starting amounts
to determine rules. Additionally, they all allow students to consider
the meaning of rate of change and starting amounts in real-life contexts.
They also give students an opportunity to both work with function rules
that describe real-world situations and which are written in formal
notation.

Below are brief descriptions of each activity. Teachers should use the
descriptions to decide which activities you want your students to do and
how you might have students work on them. You can certainly have your
students work on all of them, but that would likely take several classes.

Counting Antibodies
This is the most comprehensive activity, with the widest variety of
different questions. It deals with a health care situation in which
a scientist is testing two medicines to determine their effect on the
number of antibodies in the blood sample of a patient. Students have
to use a function rule to complete a table, come up with an output for
a given input not in the table, find an input for a given output, find
the rate of change and starting amount for two different functions,
create a function rule from a function table, come up with a solution
that does not fit a function rule, graph two functions, interpret a point
of intersection and make a choice based on their work, all within the
context of a contextualized healthcare situation.

Exploring Polygons
This activity incorporates some geometry into our function exploration.
You should make sure all of your students understand the column
that reads “Sum of the interior angles”. You might have them use the
pictures on the top to mark the interior angles. You might even have
them calculate the measure of each interior angle, given that the
polygons are regular (and therefore have equal angles).

This activity is more open than Counting Antibodies and allows for a few
different solution methods. Whichever methods students use, make sure
to raise using the rate of change to determine the rule as one option.

76 UNIT 3: RATE OF CHANGE AND STARTING AMOUNT THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH
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Weekend Getaway
This activity gives students a chance to work with a rate of change
that is a decimal. They will have to complete a table, come up with a
rule, plug an input into the rule, find an input for a given output, and
interpret both the rate of change and the starting amount in the context
of the situation—which is about the cost of renting a car.

Counting Cricket Chirps

There is a relationship between the number of times a cricket chirps
per minute and the temperature. This activity involves a function that
describes that relationship. It gives students another opportunity to
work with inputs that are not consecutive, to discuss the inputs and
outputs in the context of the situation, to find the rate of change, and
to consider the domain of the function. The domain of a function is the
set of inputs for which the function is defined. You can put any number
into the cricket function, but any number less than 40° will result in
a negative number of chirps per minute—fun to think about, but not
actually possible.

Lightning and Thunder

This is another function with connections to science. This time students
are looking for a function rule that describes the relationship between
the distance between you and a lightning strike and the amount of
time it takes for the sound of the thunder to reach you. This one also
involves a rate of change that is less than one—expressed as 1/5 or 0.2.
Like Exploring Polygons, this activity is open and the questions can
be answered without determining a function rule. If no one uses that
strategy, I would pursue it after they have presented all of their methods.

Temperature Scales
This activity is also has science connections—it involves a chart
with information about temperature equivalencies between Celsius,
Fahrenheit, and Kelvin. It is another opportunity for students to work
with inputs that are not consecutive. Depending on which conversion
you are making, it will also involve a fraction as the rate of change. This
activity also allows students to write their own questions. You can have
them share them with the whole class, or write them on the board. Then
you can have the students chose a question or two they want to work on.
It is a nice way for students at all different levels to be engaged in the
same activity. As with Exploring Polygons and Lightning & Thunder,
there is no explicit question asking students to determine a function rule
for converting Celsius to Fahrenheit. You can raise this question to the
class, use it as a bonus question, or have it as an extension for students
who finish early.

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 3: RATE OF CHANGE AND STARTING AMOUNT 77
un i t • 3 lesson

Measuring Babble
This activity is different in that it is the only one with a negative rate of
change. It deals with a politician who wants to make her opponent look
bad in front of the press. The function describes the rate at which an
audience leaves a speech over time. Given the starting amount, students
need to figure out what time to invite the press to come hear the speech
so that no one is left.

78 UNIT 3: RATE OF CHANGE AND STARTING AMOUNT THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH
un i t • 3 l e s s o n / h a n d o u t 1 / p g. 1

What’s My Rule?
Fill in the missing values. All rules use whole numbers.

Rule: Rule:

In Out In Out Solution

1 5 (0, 0)

2 7 (1, 7)

3 9 (2, 14)

4 11 (3, 21)

5 13 (4, 28)

6 15 (5, 35)

Rule: Rule:

In Out Solution In Out

1 9 0 2

2 15 1 7

3 21 2 12

4 27 3 17

5 33 4 22

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 3: RATE OF CHANGE AND STARTING AMOUNT 79
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Rule: Rule:

In Out Solution In Out

(1, 3) 0 1
2 6 1 7
(3, 9) 2 13
4 12 3 19
(5, 15) 4 25
6 18 5 31

Rule: Rule:

In Out In Out Solution

1 6 (0, 4)
2 8 (1, 7)
3 10 (2, 10)
4 12 (3, 13)
9 100

80 UNIT 3: RATE OF CHANGE AND STARTING AMOUNT THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH
un i t • 3 lesson / handout 2

Discovering Rules 1
Fill in the missing values.

Function: Function:
×3+1 ×3+5

In Out In Out
1 1
2 2
3 3
4 4
5 5
6 6

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 3: RATE OF CHANGE AND STARTING AMOUNT 81
un i t • 3 lesson / handout 3

Discovering Rules 2
Fill in the missing values.

Function: Function:
×5+4 ×2+4

In Out In Out
0 0
1 1
2 2
3 3
4 4
5 5

82 UNIT 3: RATE OF CHANGE AND STARTING AMOUNT THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH
un i t • 3 lesson / handout 4

The Power of Rate of Change

Function: Function:

In Out In Out
0 6 0 7
1 10 1 10
2 14 2 13
3 18 3 16
4 22 4 19
5 26 5 22

Function: Function:

In Out In Out
0 6 1 13
2 10 11 53
4 14 8 41
6 18 5 29
8 22 9 45
10 26

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 3: RATE OF CHANGE AND STARTING AMOUNT 83
un i t • 3 l e s s o n / h a n d o u t 5 / p g. 1

The Many Faces of Function

Rules and Tables
Textbooks, teachers, and professors may differ in their visual display of function
rules and tables. Below, you will find several different function rule and table
formats. Even though some will look different from the rules and tables you
have seen up until now, the input-output principles are the same.

1 Rule:
Out = In × 6 + 2

In Out

2 Out =

In 1 2 5 8 20
Out 11 19 43 99

84 UNIT 3: RATE OF CHANGE AND STARTING AMOUNT THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH
un i t • 3 l e s s o n / h a n d o u t 5 / p g. 2

3 This function rule is the same as the following: Function:

y = 4x + 1
Out = In × 4 + 1

Notice that x indicates the input, and y indicates the output. x y

When a number is written immediately in front of x, this 0
indicates multiplication of the number and x. For example,
2
4x means “4 times x”.
6
49
61
121

4 This function rule is the same as the following: Function:

Out = y = 5x – 2

x y
1
2
6
48

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 3: RATE OF CHANGE AND STARTING AMOUNT 85
un i t • 3 l e s s o n / h a n d o u t 5 / p g. 3

5 Re-write this function rule in In/Out format: Function:

Out = y = 5x + 1

x y
0
1
2
3
56
101

6 Re-write this function rule in In/Out format: y = 10x+20

Out =

x 0 1 2 7 11
y 60 140

86 UNIT 3: RATE OF CHANGE AND STARTING AMOUNT THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH
un i t • 3 l e s s o n / h a n d o u t 5 / p g. 4

7 Re-write this function rule in In/Out format: Function:

Out = y = 25x + 10

x y
4
6
9
17.50
10

8 Re-write this function rule in In/Out format: Function:

y=
Out =
x y
1 8
2 11
3 14
4 17
6
38

9 Re-write this function rule in In/Out format: Function:

y=
Out =
x y
1 10
2 17
3 24
4 31
6
59

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 3: RATE OF CHANGE AND STARTING AMOUNT 87
un i t • 3 l e s s o n / h a n d o u t 5 / p g. 5

10 Re-write this function rule in In/Out format: Function:

Out =
p = 10c + 120

c p
0
1
2
10
.5
270
620

11* Re-write this function rule in x/y format: Function:

y=
f(x) = 6x + 5

Rewrite this function rule in In/Out format: x f(x)

Out = 0
1
2
10
.5

88 UNIT 3: RATE OF CHANGE AND STARTING AMOUNT THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH
un i t • 3 l e s s o n / h a n d o u t 6 / p g. 1

Counting Antibodies
A scientist tested a medicine in order to determine how effective it is
in producing antibodies. The following is a function that represents the
number of antibodies in a sample of blood from a patient:
a = 20d + 100
In this function, d represents the number of days that passed in the
experiment, and a represents the number of antibodies in a sample of
the patient’s blood.

1 Complete the table of values for this function.

Data for Medicine A

Antibodies in the Antibodies are y-shaped
Days Passed molecules of the immune
Sample of Blood system.
d a
0
1
2
3
4
5

2 How many antibodies were there in the sample after ten days?
Show how you calculated your answer.

3 How many days did it take for 360 antibodies to appear in the patient’s
blood sample? Show how you calculated your answer.

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 3: RATE OF CHANGE AND STARTING AMOUNT 89
un i t • 3 l e s s o n / h a n d o u t 6 / p g. 2

4 How many antibodies were there at the beginning of the experiment?

Show how you calculated your answer.

5 What is the rate of change for this function? How can it be interpreted
using the context of the problem? In other words, can you describe the
rate of change in terms of “days” and the “number of antibodies”?

6 Identify an ordered pair that would not be a solution to this function.

Explain why it is not a function solution.

The scientist tested a different medicine, and recorded the following data
after following a patient for several days.

Data for Medicine B

Antibodies in the
Days Passed
Sample of Blood
0 60
1 90
2 120
3 150
4 180
5 210
6 240

90 UNIT 3: RATE OF CHANGE AND STARTING AMOUNT THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH
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7 If the growth of antibodies continues at the rate shown in the table, predict
the number of antibodies in the blood sample after 12 days. Show how you
calculated your answer.

8 How many days would be needed to produce 600 antibodies in the patient’s
blood sample at this same rate? Show how you calculated your answer.

9 Find a function rule that describes the data, where d represents the number
of days that passed in the experiment, and a represents the number of
antibodies in a sample of blood from a patient.

10 What is the starting amount for this function? How can it be interpreted
using the context of the problem? In other words, can you describe the
starting amount in terms of “days” and the “number of antibodies”?

11 What is the rate of change for this function? How can it be interpreted
using the context of the problem?

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 3: RATE OF CHANGE AND STARTING AMOUNT 91
un i t • 3 l e s s o n / h a n d o u t 6 / p g. 4

12 If you were ill and you had both medicines to choose from, which
would you choose? Why?

13 Create a line graph with the data for both medicines. Use pencil. Use a triangular
symbol for each point for Medicine A. Use a circular point for Medicine B.

Comparing Antibody Production of Two Medicines

Medicine A Medicine B
420
400
380
360
340
320
Anitbodies in Patient’s Bloodstream

300
280
260
240
220
200
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Days Passed in Experiment

92 UNIT 3: RATE OF CHANGE AND STARTING AMOUNT THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH
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14 What is the significance of the place on the graph where the two lines
intersect?

15 On the graph, use arrows to indicate the point that represents the
starting amount for each function.

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 3: RATE OF CHANGE AND STARTING AMOUNT 93
un i t • 3 lesson / handout 7

Exploring Polygons
A regular polygon is a polygon that has equal sides and equal angles. Some
regular polygons are shown below. Name them based on the number of
sides they have.

The table to the right has information on the sum of the Number of Sum of the
interior angles for different polygons. What do you notice? Sides in Interior
Are there any patterns you see? the Polygon Angles
3 180°
4 360°

1 What will be the sum of the interior angles of a polygon 5 540°

that has 24 sides? Be prepared to show how your group 6 720°
determined your answer.
7 900°
8 1080°

2 How many sides will a polygon have that has an interior angle sum of
2700°? Be prepared to show how your group determined your answer.

94 UNIT 3: RATE OF CHANGE AND STARTING AMOUNT THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH
un i t • 3 lesson / Handout 8

Weekend Getaway BROOKLYN’S BEST

You need to rent a car for the weekend. You locate the following
CAR RENTAL
advertisement for a local rental agency. Special Weekend Price!
One mid-sized car rental
Using the information from the advertisement, complete the
for a flat rate of $96
table at the right.
plus $0.12 per mile

1 Determine the function that shows the costs of renting a mid-sized

x y
car from Brooklyn’s Best Car Rentals, where the inputs (x) represent
the number of miles driven, and the outputs (y) represent the Miles Total Rental
weekend rental charge in dollars. Driven Charge ($)
0
1
2
2 What would be the cost in dollars, not including taxes or insurance,
of renting a car and driving it a total of 200 miles over the weekend? 3
You may use a calculator if you wish, but show here what calculations
4
you made to determine your answer.
5

3 After you rent the car for the weekend, Brooklyn’s Best Car Rentals
presents you with a bill for $110.88, not including taxes or insurance.
How many miles are they claiming you drove? Show how you
determined your answer.

4 What is the rate of change for this function? How can it be

interpreted using the problem context?

5 What is the starting amount for this function? How can it be

interpreted using the problem context?

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 3: RATE OF CHANGE AND STARTING AMOUNT 95
un i t • 3 lesson / Handout 9

Counting Cricket Chirps

The speed at which crickets chirp is based on the temperature. The following
function is a pretty good measure of the number of chirps per minute
depending on the temperature:

c = 4t – 150
where t represents the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit and c represents
the number of cricket chirps per minute. Complete the data table for this
function below.

t 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
c 90

1 When the value of t is 60, the value of c is 90. Explain what this means
using the problem context.

2 What is the rate of change for this function? (Be careful!)

How can it be interpreted using the problem context?

3 What is the starting amount for this function? Does it make sense
given the context of this problem? Why or why not?

96 UNIT 3: RATE OF CHANGE AND STARTING AMOUNT THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH
un i t • 3 lesson / handout 10

Lightning and Thunder

Thunder is the sound produced by lightning. When you see
a lightning bolt, you can figure out how far away the it is by
counting the seconds before you hear the thunder. The farther
away the storm, the more time there will be between seeing
the lightning and hearing the thunder.

A person standing 1/5 (or .2) of a mile away will hear the
thunder approximately 1 second after the lightning strikes.

1 If there was 30 seconds between the time you saw

the lightning and when you heard the thunder, how Lightning travels at 90,000 miles/sec!
far away was the lightning strike?

Time Distance
(in seconds) (in miles)

2 If a lightning strike is 8 miles away, how many seconds

would pass before you are able to hear it?

3 All sounds travel at the same speed. Using what you

know about thunder, what is the approximate speed of
sound, in miles per hour?

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 3: RATE OF CHANGE AND STARTING AMOUNT 97
un i t • 3 lesson / handout 11

Temperature Scales
There are three main ways used to measure temperature—Celsius, Fahrenheit, and Kelvin.

Celsius (C°) Fahrenheit (F°) Kelvin (K°)

Freezing point of water /
0° 32° 273°
Melting point of ice
10° 50° 283°
20° 68° 293° Average room temperature
30° 86° 303°
40° 104° 313°
50° 122° 323°
60° 140° 333°
70° 158° 343°
80° 176° 353°
90° 194° 363°
100° 212° 373° Boiling point of water (at sea level)

1 If it is 25° Celsius, what is the temperature in Fahrenheit?

2 If it is 28° Celsius, what is the temperature in Fahrenheit?

3 Write three questions based on the table above.

98 UNIT 3: RATE OF CHANGE AND STARTING AMOUNT THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH
un i t • 3 lesson / handout 12

Measuring Babble
Congressman Babble recently gave a speech outlining his new policy
proposals. A researcher recorded the number of people listening by counting
how many both stayed in their seats and remained awake.

The following function was created to describe the number of listeners:

l = 600 – 15m
Congressman Babble moments
where m represents the number of minutes that Congressman Babble before his speech.
was speaking, and l represents the number of listeners.

1 Complete the table of values.

m l

0
2 Ms. Clark is challenging Congressman Babble in the next election.
She wanted to bring reporters to Congressman Babble’s speech exactly 5
when no one was left listening. If the speech began at 10:00 a.m.,
at what time should she have walked in with the reporters? Show how 10
you reached your answer. 15

3 What is the starting amount for this function? How can it be interpreted
using the problem context? In other words, can you describe the starting
amount in terms of “number of minutes passed in the speech” and the
“number of listeners”?

4 What is the rate of change for this function? How can it be interpreted
using the problem context?

5 Is (22, 270) a solution to this function? Explain why or why not.

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 3: RATE OF CHANGE AND STARTING AMOUNT 99
un i t • 3

Understanding takes place in students’

minds as they connect new information
with previously developed ideas, and
teaching through problem-solving is a
powerful way to promote this kind of
thinking. Teachers can help guide their
students, but understanding occurs as
a by-product of solving problems and
reflecting on the thinking that went
into those problem solutions.
–Diana Lambdin

100 UNIT 3: RATE OF CHANGE AND STARTING AMOUNT THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH
 Systems of Equations: Making
4 and Justifying Choices

S
ystems of equations appear frequently on the HSE exam, as well
as almost all college-entrance exams. Our students really struggle
with this material, especially since it is so often introduced
without any real-world context or discussion of its usefulness. However,
developing an understanding of how systems of equations work can pay
big dividends both in and out of the classroom. The problems in this unit
use real-world scenarios to present a scaffolded introduction to the topic.
Students will continue to explore the many different views of functions,
and they will learn how systems of equations can be a useful tool for
drawing conclusions and justifying choices.

SKI LLS DEVE LOPE D

n Writing systems of equations in two variables.

n Using tables and graphs to compare two linear functions.
n Understanding the significance of the point on the graph where
two lines intersect.
n Using tables, graphs, and guess & check to find solutions to systems
of linear functions.
n Seeing applications of systems of equations in science and social
studies contexts.
n Using systems of equations to make and justify choices.
n Interpreting systems of equations as a means of negotiation between
competing interests.

KEY VOCABULARY

equation: a math statement showing that two expressions are equal to

one another.
solution to a system of equations: values that satisfy all equations in
a system. The solution to a system of linear equations can be represented
by a point in the coordinate plane.
system of equations: a collection of two or more equations that
we have to consider at once. This unit will focus on systems with only
two equations.

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 4: SYSTEMS OF EQUATIONS 101
un i t • 4 t e ac h e r s u p p o r t

Core Problem Overview:

Choosing a Cell Phone Plan
The previous core problems have incorporated tables, rules, and graphs
to develop understanding of functions. This core problem goes a step
further by asking students to reflect on the meaning of the point where
two lines on a graph intersect. Before giving out the problem, ask
students how they chose their cell phone plans. After students have
shared some ideas, tell them we can use functions as a way to make
comparisons and decisions and that they’ll be looking at a two options
for a cell phone plan. Choosing a Cell Phone Plan presents students
with advertisements from two competing wireless service providers.
Each provider charges a base fee—$60 for PEMDAS Wireless and $40
for CCSS Mobile—and a fee for each additional gigabyte of data used.
Through a series of scaffolded questions, students will explore how the
total cost for each provider grows as data usage increases.

PEMDAS Wireless CCSS Mobile

Gigabytes Total Cost Gigabytes Total Cost

0 $60 0 $40
1 $62 1 $44
2 $64 2 $48
3 $66 3 $52
4 $68 4 $56

Students will first interact with the problem by doing something that
should be familiar by this point: completing a table of values. Some
students will notice a pattern and complete these tables rather quickly,
though others might need some support in order to understand how the
price structure works for each provider. At this point, they are asked
to make a choice about which provider they would choose based on the
information in their tables. Most students will choose CCSS mobile,
because the total cost is lower for every one of the inputs in the tables.
Some might notice, though, that the cost of CCSS Mobile grows more
quickly than it does for PEMDAS Wireless. The next two questions ask
students to clarify what the starting point and rate of change are for
each provider—both of these are intended to help students get closer to
creating a rule that they could use to find the total cost for each company.

The rule that students create will help them to complete another table.
This table uses bigger input values and will be the one students use to

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construct a graph of the two functions. After students have graphed the
lines for both providers, they will answer some questions intended to
draw out their thinking about the shapes of the graphs and the point
at which they intersect. The question at the end of this activity—about
which provider has the best offer—is similar to one that they answered
at the beginning, but we’re looking for students to show a more nuanced
understanding this time around.

TEACH I NG TH E COR E PROB LE M

Depending on how much time your class has spent completing tables
and working on functions, it might be worthwhile to have a conversation
about the two advertisements before they start working. This will give
students the opportunity to hear what their classmates think and may
also help them to see something that they didn’t see at first. To start,
tell the class that they have two minutes to look over the ads, but not to
write anything down yet. When time is up, ask them what they noticed.
Some possible questions to get the discussion started are:

n Which of these providers do you think would be the least

expensive? Why?
n Think about your own phone bill and data usage. Do you use
a lot of data, or a little?
n Can someone explain how your phone bill would work if you
went with PEMDAS Wireless? What about CCSS Mobile?

Now that students have had the opportunity to talk and get interested
in the situation, ask them to work independently. As they’re working,
make note of student answers to the second question—“Which provider
would you choose? Why?”—and have them explain their reasoning. Most
students will say that they would choose CCSS Mobile, but they should
explain why they would make that choice. If they say, “because it’s
cheaper,” ask them if they think it will always be cheaper. Or ask, What
if a person used a lot of data, like 12 gigabytes? Do you think it would
still be cheaper?

The next two questions ask about “starting amount” and “rate of
change.” These topics are introduced in Unit 3, and so if you haven’t
done these yet, you might choose to remove these two questions from
the activity. It’s a good idea to make sure that students give more than
a numerical answer for these questions. That is, if a student just writes
“60” for PEMDAS’s starting amount, ask them to write a little about
what that means. You’re looking for something like, “I would have to
pay $60 even if I don’t use any data, and then it gets more expensive
from there.” The same goes for their answer about the rate of change.
You want students to talk explicitly about how, for example, CCSS

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Mobile costs $4 more for each additional gigabyte of data used. The
rate of change is included in the advertisement, but it’s a good idea to
encourage students to put this into their own words. It will help them
when they take on the next task: creating a rule for each provider.

You may or may not have dug into variables and function notation with
your class yet. If you have, you can encourage students to write their
rules in function notation. So, the function for PEMDAS Wireless would
look like f(x) = 2x + 60, and the function for CCSS Mobile would look like
f(x) = 4x + 40. If you haven’t discussed function notation or variables,
ask your students to write out the process they could use to calculate
the total cost for the two providers. The rule for CCSS Mobile might
read something like, “Multiply the number of gigabytes by 4, and then
add 40.” Your students will be able to complete the activity—and gain
insight into how systems of equations work—whether they use function
notation or not. Try to meet your students where they are and support
the method that they are using.

For the last part of the activity, students will use their rules to complete
a larger table, and then they will graph each of the points from the
table. Your students might need some support with the graphing
aspect of this problem, depending on how much graphing work they
have done up to this point. If students are struggling, help them to
remember another similar graph that they have done in class. You
might ask, “When have we seen a graph like this before?” Then help
them to remember the Commission Problem (or one of the supplemental
problems) from Unit 2. It’s a good idea to check in with each student
while they are graphing, to make sure they’re plotting points correctly
and that they recognize that each company’s graph should form a
line. After students have finished their graphs and answered the last
two questions, move on to the processing part of the activity. This is
where you have the opportunity to help your students develop a real
understanding of why systems of equations are useful.

PROCESSI NG TH E PROB LE M

Because this problem is so scaffolded, there is not a lot of room for

students to take significantly different approaches in solving it. This is
helpful, though, in keeping the whole-class discussion focused on the
meaning of the point where the two lines meet. To get the discussion
started, ask some general questions about the graphs:

n What do you notice about these two graphs?

n How are the graphs similar? How are they different?
n Which company’s graph has a steeper line? Why is it steeper?

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Once you have allowed students to discuss their thoughts about the two
graphs, ask them to focus on the point where the two graphs meet. Here,
you might ask for volunteers to share their answer to question number 8
from the activity. Your goal is for students to see that if you were to use
10 gigabytes of data, both companies would have the same monthly cost.
As a few volunteers talk about this, ask clarifying questions to make
sure that all students are following along.

n Can someone restate what she just said?

n What questions do you have about this point of intersection?
n How would we write this point as a solution?

When the class has come to an agreement about this solution, write it
on the board. To help students develop stronger connections between
the point of intersection and the rules that they developed earlier, ask
for volunteers to read their rules. You should record these on the board
and ask the class if they agree with the rule for each provider. Next,
ask students to plug in 10 gigabytes as the input for each, and they
will see that the outputs are the same. Explain to them that this is the
big idea in systems of equations: finding an input that will produce the

HSE
same output for both equations. Point out that the solution that fits both
functions can be found in the table, or by plugging inputs into the rules,
or by looking for the point of intersection on the graph.

Now, you should feel free to open the discussion up to other aspects of
the graph, and you can begin by asking students to share their answers CELLULAR
to the last question from the handout. By looking at the graph and the
table, students should talk about how PEMDAS Wireless is a better $67.50 per month
deal if you plan to use more than 10 gigabytes of data; otherwise, CCSS
$1.25 per gigabyte
Mobile would be the best choice. You could also ask students to write
of data
their own word problems about the graph, and then have the class solve
them together. If your students are looking for an additional challenge,
create another advertisement and ask if it will intersect at the same SIGN UP NOW!
point as the other two lines. You might try the one on the right.

And finally, if you have done the Commission Problem already, this
would be a good time to ask students to think about how the two
problems are similar and how they are different. Help your students to
see connections between the work they did on the Commission Problem
and the work they did on this one. You could ask questions like:

n What do you remember about working on the Eric and Nancy

problem? Did it help you with this one?
n Which one was more challenging? Why?
n Try to remember the graph of Eric’s income and Nancy’s income.
Did it look like this graph? In what ways was it similar?

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 4: SYSTEMS OF EQUATIONS 105
un i t • 4 t e ac h e r s u p p o r t

n What mathematical tools did you have this time around that you
didn’t have when you worked on the Eric and Nancy problem?

SU PPLE M E NTAL PROB LE MS

n The Price of Math Books

This problem is similar to the core problem in terms of its
structure and mathematical content, but it also helps students to
see how systems of equations have real-world application and it
builds their background knowledge about a fundamental concept
in economics: supply and demand. The numbers used in this
problem are small, so that students can plot supply and demand
on a standard one-quadrant graph. After students have done this
activity, you could talk about how supply and demand actually
operates on a much larger scale. They can think of these numbers
as being a small sample that is used to represent a bigger
picture, and you could lead this into a discussion of proportional
reasoning. One idea might be to tell students that this represents
the supply for just one store, and then ask them to calculate the
publisher’s expected revenue for 1,500 stores.

n Picking Apples
This problem is also similar to the core problem, but it
incorporates decimals. It also emphasizes the idea that systems
of equations can be used to make choices. This time, however,
students will not have the benefit of a graph. They will need to
rely on a table or guess and check, as well as their knowledge of
starting amount and rate of change, to find the point at which
both orchards cost the same.

n Another Commission Problem

This problem revisits the Commission Problem from Unit 2.
Eric and Nancy have both gotten raises from their employers,
and they want to figure out how many fish tanks they would
each need to sell so that they could bring in the same amount of
money in a given month. The difference here is that Nancy has
created functions—written in function notation—to calculate their
respective incomes. Students will need to know function notation
in order to solve this problem. The problem could also be used as
an introduction to function notation. Just ask students to read
through the first part of the problem, and then go back to talk
about how function notation works and what it means.

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Core Problem
Choosing a Cell Phone Plan
Bernard is trying to choose a data plan for his smartphone. He narrows his
decision down to two providers: PEMDAS Wireless and CCSS Mobile. When
he searches online, he sees an advertisement for each of the providers.

PEMDAS
WIRELESS
The best e
h o
in
n
$60 per month
$2 per gigabyte
CCSS MOBILE
smar tp
! Nothing common about these prices!
services of data $40 PER MONTH | $4 PER GIGABYTE OF DATA

1 Using the information from the advertisements, complete the tables for
both providers.

PEMDAS Wireless CCSS Mobile

Gigabytes Total Cost Gigabytes Total Cost
0 0
1 1
2 2
3 3
4 4

2 Based on the data in the table, which provider would you choose? Why?

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3 What is the starting amount for PEMDAS Wireless? What is the starting
amount for CCSS mobile? What do these numbers mean in the context
of the question?
PEMDAS Wireless:

CCSS Mobile:

4 What is the rate of change for PEMDAS Wireless? What is the rate of
change for CCSS mobile? What do these numbers mean in the context
of the question?
PEMDAS Wireless:

CCSS Mobile:

5 For each provider, determine a rule that could be used to calculate

the total cost for any number of gigabytes used. You should write two
different rules.
PEMDAS Wireless:

CCSS Mobile:

6 Using your function rules for each provider, complete the tables below.
Make sure to calculate carefully! You will be using these tables to graph
the functions.

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PEMDAS Wireless CCSS Mobile

Gigabytes Total Cost Gigabytes Total Cost
0 0
2 2
4 4
6 6
8 8
10 10
12 12

7 For each provider, plot the points from the table and connect them.
Be sure to label each graph!

$100
$96
$92
$88
$84
$80
$76
Total Cost

$72
$68
$64
$60
$56
$52
$48
$44
$40
$36
$32
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Gigabytes of Data

8 What is the significance of the point where the two lines intersect?

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Supplemental Problem 1
The Price of Math Books
Consumers and businesses are constantly engaged in a tug of war. As
consumers, we want to spend as little money as possible, and businesses
want to make as much money as possible. It is a balance. Consumer
power is the power to not buy—in most cases, a business can’t just charge
whatever it wants for something. If they charge too much, no one will buy
it. A business’s power is in its power to choose what to produce or sell. If
consumers are not willing to pay enough for them to make a profit, they
won’t make or sell that product.

Imagine that everyone in your class wants to buy a math book to study for
the HSE exam. If the book was priced at $200.00, would anyone in your
class want to buy it? Probably not. What if the book was priced at $4.00?
In this case, almost everyone would be willing to buy a copy. This
example shows that when the price of an item is very high, then Price of Quantity
few people want to buy it. Math Books Demanded
When the price of the item goes down, more and more people are $4 12
willing to buy it. So, we can say that the demand for the math book
$10 9
is higher when it is priced at $4.00 per copy. The demand for the
$16 6
math book is low when it’s priced at $200.00 a copy.
$22 3
The table to the left gives an example of how many people would
$28 0
want to buy a math book at each different price.

1 What is the relationship between the price of the math books and the
number of books that people would want to buy?

2 Notice that in the graph on the next page, the x-axis represents Quantity
and the y-axis represents Price. Plot each of the five points
in the table. Why is the Quantity Demanded graph decreasing?

3 How many math books would be demanded by the students in

the class if the price was $14? What if the price was $8?

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Y
$30

29

28

27

26

25

24

23

22

21

20

19
Price in Dollars

18

17
Rice

16

15

14

13

12

11

10

1
X
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Quantity
THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 4: SYSTEMS OF EQUATIONS 111
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Supply
Now let’s think about supply. Supply refers to how many items a company
Price of Quantity would want to produce.
Math Books Supplied
If you were a publishing company, you would not want to use your
$8 1
resources producing books if you weren’t going to be able to charge
$10 3 enough to make a profit, especially since producing the books costs
$12 5 money. But if you knew that you people would be willing to spend $28
$15 8 or more on books, you would want to produce a lot of them because you
could make more money.
$20 13
This table to the left shows how many books a publisher would want
to supply at a bookstore for several different prices.

1 What is the relationship between the price of math books and the
quantity that the publisher would want to supply?

2 On the same sheet of graph paper that you used for demand, plot
the five points and connect them. How would you describe the shape
of the Quantity Supplied graph?

A graph of supply and

demand is useful
because it represents a
balancing point between 3 How is the supply graph similar to/different from the graph
what consumers want for demand?
and what companies
are able to produce.
In economics, this
balancing point is
called equilibrium.
4 Look carefully at your two graphs. The publisher needs to determine
how many books to supply and how much they should cost. Based on
your graphs of supply and demand, help them make a final decision.
Quantity to supply:

Cost:

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Supplemental Problem 2
Picking Apples
Anna and Chris want to pick apples. They find two orchards right next
to each other; David’s orchard and Pam’s orchard.

The signs below are at the entrance to the orchards:

DAVID’S APPLE ORCHARD PAM’S ORCHARD

Pick Your DELICIOUS APPLES
Own Apples! $12 Entry Fee
$1.50 per pound $0.75 per pound

1 Anna wants to pick 6 pounds of apples.

a. How much does this cost at David’s Orchard? _____________________
Show your calculations.

b. How much does it cost at Pam’s Orchard? ________________________

Show your calculations.

2 Chris has $30 to spend.

a. How many pounds of apples will he get if he goes to David’s
Orchard?______________________ Explain how you figured it out.

b. If Chris goes to Pam’s Orchard, how many pounds of apples will he

get?______________________ Explain how you figured it out.

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3 Which orchard is a better deal? Be prepared to explain your reasons

to someone who disagrees with you.

4 One student says that apples are cheaper at David’s orchard, and
another student says that they are cheaper at Pam’s. Can both of
these statements be correct? Why?

Adapted from a
task created by the
Mathematics Assessment
Resource Service

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Supplemental Problem 3
Another Commission Problem
This version is a sequel to the Commission Problem in Unit 3: Three Views of a
Function.

Eric and Nancy both had a successful year selling fish tanks for their
respective employers, and so they were both given raises.

Eric: Eric’s base salary is still $1400, but now he makes a commission of
$100 for each fish tank that he sells.

Nancy: Nancy now gets a base salary of $500 per month, but her commission
has stayed the same at $250 per fish tank.

Eric and Nancy still want to make sure that they contribute the same amount
to their total monthly income, and Nancy proposes using algebra to figure
out how many fish tanks that they would each need to sell. She tells Eric
that he can calculate his monthly income by using the formula f(x) = 100x +
1400. She says that she can calculate her own salary by using the function
g(x) = 250x + 500.

1 What does the variable x represent in Nancy’s formulas?

How do you know?

2 Who makes more if they each sell 4 fish tanks? Show all your work.

3 Who makes more if they each sell 8 fish tanks? Again, show all your work.

4 How many fish tanks would each person need to sell so that they
made the same amount of money?

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 4: SYSTEMS OF EQUATIONS 115
 Good instruction spirals
backwards and forwards,
reinforcing new ideas and
building off of old ones.

116 THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

 5 Nonlinear Functions

U
p until now, the problems in this curriculum framework have
focused on linear relationships and functions, and students have
explored these relationships through tables, rules, and graphs.
In this unit, we introduce the concept of nonlinear functions. The
core problem in this unit, the Job Offer Problem, will help students to
see how the graph of a quadratic or polynomial function differs from
the graph of a linear function, and they will develop a more nuanced
understanding of rate of change. Students will also work with quadratic
functions that model real-world applications to physics.

SKI LLS DEVE LOPE D

n Using charts, tables, drawings, and graphs to analyze nonlinear change.

n Graphing quadratic functions and relating them to function tables.
n Generating outputs from a rule written in function notation.
n Understanding constraints on the domain (possible inputs) of a
function given a particular context.
n Seeing and recognizing the difference between the graphs of quadratic
and cubic functions.
n Applying quadratic function rules in specific problem-solving contexts.

KEY VOCABULARY

nonlinear function: a function in which the variable is raised to the

power of 2 or higher. The graph of a nonlinear function forms a curve.
parabola: the shape formed by the graph of a quadratic function.
Parabolas are U-shaped and can open either upward or downward.
polynomial function: a mathematical expression with two or more
terms. Often, polynomial functions are written as the sum or difference of
several terms in which the same variable is raised to different powers.
quadratic function: a polynomial function in which the variable is raised
to the power of 2, but not higher. The graph of a quadratic function forms
a parabola.
cubic function: a polynomial function in which the variable is raised to
the power of 3.

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Core Problem Overview:

The Job Offer Problem
The Job Offer Problem asks
students to use math to help
them make a decision. They have
to choose between two job offers
based on each company’s plan for
calculating raises. Using math
to make and justify financial
decisions is an important life
skill—one that is especially
emphasized in Unit 4, as well as
other units in this curriculum
framework.

The problem begins by asking

students to think about both
offers, without doing much, if any,
math. They should consider the
offers as they are presented and
write about why they would choose one job offer over the other. At this
stage in the problem, it is important that students understand exactly
how the raise plan works at Big Time Publishing. At BTPC, Rachel’s
hourly wage will be $0.50 more than it was the year before. This means
that after the first year, she will get a raise of $0.50 an hour. After two
years, she will receive a raise of $1.00 an hour, and after three years
she will get a $1.50/per hour raise. The pattern continues, with the
amount of Rachel’s raise increasing after each additional year she works
for the company. The raise schedule at Nadir Books is linear—that is,
Rachel will always receive a raise of $1.50 per hour for each year that
she works for the company. At this stage in the activity, your role is to
help students understand how the different raises work. You don’t need
to help them calculate her hourly wage in a given year. Just get them
thinking about how the raises work so that they can make a decision
about which job they would choose.

The problem includes scaffolding in the form of a table to help students

answer question number 2. Depending on the level of your class, you
may choose to remove this scaffold and ask them to solve the problem
in any way they see fit. One benefit of using the table is that it helps
students to draw the graphs for Rachel’s salary at Big Time versus
Nadir Books, which is the next step in the problem. The main goal of
the Job Offer Problem is to help students see what nonlinear growth
looks like when graphed, and so this is a key step in the problem. Once
students have completed the table and finished drawing their graphs,

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it would be a good idea to spend time talking about the similarities and
differences in the graphs. For example, both represent an increase, but
the rate of increase for Big Time Publishing Company changes each
year, which results in a curve.

The last part of the problem asks students if they would still choose the
same offer as they did in the first part. Here, students should have a
conversation about why they would stick with their choice or why they
might change it. For example, a student who had initially chosen Nadir
Books as the better offer might switch to Big Time Publishing, pointing
out that it would pay off eventually if she worked at Big Time for several
years. Others might point out that it is risky to plan ten or fifteen years
ahead when taking a job because of the economy or changes in consumer
demand. All of this is rich territory for you to explore with your class,
and it helps students see how math can be used in decision-making.

TEACH I NG TH E COR E PROB LE M

After students have had time to read the first part of the problem,
you should help them to clarify exactly how the raises work at both
companies. You might begin by asking some questions like:

n Let’s start by talking about the offer at Big Time. Can someone
explain to me how the raises work at this company?

n How big of a raise does Rachel get after one year at Big Time?
After two years? After four years?

n How much of a raise would Rachel get at Nadir Books after

one year? After two years? After four years?

Once students understand how the raises work, ask them to take a few
minutes and decide which job they would want to take. You could then
ask students to discuss their choice with a partner, or you could ask the
class to vote and record their responses on the board.

Next, you should give the students time to work individually on the
second part of the problem. While they are working, make sure to
circulate around the room and observe each student’s work. Their table
for Big Time Publishing should reflect the whole-class discussion that
took place earlier. If you find that a student is having trouble calculating
Rachel’s correct wage for a given year, you can ask questions like:

n Talk to me about the wages for Big Time in your table.

How did you calculate those?

n Let’s read the prompt together. For each year at Big Time,
Rachel’s raise will be $0.50 more than it was the year before.
What does that mean?

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n Let’s think about the discussion we had earlier. We said

that Rachel's raise would get bigger every year at Big
Time. Does your table show this?

After students complete the table for Big Time, they may have trouble
seeing that the raise for Nadir is the same year after year. If you notice
students making mistakes on this part of the table, you can use a
similar line of questioning or ask them about the rate of change.

You’ll notice that the axes on the graph paper are not labeled, and you
may need to help your students identify which axis should be used
to represent years (the x-axis) and which should be used to represent
Rachel’s wage (the y-axis). It might help them to ask which column
in the table represents the inputs (the years) and which represents
the outputs (the hourly wages) in this situation. If students are really
struggling as a result of the two columns of outputs, you can have them
re-write the table as two different tables—one for BTPC and one for
Nadir Books. Ultimately, your students should recognize that the graphs
should be increasing as they move from left to right, and this might help
them to realize how to label the axes. If they label the axes incorrectly
and start to draw graphs that are decreasing, you can talk to students
about making sure that what’s happening in the graph reflects what’s
happening in the table—that is, if wages are going up on the table, the
graphs should be going up as well.

When students finish the graphing part of the activity, have them talk
about the differences in the graphs. Some questions you might ask them
to consider are:

n What is similar about these two graphs? What is different?

n What do you notice about how the graph of Rachel’s wages
at Big Time changes over time?
n Does this make you want to change your vote from the first part
of the problem? Why?
n What do you think would happen to the graphs after the ten years
shown on the table? Can you extend them on the graph paper?

If some students finish early, you could give them calculators and
ask them to solve an extension question. You could use the following
questions:

n Let’s say Rachel would be paid for 35 hours per week, for 50 weeks
a year. How much would she make at each company in the first
year after she was hired?

n Some students might even notice that, while she would make
more during her seventh year at Big Time, she also would be

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making less each year for the six years before that. In this case,
you could ask, Rachel knows that she wants to choose a job and
stick with it for ten years. How much in total earnings would she
make after ten years at Big Time? How much would she make at
Nadir?

n You might also ask students to think about how long Rachel
would have to work at Big Time to make her choice really pay off:
If Rachel worked 35 hours a week for 50 weeks a year, how many
years before her total earnings at BTPC were more than her total
earnings at Nadir Books?

These extensions are by no means exhaustive, but they help students to

think further about the idea of choosing a job.

PROCESSI NG TH E PROB LE M

Because the goal of this problem is for students to see the difference in a
graph that grows linearly and one that grows quadratically, there is not
a lot of room for multiple solution strategies. Your main goal in talking
about this problem with the class will be to address the shapes of the
two graphs. But first, it would be a good idea to discuss question number
4 as a group. You might start by asking how many people changed their
mind about which offer they would accept. Some questions to get the
discussion started are:

n How many people changed their vote? And if you changed it,
what made you decide to change? If you don’t want to change
your vote, why not?

n Do we all agree on which company gave Rachel the better offer?

Why do you think we disagree?

After each student has had a chance to contribute to the discussion,

tell the group that you want to talk about the shapes of the graphs.
You should let the students talk about all the things that the graph
have in common and all of the ways that they are different. You might
write a dividing line through the middle of the whiteboard and list
the similarities on the left and the differences on the right. The main
similarity is that both graphs represent an increasing wage, but there
are a number of differences that could come up in the discussion. For
example, one of the graphs is a curve while the other is a line; the two
graphs start at different points on the y-axis; and the graph of Big Time
increases slowly at first but then gets steeper and steeper, while the
graph of Nadir increases at the same rate.

Now you can ask some specific questions about the graphs. Some
suggestions for the whole-class discussion are:

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n What were some of the things you noticed from the graph?

n During the first few years, which graph increases the most rapidly?

n During which year do the graphs increase at the same rate?

n When does the graph of Big Time start to grow more rapidly than
the graph of Nadir?

n What will happen if we continue the graph for Nadir Books?

What will happen if we continue the graph for Big Time?
How do you know?

n How does the graph help support your decision of which offer
to take?

When you feel like your students have a good understanding of the
difference between the linear and quadratic graph, talk to your students
about some of the vocabulary you will be using to talk about graphs like
this one. You could introduce the terms nonlinear and parabola and
explain that students will be seeing them again in the supplemental
problems and on the HSE exam.

SU PPLE M E NTAL PROB LE MS

The supplemental problems in this unit invite further investigation

into the graphs of nonlinear functions. I would recommend doing these
problems in the order that they are presented here, though each of
these should be accessible to students who have worked on the Job Offer
Problem.

n The Nebraska Rainfall Problem

This problem asks students to take information from a table,
put it onto a graph, and draw conclusions about rainfall levels
based on the shape of the graph. Initially, the graph increases
at a quadratic rate. It then levels off, which indicates that no
significant rainfall occurred during that period. Then at the end
of the year, the graph increases at a linear rate. Students will
plot the points carefully and answer questions about the changes
in rainfall from month to month. The problem also asks them to
tell the story of how hard the rain fell throughout the year. In
teaching this problem, you would want them to see that the rain
fell at an increasingly heavy rate in the first half of the year,
then there was no rainfall, and then the rain fell at a constant
rate at the end of the year. We have included a graph that shows
Yearly Precipitation alongside Monthly Precipitation. You might
distribute these to your students after they have completed the
activity so that you can talk about the relationship between the
graphs.

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n Gravity and a Dropped Ball

This supplemental problem introduces algebraic notation to
illustrate that the velocity of a dropped object will increase
the longer it falls. The goal of this problem is to build some
background knowledge in physics and help them get familiar
with evaluating quadratic functions on the TI-30XS Multiview
calculator. Students will begin by completing a chart that shows
the dropped ball’s position after a given number of seconds. They
will see the ball falls faster and faster over time. The last question
here is tricky: By plugging 10 and 11 seconds into the formula,
they will see that the ball hits the ground before 11 seconds
elapse, but they may need some guidance about how to solve for
the exact value. When using this problem initially, it might be
good enough to help students approximate the time it would take
for the ball to hit the ground. Some students may be able to come
to an approximate answer by recognizing and continuing patterns
in the table.

n The Graphs of y = x2 and y = x3

In order to be successful on the HSE exam, your students
will need to be able to distinguish between different kinds of
nonlinear graphs. This simple activity builds upon the function
machines and graphing activities from the previous units by
asking students to complete an input/output table and then draw
a simple quadratic and cubic graph. If you’ve had the chance to
work with your students on signed numbers, they should be able
to complete the tables without the aid of a calculator. But this
can also be a good place to help students develop fluency with the
TI-30XS Multiview calculator. After your students have completed
each table and drawn the graphs, it would be worthwhile to talk
to them about how the shapes of the graphs are similar and how
they are different. You can also ask students what patterns they
see in the tables (for one, there is no constant rate of change in
the outputs).

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Core Problem
The Job Offer Problem
Rachel is unhappy at her job, and so she has started interviewing with other
employers in her industry, hoping that she can start to make more money in
the long run. When she met with Big Time Publishing Company (BTPC), the
manager told her that her starting wage will be $10.00 per hour and that she
will receive a $0.50 raise after the first year. For each year that she stays with
the company after that, her raise will be $0.50 more than it was the year before.

After her interview with Big Time Publishing Company, she met with Nadir
Books and told the manager about the offer she was given. The manager
assured Rachel that her offer will be better. She offered Rachel a starting
wage of $13.50 per hour, with a raise of $1.50 each year.

1 Consider both offers. If you were in Rachel’s shoes, which offer would
you accept? Explain the reasons for your choice.

2 Complete the table below for each job offer. In which year will Rachel make
the same hourly wage no matter which job she chooses?

Hourly Wage at Hourly Wage at

Year
Big Time Publishing Nadir Books
0 (newly hired)

10

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3 On graph paper, plot the points for the graph of Big Time Publishing
Company’s salary offer, and then connect them. Next, plot the points of
Nadir Books’s offer on the same graph and connect them. What do you
notice about the two graphs?

4 What are the coordinates of the point where the two lines intersect?
What does this point represent in the context of the problem?

5 Would you still choose the same job offer as you did before?
Explain the what circumstances might make you choose the job
at Big Time Publishing. Explain what circumstances might make you
choose Nadir Books.

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Supplemental Problem 1
The Nebraska Rainfall Problem
Rainfall is very important to farmers in the Western United States since crops
like wheat, corn, or soybeans need rain water to survive. A farming family in
Western Nebraska recorded the amount of rainfall on their land over a period of
one year beginning in January. They kept track of the amount of rainfall that fell
each month (Monthly Precipitation) in order to find out how much rain had fallen
so far that year (Yearly Precipitation).

The family needs help calculating the Yearly Precipitation. For each month,
calculate how much rain had fallen so far that year.

Monthly Precipitation Yearly Precipitation

Month
(in inches) (in inches)
January 0.5
February 1.0
March 1.5
April 2.0
May 2.5
June 3.0
July 0.0
August 0.0
September 1.0
October 1.0
November 1.0
December 1.0

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Using the x-axis for months (1 for January, 2 for Y

February, and so on) and the y-axis for total rainfall, 16
construct a graph that shows Yearly Precipitation. 15
You should plot 12 points and connect them. 14
13
12
1 In which months did the total amount
of rainfall grow at a linear rate? How 11
can you tell? 10

Rainfall
9
8
7
6
5
4
2 In which months did the total amount of
3
rainfall grow at a quadratic/nonlinear rate?
2
How can you tell?
1
X
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Months

3 Use the table and your graph to tell the story about the rate at which
the rain fell in Western Nebraska during this year. As specifically as you
can, you should discuss the changes in rainfall—and in the shape of the
graph—over the course of the year.

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15

14

13

12

11

10

0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

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Supplemental Problem 2
Gravity and a Dropped Ball
When an object is dropped, gravity pulls it down toward the earth. To
calculate the distance travelled by a falling object, we use the equation:

d=½gt2
In this equation, the variable d represents the distance travelled by the
object, g represents the acceleration due to gravity in meters per second
squared, and t represents the time in seconds. On earth, the acceleration
due to gravity is 9.81 meters per second squared. This never changes.

You go to the top of One World Trade Center, which is 546 meters tall,
and drop a baseball from the top.

1 How long do you think it would take to hit the ground? Write your
best guess.

2 Using the function equation above, complete the table below to

find how far the ball will have fallen after a certain amount of time
has elapsed.

Time (in Distance the ball has

seconds) t fallen (in meters) d

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3 What do you notice about the velocity of the ball as it falls?

4 Does the ball fall at the same velocity the entire time?
How do you know?

5 About how long will it take for the ball dropped off the top of
One World Trade Center to hit the ground?

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Supplemental Problem 3
The Graphs of x2 and x3
Complete the input/output tables below, then graph each function
on the coordinate plane.

f(x) = x2
Input x Output f(x)

–4

–3

–2

–1

4
25

f(x) = x3
Input x Output f(x)

–3

–2

–1

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Y
28
27
26
25
24
23
22
21
20
19
18
17
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
X
-14 -13 -12 -11-10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
-2
-3
-4
-5
-6
-7
-8
-9
-10
-11
-12
-13
-14
-15
-16
-17
-18
-19
-20
-21
-22
-23
-24
-25
-26
-27
-28

132 UNIT 5: NONLINEAR FUNCTIONS THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH
 6 Modeling Exponential Growth

N
ow that students have had a chance to explore functions that
grow at linear and quadratic rates, they have all the tools to
analyze exponential growth and decay. You can introduce this
concept to your students through the Growth of a Smartphone App
problem, which offers an easy-to-understand model of how quickly
things grow when they grow exponentially. The goal for this unit is for
students to understand the difference between linear, quadratic, and
exponential growth, and to know when each kind of growth applies to a
given situation. At the end of the unit, students should also be able to
understand and solve exponential growth problems as they appear on
the HSE exam.

SKI LLS DEVE LOPE D

n Using tables, charts, and drawings to model exponential growth.

n Seeing exponential growth models in word problems.
n Distinguishing between situations that can be modeled with linear
and exponential functions.
n Observing that a quantity increasing exponentially will eventually
exceed a quantity increasing linearly or as a polynomial function.
n Noticing that in exponential functions, the variable is in the exponent
position, and interpreting equations accordingly.

KEY VOCABULARY

exponential growth: growth whose rate becomes increasingly rapid in proportion to

a growing total number. In other words, a quantity may grow slowly at first, but it will
eventually begin to grow at a rapid rate. Some applications of exponential growth
include calculating compound interest or population growth. In exponential growth
problems on the HSE exam, the variable—or input—is in the exponent position.
exponential decay: a decrease whose rate is proportional to the size of the population.
Exponential decay can be thought of as the opposite of exponential growth, i.e., the
quantity will decrease rapidly at first, but will eventually decrease at a smaller and
smaller rate as the size of the quantity becomes smaller. Exponential decay is commonly
applied in analyses of half-life of radioactive substances.
growth/decay factor: the constant factor by which a quantity multiplies itself over time.
In mathematical functions, the growth factor is usually modeled by 1+ (percent of growth
expressed as a decimal). For example, in the supplemental problem Observing a Mouse
Population (below), the population is increasing annually by 8%. We see the population
growth factor written in the formula as (1.08). The decay factor is similar. It is modeled by
1– (percent of decay expressed as a decimal).

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Core Problem Overview:

Growth of a Smartphone App

T
his problem asks students to consider how many users will
download a new Smartphone app given a specific rate of growth.
Zach, the developer, creates the app and tells two friends about it.
Those two friends download the app, and then each of them tells two of
their friends about the app. These four friends also download the app,
and then each of them tells two new friends. The pattern continues for
one week. Through working on the problem, students should see that
the number of downloads doubles each day, which models a simple form
of exponential growth.

This activity starts with students making a prediction about the total
number of downloads for the week. Students will usually predict a
fairly small number of downloads given the fact that only two people
downloaded it on the first day. If you have spent some time on linear
growth, they may try to apply a linear growth model in their prediction,
which will give them a small number of downloads. The goal of this part
of the activity is to get students thinking about the situation, and to get
them in the habit of making predictions before they start working with
the numbers. Before moving on to the second part of the problem, ask
your students to talk about their predictions with the whole class. You
might make note of the highest and lowest predictions, and record them
on the board so that the class can analyze how close their answer was to
the class’s high and low predictions.

Now students should pick up their pencils and begin working on the
problem. You should provide support by helping students settle on an
appropriate strategy for solving the problem. What students should
eventually see, through drawing a picture or making a table, is that the
Student Work number of people who download the app doubles
each day, or, in other words, that the rate of
growth increases each day.

As the sample of student work shows, drawing a

picture is an excellent way of understanding the
pattern, but it is ultimately an unsustainable
way of solving the problem. That is, students
would need to draw so many hash marks or
stick figures that their picture would take a long
time to draw and wouldn’t fit on a single sheet
of paper. We recommend allowing students to
come to this conclusion on their own. It will be
more meaningful if students try it as a strategy
and then realize they will need to do something

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different in order to count all the downloads. Let them come to it, but
make sure to make it explicit by asking them to talk about how they
started, how/why their strategy shifted, and how their initial strategy
helped inform their shift. Students will also need to understand that the
problem requires them to add up the number of downloads each day in
order to get the total for the week, which is 254 (excluding Zach).

Teaching the Core Problem

To begin the activity, you should ask students to put their pencils down
and read through the scenario. Give students about five minutes to
think about it, still with their pencils down, and ask volunteers (or each
student) to provide a guess. You should record all of their predictions
on chart paper or on the board so that the class can see all of the
predictions together. Next, ask students which is the highest guess and
which is the lowest, and make note of these. At this point, allow students
to talk as a whole class about the predictions. You might ask some
students to explain their guess, and then, based on these responses, ask
if anyone would like to change their prediction.

Now, students should begin working on the second question. The teacher
should let students work for a short time before intervening and asking
questions. One common mistake that students make is to think that
two new people download the app each day, which results in a total of
14 downloads at the end of the week. Another mistake is to think that
two more people download the app each day, rather than twice as many.
It’s okay to let students make these mistake at first! This gives you the
chance to talk to them about how they arrived at their answer and help
them to see that the number of people who download the app doubles
each day, rather than increases by two. To help them see this, you might
ask if there is a way they could draw a picture that models the situation.
If students are having trouble seeing this, you might also help them to
see it by using people in the classroom. Some questions and prompts you
could use are:

n Let’s say that you developed the app. Which students did you tell
about it on the first day? On the next day, which other students did
those two students tell? What do you notice about the pattern?

n I noticed you were drawing a picture but then you stopped. Why
did you stop here? Did you notice a pattern before you stopped
drawing? How could you keep the pattern going without drawing
pictures?

n How could you organize all this information? Let’s pick a day of
the week when Zach told the first two people.

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It’s important to note that guess-and-check won’t work as a solution

strategy for this problem. If students are trying to use this method, try
to help them start small—with days 1 and 2—and build a table or chart
from there. Once students begin to see the correct growth pattern in
their drawing or chart, ask them to tell you more about it. Your goal is
for them to see that the number of people who download the app doubles
each day.

To get the correct answer, students will need to take all of the downloads
from each day and add them up. Many students will stop at 128
downloads and forget to find the total for the week. You should ask them
to talk about their answer of 128; specifically, does the 128 include all of
the people who downloaded it on the other days? Here, some students
will include Zach in their total and others won’t. Rather than telling
students that they should or should not include Zach, ask them to tell
you more about it. This is something to discuss during the processing
part of the activity.

If students finish early, you might ask them to analyze how the number
of downloads would grow if each person who downloaded the app told
three people rather than two. If your class has spent time working with
exponents, you could ask students to look at the number of downloads
from each day and think about how they could write those numbers as
powers of two. Your students may or may not be able to do this on their
own. In any case, you should plan to build this into the discussion after
students have discussed their solution strategies.

Processing the Problem

Once all students have had time to work and found the answer on their
own, you should lead a whole-class discussion of solution strategies.
A good place to start would be to ask the class to look back at their
predictions and talk about the differences between those predictions and
their actual answer. Some questions for discussion include:

n How close were our guesses to our actual answer?

Why were we so far off?

n How did your thinking change once you started working

with the actual numbers?

n What is the benefit of making predictions before solving

a math problem like this one?

After you have had a chance to look at the predictions alongside the
correct answer, explain to your students that you want to talk about

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the different ways of solving the problem. You should select three or
four students to present their work on chart paper or on the board. One
important aspect of whole-class discussions is to talk about common
mistakes. You should find a student who had initially thought that two
people downloaded the app each day, and ask them to explain what led
them to make that mistake at first and how they corrected it. It would
be a good idea to look carefully for different visual representations of the
problem and ask students to present those. For example, some students
will use hash marks or draw stick figures. You could ask these students
to present first and show their work on the board exactly as they had
written it on their paper. While they are presenting, ask some of the
questions below:

n Did anyone else try this strategy?

n What do you like about solving the problem this way?

n He or she stopped drawing after the fourth day. Why do you think
he or she did that?

Some students, like the sample of Ron Lee’s work below shows, will
draw a sort of tree diagram. If one of your students does this, you might
ask them to present next, and ask them to talk about what the lines
between each hash mark or stick figure represent.

Other students may have solved the problem correctly without drawing
a picture at all, and instead focusing on a chart. You could
ask these students to present last and explain how they Student Work
were able to perform the calculations without a visual
aid. At some point in the discussion, students will want to
know if Zach should be included in the final tally. There is
no correct or incorrect answer here, and one option would
be to have your students present a case for why he should
be included or not. You could also ask your students to vote
on whether or not to include him.

After all students have presented their work, you should

take time to focus on the pattern that appears in the tables
that students have generated, and help the class to see
that the number of downloads on each day is actually a
power of 2, as is shown in the table below. If some students
have had time to think about this as an extension question, then they
could lead the explanation of how each day’s downloads can be written
as a power of 2. Or, if no students have had time to try this, then you
could get them started with days 1 and 2 and ask them to fill in the rest
of the table.

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New Downloads
Day Written as Exponent
On That Day
1 2 2 = 21
2 4 2 × 2 = 22
3 8 2 × 2 × 2 = 23
4 16 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 = 24
5 32 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 = 25
6 64 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 = 26
7 128 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 = 27

Questions for discussion include:

n In the third column, what is staying the same and what is

changing?

n Do you see a relationship between the day and the number

in the exponent position?

n Assuming this pattern continues, how could we find the

number of new downloads that would occur on day 12?

n In mathematics (and in working with functions), how do

we write a quantity that changes like this?

When you feel like your students have a handle on how we could find the
number of downloads on any given day by calculating 2n, explain to your
students that this kind of growth is called exponential. In exponential
growth, the variable will always be in the exponent position, and it will
often represent units of time.

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Supplemental Problems
The supplemental problems in this unit will expose students to other
scenarios that ask them to analyze exponential growth and decay. Two
of them focus on applications to science, which resemble the types of
problems that students might see on the math or science HSE subtests.

n The Rice and Chess Problem

This problem is similar to the core problem in this unit and can
be used to reinforce the idea that when a quantity continues to
double, it grows rapidly and can produce large numbers.
Because the numbers grow so quickly, students should be given
calculators to work on this problem. Before they begin working,
though, you might ask them to make a prediction about how
many grains of rice the inventor would receive in total before
they perform the calculations. In the end, they will find that the
inventor would receive more grains of rice than actually exist on
Earth!

n Choosing Your Salary

This is another variation on the Rice and Chess problem that asks
students whether they would choose a large salary that increases
linearly or a small salary that increases exponentially. The
problem underscores the idea that over time, exponential growth
will always exceed linear growth. Students should be allowed to
use calculators for this problem.

n Observing a Mouse Population

This problem uses an exponential growth formula to model the
increasing mouse population on an island. In order to use this
problem in class, you need to have covered function notation in
one of the previous units. You’ll notice that this problem looks
more like one that students might see on an HSE exam. The
problem exposes students to three views of a function—a rule, a
table, and a graph—and it opens the door to talk about science
topics like population growth and carrying capacity.

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Core Problem
Growth of a Smartphone App
Zach developed a smartphone app. On Monday, he told two of his friends
about his app and they downloaded it. The next day, those two friends each
told two other friends about the app and they also downloaded it. Assume
that this pattern continues, and each new person who downloads the app
tells two of their friends about it. Make a prediction about how many people
altogether will have downloaded the app by Sunday.

1 Write your prediction in the space below, and write a sentence or

two to explain your thinking.

2 Let’s see how close our guesses are. Exactly how many people
will have downloaded the app after one week?

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Supplemental Problem 1
The Rice and Chess Problem
There is a famous legend about the invention of chess that goes
like this:

The inventor of the game showed it to a powerful ruler, who loved it

so much that he told the inventor to name his reward—whatever he
asked for the ruler promised to give him. The inventor said to the ruler:
“I don’t want much. I only ask that you give me one grain of rice for
the first square on the chessboard, two grains for the next square, four
for the next, eight for the next, and so on for all 64 squares.”

The ruler agreed and laughed that the man had asked for such a small
reward, but his treasurer—a mathematician—worried that the amount
of rice would be more than the ruler could afford.

1 Create a table to find how many grains of rice the inventor would be
given in total.

2 Were the mathematician’s fears justified, or was the emperor

correct in thinking that this reward is rather small?

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Supplemental Problem 2
Choosing Your Salary
You are offered a job that last for only thirty days, and you get to choose
your salary.

OPTION 1: You get $100 for the first day, $200 for the second day, $300 for
the third day, and so on for each day of the seven weeks. Each day you are
paid $100 more than you were the day before.

OPTION 2: You get paid only 1 cent for the first day. On the second day, you
get paid 2 cents; on the third, you get paid 4 cents, and on the fourth you get
paid 8 cents, and so on. Each day you get paid twice as much as you did the
day before.

Which option do you choose? Why? (Be prepared to explain your reasoning
and help the class understand your way of thinking.)

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Supplemental Problem 3
Observing a Mouse Population
Over a period of ten years, scientists studied the population of mice living
on a remote island in the Atlantic Ocean. They observed 120 mice on the
island in the first year of their study, and they determined that they could
use the following formula to calculate the population of mice on the island
after a given time:
f(t) = 120(1.08)t

1 Is the mouse population growing or decreasing? How do you know?

2 Complete the table below. If your answer is a decimal for any of the
inputs, round it up to the nearest whole number.

Year Population
t f(t)
0 120
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

3 Based on the data in your table, what can you conclude about the rate of
increase in the mouse population? Is the growth constant, or not?

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 Teachers prepared with support questions
and extension questions can keep an entire
class of “mixed-level” students working
on the same problem and engaged in the
productive struggle at the heart of each
student’s proximal zone of development.

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 7 Equality
Rationale

E
quality is a fundamental concept in algebra. It is noted through use
of an equal sign, represents a relationship of equivalence, and can
be conceptualized by the idea of balance. Despite the importance
of the equal sign, there is tons of research that shows that students
often have serious misconceptions about what the equal sign means.
The research has mostly been conducted with elementary through high
school students, but using an assessment included in this unit, I have
found it is equally true of adult learners.

Many adult education students think the equal sign means “the answer”
or “what you get when you do the operation.” Students who think this
way tend to answer questions like 12 + 5 = ® + 6 incorrectly, writing a
17 in the square. Students also get thrown when they see things like
14 = 17 – ®, because the operation is taking place on the right side of
the equation.

This misunderstanding makes sense if you think about students’ prior

experiences with the equal sign. They have been seeing equality in
arithmetic for years; most of it has looked like 7 × 8 =___ or 25 × 18 =
____. Even the use of a calculator can reinforce this misconception—just
push the “=” and the answer appears.

This association of the equal sign with “the answer” as opposed to

understanding it as signifying balance or equivalence can be especially
problematic when students encounter the symbol in algebra. If students
understand the equal sign to mean balance, it makes sense to perform the
same operations on either side of the equation. Without an understanding
of a balance point between the two sides of the equation, the rule,
“Whatever you do to one side you have to do to the other,” becomes a
disconnected rule that students struggle to memorize and use.

The problems in this unit were chosen to help students understand the
meaning of the equal sign. This is not something we can just tell students
and expect to fully take root—they have a deeply-seated misconception
that won’t be corrected easily. These activities are intended to help draw
out students’ intuitive sense for keeping things in balance and connecting
that to the formal use and notation of the equal sign.

Students don’t need to know the names or the symbolic representations,

but a sense of these properties of equality will help them gain flexibility
in understanding balance and equivalence:

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n the reflexive property of equality (a = a)

n the transitive property of equality (If a = b and b = c, then a =c)

n the substitution property of equality (if a = b, then b can replace a

in any expression without changing the value of that expression)

n the addition property of equality (If a = b, then a + c = b + c)

n the subtraction property of equality (If a = b, then a – c = b – c)

n the multiplicative property of equality (If a = b, then a × c = b × c)

n the division property of equality (If a = b, then a ÷ c = b ÷ c)

OPPORTU N ITI ES TO DEVE LOP TH E FOLLOWI NG SKI LLS

n Developing fluency with the different properties of equality.

n Creating equations with two or more variables to represent

relationships between quantities.

KEY VOCABULARY

balance: a state of equilibrium; equal distribution of weight,

amount, etc. Have students brainstorm situations when we talk
about “balance.”

a balance scale: a device for weighing. When the pans are

equivalent in weight, the scale will be level. We can replace objects
in the pans with objects of equal weights without changing the
balance. We place an object in one pan and standard weights in the
other to find what the object weighs.

equivalent: having the same value. For example, 4 quarters and 20

nickels are equivalent. Eight hours is equivalent to 28,800 seconds.

equal sign: a symbol used to show symmetric balance between two

values or quantities, one on each side of the equal sign. Can be read
as “is equivalent to” or “is the same as”.

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Core Problem Overview: Zip Zap Zowie

This problem describes the relationship (in terms of weight) between A word on the words: It’s fine
to change the words if you
four kinds of imaginary objects: zips, zaps, zowies, and swooshes. We are
think your students might
told that one zip equals three zaps. Two zaps equals five zowies. Three be thrown by the imaginary
zowies equals two swooshes. Finally, we are told that a swoosh weighs words. I like the “zip,” “zap,”
60 pounds. This problem is a good way to draw out “working backwards” “zowie” and “swoosh” for the
as a problem-solving strategy. This is the most common path students lightheartedness of students
having to say things like,
find to a solution, though it may take many students some time and trial
“Well, I know two swooshes
and error before they come to that strategy. weigh 120 pounds and that
is equivalent to 3 zowies, but
In the end, students should be able to explain how we can tell that each
how do I figure out how much
zip weighs 300 pounds, each zap weighs 100 pounds, and each zowie a zowie weighs?”
weighs 40 pounds.

TEACH I NG TH E COR E PROB LE M

Have a few students read the problem aloud while others follow along.
Give them time to work on their own—maybe five minutes. Then have
them get into groups of three or four, share their thinking so far, and
then keep working towards a solution. Students should be given time to
struggle with this problem, and you should support any method that the
student has chosen.

If students are struggling, suggest that

they try to create a visual representation
of the situation. They might draw shapes
or pictures, or create some other visual
model. A great way to support students with
this problem is to give them materials to
make the situation tactile as well as visual.
Offer students stickies (of different colors
if possible), index cards, pattern blocks,
etc. to let them experiment with different
visualizations. To the {direction} you can see
an example of a visual model of a group’s solution method.

In addition to suggesting students try to make visual representations,

you can help students get unstuck by asking 1 or 2 of the following
clarifying questions:

n What do we know?
n What does it mean to say “one zip weighs the same as three zaps?”
n If one swoosh weighs 60 pounds, how much do two swooshes weigh?
n How much do three zowies weigh? How do you know?
n How many zaps weigh the same as 2 swooshes and 2 zowies?

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n Which weighs more, a ____ or a ____? How do you know? (You can
ask students to compare any of the four words).

Students will need some sense of the properties of equality to work on

this problem. This is not to say that you should present these properties
before you give out this problem. Many of your students either know, or
will intuit, the properties they need. Others will need more support, and
we should ask questions to help them see useful properties wherever
they are in their solution process. As groups are working, walk around
and look for opportunities to test understanding. For example, asking If
one swoosh weighs 60 pounds, how much do two swooshes weigh? or How
much do three zowies weigh? How do you know? will help students think
about the reflexive property of equality. The idea that each swoosh (and
zowie, and zap, and zip) weighs the same amount as every other swoosh
is important and may not be immediately understood by every student.

You may have a group that finishes the problem early while others are
still working. Ask questions of different group members to make sure
they can all explain the method. If each member can, you can offer the
following extension, which I learned from Patricia Helmuth, an adult
education math teacher in New York’s Hudson Valley. Ask students to
create another situation (with real-life objects or imaginary words) using
the same relationships between the elements, but where d≠60.

a = 3b
2b = 5c
3c = 2d
Note: Students will probably not solve this problem by setting up
equations. That is something that we will draw out of the debrief on
their work. Given that, it’s best not to use equations in the phrasing of
the extension.

PROCESSI NG TH E PROB LE M

As you are walking around and asking the groups clarifying questions,
be on the lookout for two things: (1) moments where groups get stuck
and (2) different strategies students use.

When you ask groups to present their work, start with the most visual
and concrete methods. Save the group that used an equal sign in their
method for last. You probably won’t get a group that sets up algebraic
equations with variables, but you might have something like:

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zip = 3 zaps
2 zaps = 5 zowies
3 zowies = 2 swooshes

Ask each group to prepare to present their reasoning by putting their

method on chart paper/newsprint. Ask them to make their method clear
so that someone else could understand it without having to ask them
any questions. As the groups present their strategies, give the class
time to ask questions and make statements of appreciation about each
other’s’ methods. If no group uses the equal sign, introduce the notation
after all the groups have presented. Either way, ask the rest of the class
what they think about the use of the equal sign.

Recommended Extension: To engage them further, you can ask students

to use the information in the problem and use the equal sign to show
equivalence in other ways.

For example:
1 zap = 1 swoosh and 1 zowie
1 zip = 5 swooshes

How many zowies and swooshes would it take to balance with a zip?

Supplemental Problems
The supplemental problems in this unit continue the work of the core
problem, giving students the opportunity to build on the strategies and
discoveries they’ve made.

n Assessment on Equality
This assessment can give you insight into your students’
understanding of the equal sign. I am still always surprised by
how many of these students get wrong. It really goes a long way
towards understanding the problems they have working with
equations.

n Balancing the Scales

These four problems allow students to explore the concept of
equality using balance scales. They come from Math Matters
(see resource section). Each problem has three scales. Students
consider the information in the first two scales to figure out what
it would take to balance the third scale. Students will have the
opportunity to use the addition/subtraction/ multiplication /
division and substitution properties of equality.

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n Noah’s Ark
This problem comes from fawnnguyen.com, a great math teaching
blog by Fawn Nguyen, a middle school teacher in California. It
is similar to the core problem, and the balancing scales problems
but it is more complex, with more objects (animals) and more
“equations.” I highly recommend offering students tools to make
visual representations of the problem. You might even make
extra sheets of animals for students to cut out. This is a great
problem and a great way to see how students can put together all
the strategies they developed working on the other problems in
this unit.

n Fix These Equations

I really like doing this activity, created by Steve Hinds, director
of Active Learning in Adult Numeracy (alanproject.org). It helps
students practice the order of operations, while strengthening
their sense of equations being equivalent. In general, having
students evaluate whether equations are true or false is a good
way to focus their thinking and see where they are at in their
understanding of the equal sign. This activity presents a series
of false equations—that is, none of them are true. The goal is for
students to experiment with placement of parentheses to make
the equations true. This is a nice way to end an exploration of the
equal sign, since this problem goes beyond the sense of equivalence
and actually uses the formal notation of the equal sign.

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Zip Zap Zowie

1 zip weighs as much as 3 zaps.

2 zaps weigh as much as 5 zowies.

3 zowies weigh as much as 2 swooshes.

If one swoosh weighs 60 pounds, how many pounds does a zip weigh?

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Equality Assessment
Write the correct answer on the line.

9 + 11 = _____ + 6

_____ = 17 – 4

19 + _____ = 21 + 4

14 – 4 = _____ – 3

45 + 13 = 13 + _____

_____ + 10 = 7 + 9

Describe what this symbol = means without using the word “equal.”

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Keeping Your Balance

Solve the four balance problems below. In each problem, use the information from
the balanced scales A and B to figure out what is needed to balance scale C.

Scale A Scale B Scale C

Scale A Scale B Scale C

Scale A Scale B Scale C

Scale A Scale B Scale C

Adapted from Math Matters: Understanding the Math You Teach by Suzanne Chapin and Art Johnson

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Noah’s Ark
Mr. Noah wants his Ark to sail along on an even keel. The ark is divided down
the middle, and on each deck the animals on the left exactly balance those on
the right—all but the third deck.

Can you figure out how many giraffes are needed in place of the question mark
so that they (and the lion) will exactly balance the six zebras?

Adapted from fawnnguyen.com

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Fix These Equations!

None of the following equations is correct. Insert parentheses
so that they are correct.

a. 13 − 2 × 5 = 55

b. 12 = 3 × 6 − 2

c. 11 − 2 × 4 +1 = 1

d. 11 − 3 × 4 + 2 = 34

e. 23 = 3 + 7 × 2 + 3

f. 12 − 2 × 5 +1 = 60

g. 4 − 12 − 5 = 4

h. 8 + 2 × 4 − 1 = 14

i. 12 − 8 × 1 + 7 = 32

j. 8−2+6÷3=4

k. 7 + 3 2 = 100

l. 24 + 16 ÷ 8 − 4 = 10

m. 20 ÷ 7 − 2 + 5 2 × 3 = 79

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Solutions to Fix These Equations!

Traditional work with students on the order of operations can be
dull. In this format, students must use the order of operations
constantly, but it has the advantage of a puzzle-like quality.

a. (13 − 2) × 5 = 55

b. 12 = 3 × (6 − 2)

c. 11 − 2 × (4 + 1) = 1 (This one is difficult.)

d. (11 − 3) × 4 + 2 = 34

e. 23 = (3 + 7) × 2 + 3

f. (12 − 2) × (5 +1) = 60
g. (4 − 1)2 − 5 = 4 (If your students haven’t worked with exponents,
call this one a bonus problem.)

h. 8 + 2 × (4 − 1) = 14

i. (12 − 8) × (1 + 7) = 32
j. (8 − 2 + 6) ÷ 3 = 4
k. (7 + 3)2 = 100 (See letter g)
l. (24 + 16) ÷ (8 − 4) = 10

m. 20 ÷ (7 − 2) + 52 × 3 = 79

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 Developing Algebraic Reasoning
#
8 through Visual Patterns

Introduction: Overview
More Than Solving for x n What is Algebra?
n Lesson I: Introduction to
Patterns and a Scaffolded
Approach to Arch Problem
What is Algebra? n Lesson II: Open-ended
Before we talk about ways to teach algebra, let’s reflect on what algebra Approach to Pattern #141
is, what it could be, and how it connects to our students and their self- n Sample Progression of
Visual Patterns
concept.
n Additional Recommended
Here are a few particularly rich definitions: Resources

“Algebra is the fundamental language of mathematics. It enables us to

create a mathematical model of a situation, provides the mathematical
structure necessary to use the model to solve problems, and links
numerical and graphical representations of data. Algebra is the vehicle
for condensing large amounts of data into efficient mathematical
statements.”
—from Math Matters: Understanding the Math You Teach
by Suzanne H. Chapin and Art Johnson

“Algebraic thinking or algebraic reasoning involves forming generalizations

from experiences with number and computation, formalizing these ideas
with the use of a meaningful symbol system, and exploring the concepts
of patterns and functions.”
—from Elementary and Middle School Mathematics:
Teaching Developmentally by John A. Van de Walle

“Algebra is a tool for making sense of the world—for making predictions

and for making inferences about things you cannot measure or count.”
—from “Some Thoughts on Algebra for the Evolving
Workforce” by Romberg and Spence (as cited by
Manly and Ginsburg, 2010)

Algebra is a way of thinking and reasoning that allows us to create

models, study relationships, and solve problems.

WHY DO STU DE NTS STR UGG LE WITH ALG E B RA?

When you ask adult education students to define algebra, they tend
to give a vague list of disconnected words which somehow relate to
procedures for manipulating symbols and equations. They will say

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things like “Algebra is x and y”, or “variables”, or “negative numbers”,

or “finding the unknown” without any clear idea of what those things
mean or how they are related. These associations are a result of much
of algebra instruction, which focuses on developing the procedures to
manipulate equations, which is only one facet of the richness of algebra.
Compare these impressions with the definitions above.

If you push them further to talk about algebra, many of our students
also say things like “Algebra is heartbreak,” or “That’s when I left
school,” or “It has nothing to do with real life,” or “Algebra is something
that makes me want to give up.” Both categories of answers give us
insight into the root of their struggle. As Fosnot and Jacob (2010) stated:
“It is human to seek and build relations. The mind cannot process the
multitude of stimuli in our surroundings and make meaning of them
without developing a network of relations,” (as cited in Van de Walle,
2013). When it comes to learning algebra, most adult education students
need more than a disparate set of procedures without links to other
kinds of math or to anything they can connect with. For most of them it
can be like trying to learn shorthand before you learn how to write.

In addition to not having a framework or structure for developing that

“network of relations,” students often come to us with incomplete or
incorrect prior knowledge of some of the core concepts of algebraic
thinking. Variables, patterns, generalizations, equality/balance, and
symbolic representations are some of the big ideas in algebraic thinking.
Students’ prior understandings of these concepts are the soil in which
we plant new ideas, and we need to aim our instruction at these
fundamental misconceptions. For example, consider the fact that we use
variables in a variety of different ways.

Before reading the next sentence, pause and try to come up with at least
three different uses for variables.

One use is in formulas, as in the circumference of a circle can be found

using C = d. We also use variables to stand for specific unknowns.
Students are most familiar with this use—for example 2x + 17 = 63.
We use variables to express generalizations about mathematical
relationships and functions, as in y = 4x + 8. These are all quite
different, and we need to help students differentiate between them by
being explicit and by giving students opportunities to reflect on each.

Another common misconception that adult students have about algebra

it that is has no connection to the math they already know. This cuts
students off from the mathematical foundations they have already built,
both in terms of content and in terms of confidence.

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What is a Visual Pattern and

How Can it Help?
A visual pattern is a sequence of figures that can be used to bridge the
gap between what students know and the algebraic reasoning they need
to develop.

So how does it work? Let’s start with the first four figures in an example
of a visual pattern:

MATH CONTE NT YOU CAN TEACH THOUG H VISUAL PATTE R NS

• recognizing patterns • input/output tables

• predictions • independent/dependent variables
• organizing data (tables and graphs) • coefficients
• creating/constructing expressions • the difference between an expression and
• creating/constructing equations an equation
• understanding multiple uses of variables • quadratic equations (like pattern #141 in
this unit)
• constants
• comparing linear, quadratic, cubic functions
• linear equations (like the arch problem)
• second differences in quadratic functions
• matching function equation to a situation
• algebraic notation/function notation
• recursive and explicit rules
• polynomials
• rate of change/slope
• solving for a specific value of a variable
• connecting parts of equations to concrete
(i.e. Given the number of squares, can you
pictures
figure out the figure number?)
• starting amount/y-intercept
• order of operations
• graphing (coordinate plane, ordered pairs)
• skip counting
• equivalent functions/expressions
• area and perimeter
• combining like terms
• exponents
• evaluating functions
• perfect squares
• identifying graph of function (linear and
• diagramming/sketching as a problem-
quadratic)
solving tool
• simplifying expressions

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The list above does not cover all of the math content you can address
through visual patterns, but it gives you a sense of the scope and
range of what is there. Focusing on an exploration of visual patterns
is a nonintimidating way for students to make connections between
different algebraic problems and concepts and build up a structure and
coherence for understanding how those concepts fit together. Visual
patterns are also a great way to introduce algebraic concepts by drawing
out a need for them. To put it another way, I’ll adapt the words of Dan
Meyer (blog.mrmeyer.com): “If algebra is the aspirin, how do you create
the headache?” For example, visual patterns allow students to develop
statements generalizing patterns they have identified. By having to
talk about those generalizations with others, who might have different
generalizations, students will be begging to write them as expressions—
once you’ve shown them how. Instead of seeing algebra as something
arbitrary and removed, students will begin to see variables and
expressions as tools for expressing generalizations efficiently.

You can focus your line of questioning about the pattern to draw out
different aspects of algebraic reasoning. For example, you could return
to a visual pattern you have explored with one series of questions and
then ask another, more complex series of questions. New math content
can also be drawn out, depending on the questions you choose. For
example, later in this unit you will read a lesson detailing how to use a
visual pattern (the arch problem) to create a linear function equation.
When returning to the pattern, add a question about how many
toothpicks it would take to create a given figure and the task changes to
looking for a quadratic function.

Below, you will find some effective questions to use with visual patterns
to draw out algebraic thinking and introduce algebraic notation. Please
note that you would not want to ask them all at once.

n How many different patterns do you see?

n How do you draw the next two figures?

n How do you draw the 10th figure?

n How would you draw the 25th figure?

n How would you tell someone how to draw any figure?

n How could we create a table organizing what we know about the

figure numbers and the number of squares in each figure?

n If you had a box of 25 squares, what would the figure look like?
Would you have any left over?

n How would you figure out how many squares are in the 99th figure?

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n Describe how you would figure out how many squares there are
in any figure number.

n How many squares would it take to build the nth figure?

n (Given a set of expressions) Which expression(s) for the nth figure

would work? How does the expression connect to the picture?

n Using the picture, describe with words two different ways you
could determine the number of tiles needed to make the nth figure
in the sequence. Then write a rule or formula that matches each of
the ways you described. Define your variables explicitly.

n Which figure would have exactly 138 squares?

n What is the perimeter of the 10th figure? The 99th figure?

The nth figure?

In the following pages, you will find the following supports for weaving
visual patterns into the fabric of your classroom:

LESSON I: Introduction to Visual Patterns & A Scaffolded

Approach to the Arch Problem
This lesson plan begins with some activities to introduce patterns
in general. It then models a scaffolded approach to visual patterns
with a selection of questions from the list above to build towards
the development of linear equation(s) that describe the relationship
between the number of squares and the figure number. The lesson
goes a little deeper in making explicit how each question can be used
to develop specific algebraic content.

For additional support refer to the video: Introducing Patterns

and Developing Algebraic Reasoning Through Visual Patterns:
A Scaffolded Approach. Visit the CUNY HSE Curriculum Framework
web site at http://literacy.cuny.edu/hseframework.

LESSON II: An Open-Ended Exploration of Pattern #141

This lesson plan models an approach to using visual patterns
that is more open than Lesson I. As with the arch problem, the
activity and questions can be used with almost any visual pattern. Pattern #141 is so named
Using the open-ended activity described here will not only help because it is the 141st visual
students develop their algebraic thinking, but it will give them pattern on visualpatterns.org.
opportunities to revise and improve their precision in mathematical See Recommended Resources
for Visual Patterns to learn
communication. Since students are creating their own problems and more about this great resource.
choosing which ones to work on, this activity works especially well
with a mixed-level class. Everyone is working from the same visual
patterns, but at their own pace.

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 8: ALGEBRAIC REASONING THROUGH VISUAL PATTERNS 161
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Some Suggested Patterns

This is a sample progression of visual patterns that you can do

with students over the course of a semester. The patterns in the
progression get more complicated, moving from linear to quadratic
to exponential growth. If you use this sample progression with your
students, you might use the arch problem from Lesson I to start, or
perhaps between the cross and the factory problems. You might use
Visual Pattern #141 between the lobster claw and super columns
problems.

Additional Recommended Resources

For teachers interested in learning more about visual patterns and
how to bring them into your classroom, we offer some high utility
resources for support.

A FI NAL WOR D ON HOW TO USE VISUAL PATTE R NS

WITH YOU R STU DE NTS

Work on visual patterns regularly in your class. Sometimes that will

mean dedicating a whole lesson to them, and sometimes it will mean
giving students a visual pattern as a warm-up exercise. You can use
the scaffolded approach and the open-ended approach with any visual
pattern.

The lessons in this unit offer a model for a scaffolded approach and
for a more open approach to working with visual patterns. They are a
suggestion of how you might begin and where you might end up. Use
the suggested resources and learn more about all the different kinds of
activities that have worked for other teachers. Experiment and see what
works best with your students. Use the list of “Math Content You Can
Teach Through Visual Patterns” as a guide and create lessons targeting
that content through visual patterns.

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Lesson Plan I:
Introduction to Visual Patterns
A Scaffolded Approach to the Arch Problem
OBJ ECTIVES
COMMON CORE
By the end of this lesson, students will have an experience with: STANDARDS OF
Looking for and discussing patterns. MATHEMATICAL PRACTICE

Using patterns to make predictions and generalizations. MP1; MP2; MP3; MP4;
Collecting data in a table. MP5; MP6; MP7; MP8

Developing strategies to move from concrete to abstract models.

Finding recursive and explicit rules.
Creating a written description to define a linear function relationship.
Creating a linear function equation that matches a situation.
Understanding the use of a variable in the context of a function with
two unknowns, as opposed to solving for a specific value of x.
Seeing a connection between pattern exploration and algebra.

NOTE TO TH E TEACH E R

This lesson may take up to three classes depending on the length of To see the
your classes. classroom videos,
Introducing Patterns
and Developing
ACTIVITY 1 Launch: Algebra and Algebraic Reasoning
Pattern Brainstorm Through Visual
Patterns: A Scaffolded
MATERIALS: Board/Newsprint Approach, visit the
CUNY HSE Curriculum
STEPS:
Framework web site at
1 Ask students to take two minutes and write down anything that http://literacy.cuny.
comes to their mind when they hear the word Algebra. edu/hseframework.

2 Bring the class together and ask them to call out their ideas and
write them down as students share. You should preface this part
of the activity by saying they should not worry about repeating
anything or censoring themselves. Students should just say
whatever occurs to them. You should also point out that you want
to get everyone’s ideas, so if they call something out that you miss,
they should keep saying it until they see it up on the board. Put

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their answers in two columns. If students say things that have to

do with algebra topics, write that on the left. If they say things that
have to do with disposition, mindset, emotions, self-concept, record
those things on the right. In the end, you’ll get something that looks
like this:

• letters • a different kind of math

• variables • makes me want to give up
• expressions • when I left school
• equations • confusing
• x and y • college level math
• slope • frustrating
• solving for x • the power when you say “a-ha!”
• formulas • not connected to the real world
• finding what’s missing • logical
• finding the meaning of letters

3 Next ask students to take two minutes and talk to the person next
to them about what comes to their mind when they hear the word
patterns—what are they and where do we find them?

4 Have students share their ideas and record them on the board.
Encourage students to keep sharing and you’ll end up with a
collection of diverse patterns. Your board may look something
like this:

• The things that happen every day (like daily routines)

• Repeated behaviors (“I always date the same kinds of people”)
• Like if someone in your family is bald, their children may carry that
gene and develop baldness
• Plaid, paisley, quilts (design patterns)
• Music and dance
• Seasons, days of the week

5 Suggest to students that it is interesting that one word applies to

so many seemingly different situations. What do dancing, repeated
behaviors, genetic dispositions, and fashion designs have in
common? What is a pattern?

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You may get words/comments like: sequences; the way something is

supposed to happen; something that repeats itself; something based
on past experiences.

6 A good way to help students think about this is to talk about the
weather. Ask the class if anyone knows what the weather is going to
be like over the next few days. Ask, How can we possibly know what
the weather is going to be like tomorrow? Do meteorologists have
time machines?

The concept you want to draw out of the discussion is that patterns
are about making observations and collecting information and
using that to make predictions. The simplified version behind
weather reports is that humanity has been observing the weather
patterns in nature for thousands of years and we have learned that
when certain things happen, certain other things tend to follow.
And we have lots of ways to gather information and we use that
information to make predictions, based on what has come before.
The idea of making observations and making predictions is an
important one, so go back to their brainstorm and see how each
pattern they cited in the Pattern brainstorm fits that definition.

ACTIVITY 2 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4…
MATERIALS:
• 1, 2, 3, 4 Pattern (handout)
• 1, 2, 3, 4 Pattern—The First 30 Numbers (optional handout)

STEPS:

1 Tell the class that we are going to look at patterns as a way to help
us understand something about algebra. To begin, write 1, 2, 3, 4 on
the board and ask them to predict the next number in the pattern.
Most of them will say “5”. Tell them you understand why they
would think that, but that you are going to give them a little more
information. Write 1, 2, 3 after the 1, 2, 3, 4 you already have written
and ask them what the next number will be. Ask them to keep
predicting until you have the following sequence on the board:
1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2…

2 Give them the 1, 2, 3, 4 PATTERN handout and ask them to work

on the first question on their own for one minute. After a minute
have them share their thinking with a partner and work on the
problems together.

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3 As students are working, walk around and look at their strategies.

Here are some examples of what you might see:

B C

A. Find someone who continues the pattern and writes out the
sequence.
B. Look for any students who recognize that every multiple of 4
will be a 4.
“If I know every fourth number is a 4, than I know the 16th, 40th
and 92nd numbers will all be 4s. Then I know the 19th will be a 3,
the 41st would be a 1 and the 91st would be a 3.”
C. See if anyone uses the given section of the pattern and just counts
moving a pencil from number to number until they get to the 19th,
41st and 91st.
Look for anyone who continues the pattern to a point, but then
starts to find other patterns.
“I started just writing out the pattern and then I noticed that every
10 numbers it goes back and forth between a 2 and a 4.”

4 When you go over the handout, have someone who continued the
pattern and wrote out the sequence until the 19th term to share
their strategy.

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5 Before you talk strategies, take a poll and write all of the answers
students got. There may not be agreement on the answers. Having
more than one answer on the board allows you to ask students to
explain how they got their answers with the goal of convincing
someone else of their answer. When you start to discuss the
41st number in the pattern, first ask if we could use the method
demonstrated in Step #4 and continued writing out the pattern
until we got to the 41st number. Some of them may want to say
there are other ways, which you will look at, but make sure you
make the point that the first strategy would still work. If someone
used multiples of 4, ask them to explain how they used their
method to figure out the 41st figure.

6 Begin your discussion of the 91st number by taking a poll of

answers and writing them on the board. Ask if the previous
methods could be used to figure out the 91st number. (They can.)
Then ask if someone has another way.

7 Optional—If no one continued the sequence and found other

patterns, you can give students an opportunity to play around
with that idea. Tell students we are going to take another look at a
table for this pattern to see if we can use the information to make
observations that might help us with our predictions. Give out the
1, 2, 3, 4 PATTERN—THE FIRST 30 NUMBERS handout.

Ask students to take a few minutes and look for any patterns they can
find in the numbers that might help make predictions.

Some patterns students might identify:

“If you add 20 to any number in the sequence you will get the same
number. For example, the 9th number in the sequence is 1 and the
29th number is also 1. The 3rd number is 3 and the 23rd number is
also three, etc.”

“Every 10th number in the sequence is either a 2 or a 4.”

“The 13th number in the sequence is a 1. If you add 4 (and keep

adding 4) to the number in the sequence, you’ll keeping getting 1.
So the 17th number is also 1 and the 21st number and the 25th
number, etc.”

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Exploring Visual Patterns—

ACTIVITY 3
A Scaffolded Approach
MATERIALS:
• The Arch Problem, part 1 (handout)
• The Arch Problem, part 2 (handout)
• The Arch Problem, part 3 (handout)
• Different color markers

STEPS:

1 Write, Algebra is the generalization of arithmetic on the board. Ask

students what arithmetic is. Then ask them what a generalization
is. Ask students what they think the sentence means.

2 2 Tell students: In order to help them learn algebra, I want to start

working from what you already know. You are going to look at
This line of discussion is
adapted from A Collection of
a visual pattern and collect information on how it is changing.
Math Lessons, Grades 6–8 Then we are going to work together to use algebra to generalize the
by Marilyn Burns and Cathy patterns we find.
Humphreys.
3 Hand out THE ARCH PROBLEM, PART 1, and give students two minutes
to look at the pattern and write a few observations down. Then
have them talk in pairs about what they see in the Arch Problem.
While they are talking, draw the first three figures on the board,
large enough to be seen in the back of the room.

4 Once your students have had some time to make some observations,
bring the class back together and ask them to share the changes
they notice in each figure.

Some things they might say:

“The number of squares goes up by 2.”

“The number of squares underneath the top row goes up by 2.”
“As the figure number changes, the figure gets taller by 1.”

5 As each student shares one of their observations, stop and ask

them to explain so everyone can see it. If, for example, a student
says, “The number of squares goes up by two,” ask her to point
out specifically where she sees that in the drawing. Label the
observation on the picture you drew on the board with a color
and write the student’s name below, in the same color. After you
have recorded a few student observations, the picture might look
something like this:

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Identifying each student’s contribution is helpful because as you go

through the next activity, it allows everyone to talk about certain
patterns by name—i.e., “Rafia’s pattern”—instead of having to
describe the whole pattern each time someone wants to reference it.
Also, since everyone’s heads are full of patterns they want to share, 7a
it’s important to make sure everyone is listening to each specific When beginning to work with
pattern being shared. visual patterns, there are often
1-2 students who struggle
6 Once all of the observations have been shared, tell the class they with drawing the next two
are going to use their collective observations to make predictions. figures. It depends on which
Have your class get into groups of 2-3 students and hand out observation(s) they are using.
ARCH PROBLEM, PART 2. Say for example they are only
focusing on the number of
7 Walk around the room as the groups are working. Listen for blocks. There are 11 squares in
interesting discussions, disagreements and struggles to raise during the 4th figure. Eleven squares
can be arranged in a lot of
the whole class discussion. As you walk around, keep in mind the different ways. You can help
things you want to come out of the discussion for each question these students by referring
(detailed below) and look for connections. them to all of the patterns
identified in steps 3 and 4.
Some things you should listen for/ask about: It not only has to have 11
squares, but it has to have a
a. When students sketch the next two figures, do their figures follow
height of 5, etc.
all of the patterns identified and shared in step 4?

b. How do students start their sketch of the next two figures? Some 7b
might draw three squares across and then draw the “legs” coming
The first two ways are
down. Some might draw one square in the middle and then draw common and almost always
the legs coming down. Some might draw the first figure and then both come up. The third way is
add some squares to the bottom of each “leg.” Try to take note of less common, and needn’t be
who is doing what. forced, but is a special treat
when a student see the figures
c. Instead of describing what the tenth figure will look like, some in that way.
groups might write, “The 10th figure has 23 squares in it.”
If you come across this, ask them to read the question again.

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Ask them, “What will those 23 squares look like? How will
they be arranged?”

d. Some students might assume that if the 5th figure has 13

squares, the 10th figure will have double that amount, or 26
squares. If that happens, you might ask if there are any patterns
they notice in the table. They probably already noticed that
the number of squares goes up by 2. Ask them to continue the
table and see if they get the same answer. Then walk around
some more—give the group a chance to discuss on its own which
answer they think is correct—the 23 or the 26. Check back in a
few minutes and see where their conversation is. If it has stalled
and there is no consensus, you can them if the 4th figure has
twice as many squares as the 2nd figure, but it is much better if
they can get there on their own. If they do, make sure to ask how
they decided.

e. Which group has a clear set of steps for figuring out how many
squares are in the 99th figure? Ask them to talk you through
their steps. Look for one or two that are clear and ask the group
if they would be willing to share their method during the debrief.
Ask them to spend a few minutes talking about how they will
demonstrate their method so it is clear to the other folks in
the class.

8 Once the groups are mostly done with the first 5 questions (don’t
worry if no one has gotten to the bonus question), bring the class
back together for a whole-class discussion.

Guide for Facilitating the Whole

Class Debrief and Discussion
The goal in this scaffolded “Sketch the next two figures.”
approach to visual patterns is When going over this question, I tell students, You are the brain and I
to start concrete and get more
and more abstract. If available,
am the hand. From their desks I have them give me explicit instructions
give students the option to use for how they want me to draw the 4th figure. There are a few different
square-inch tiles to lay out the ways they might be looking at the figures and you want to draw out as
next two figures. many different ways of seeing the pattern as possible. What is important
here is to get them to be clear about how they want you to start.

The first student might have you start by drawing the three squares
across. Draw it the way they describe, next to the first three figures you
have on the board. Color in the top three squares and then describe their
way of seeing it—So Roberta had me draw three across the top and then
draw the legs underneath. Did anyone see it a different way?

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Try to find a student who drew the legs first

4th fig. 5th fig. 6th fig.
and then added the square in the center of
the top row (or, put another way, a student
who drew the square in the center of the top
row and then drew the legs coming down).
Draw it and then color in the center square.
Then ask if anyone saw it in a different way.
If they did, you can have them describe how
to draw the 6th figure.

When you are done, you’ll have something

like this (see image at right):

“Complete the table.”

Draw the table on the board and make sure you leave space below so
you can continue the chart later in the debrief. Students will likely This “going up by two (+2)” is
mention that they see a pattern in the number of squares: they go up the iterative (or recursive) rule.
The iterative rule is a rule that
by 2. If they don’t bring it up, ask if anyone sees any patterns. Either
you can use to find the value of
way, write it on your table. a term (number of squares in
this case) by using the value of
Ask the class how the table was helpful to their work. If it doesn’t
the previous term. For example,
come up, mention that the table can help us organize the information if the 10th figure has 23
without having to draw out all the figures. It also helps us identify squares, I know the 11th figure
more patterns. has 2 more, or 25 squares.

“In a few sentences, describe what the tenth figure would look like.”
Remember, you want a written description for this one. By all means,
talk about the different ways students came up with 23 (and discuss
any disagreement about that answer). But then get some descriptions
on the board. Try to write down exactly what the student says. Then,
draw a picture based on the description only—if you can playfully
“misinterpret” any details and come up with a different figure, please
do. Give students the opportunity to revise their description until your
figure matches the picture they had in mind.

You should end up with descriptions similar to these:

“Draw three squares across. Then draw ten more squares down
under the left square and another ten squares down from the It’s ok for the words to feel
right square.” awkward. The eventual
takeaway is that algebraic
“Draw a column of 11 squares. Draw another square to the right notation has a purpose. It is a
of the top of the column. Draw another column of 11 squares down tool that allows us to express
our way of thinking clearly
on the other side of the center square.”
and concisely. Of course, you
You want at least one picture of the 10th figure on the board. should not mention this yet.

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“Explain how you would figure out the number of squares in

the 99th figure.”

TEACHER NOTE: Students can certainly use the iterative/recursive rule

to answer this question and there is usually someone who continues the
chart all the way to the 99th figure. Which is great. But this question
also encourages students to look for an explicit rule. When we put
students in a situation where they are telling themselves, “there has to
be another way”, they will often start looking for patterns. We should
make this explicit whenever it happens.

For this question, ask one of the groups that you identified during the
group work problem-solving to come up and share their approach. After
An explicit rule is a rule that the group presentation(s), if it hasn’t come up, ask the class how the 201
allows you to find the value squares in the 99th figure would be arranged.
of any term in the pattern
There are a few ways they might answer this one. They might recognize
without needing to know the
value of the term before it.
that if you draw three across the top, the number of squares down each
If you look at visual patterns column is equal to the figure number. They might also say, “We have
in the context of functions, 201 squares total. If we put three across the top, that leaves us with
the explicit rule is the 198. Since both columns are equal, if we divide up the 198, we get 99 in
function rule. (And the each column.”
iterative/recursive rule is
the rate of change). For the other way of seeing the figure, they might recognize that after
you put the one square in the center, the number of squares in each
column is one more than the figure number. They may also use the 201
and say, “Well, after we put the 1 in the middle, we are left with 200
squares, so that is 100 on each side.”

If they are not sure, you can refer to the two (or three) different ways
of drawing the 10th figure and give them a few minutes to think about
your question.

Teacher: How would (student’s name) start drawing the 99th figure?
Student: She would draw three across the top.
Teacher: How many squares would there be in each column going
down?
Student: 99.
Teacher: What about (student’s name). How would she start drawing
the 99th figure?
Student: She would draw the center square. She would then draw
100 squares down each side.

By the end, you want to create a visual sketch model that students can
use as a shorthand.

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“In a few sentences, describe how you would determine

how many squares there are in any figure in the pattern.”
Give the groups five minutes to work on the bonus question. Some of
them who either didn’t have time or were too intimidated to answer it
before will have a little more confidence. If any groups finished it during
the group problem-solving, ask them to try to use the debriefing notes
from the board to try and find a second way.

After five minutes, bring the class back together. Remind them that
when we look at information, make observations and find patterns,
those patterns allow us make predictions.
You want to start with the
The bonus question is asking us to predict how many squares there view of the figure that starts
would be in any figure number, so let’s look at how many squares there with the three squares across
the top. When we get to
are in the figure numbers we already know.
generalizing the rule in a few
Point to the visual sketch model you drew for the 99th figure. Ask how steps, it is easier to work with
the rule that has the simplest
many squares are in the 99th figure. They’ll either say “99 + 99 + 3”
form of figure number in it. I
or “2 × 99 + 3”. Whichever form they use, record it on the board and use recommend the first one, but
the same form for the rest. the others can certainly be
used as extensions for faster
Ask, How did we arrange the 10th figure? students. The first can be
written as 99 + 99 + 3 and
And record their answer— either “10 + 10 + 3” or “2(10) + 3”
generalized as 2n + 3. The
Continue all the way to the 1st figure. other one is (99 + 1) +
(99 + 1) +1 and generalized
Then, ask students how they could figure out the number of squares as 2(n + 1) + 1. The rule that
in the 47th figure, and record their answer: “47 + 47 + 3” or “2(47) + 3.” involves the 1st figure can be
written as (99 – 1) + (99 – 1)
Do it a few more times if it feels necessary.
+ 5 and generalized as
Then ask your class: What is changing? What is staying the same? 2(n – 1) + 5.
This is an opportunity to
Teacher: What is changing? introduce students to writing
2 × 99 + 3 as 2(99) + 3.
Students: The figure number.
If you prefer them to use the
Teacher: What is staying the same? 2n + 3 format, encourage them
Students: We are always doubling the figure number and we are to do so by asking for another
way to write adding a number
always adding three.
to itself.

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Ask everyone to write in their notes, the steps they would take to find
The first time you do visual the number of squares in any figure number. Walk around and see what
patterns, focus on building folks are writing and decide a few to share. Take a volunteer and record
only one of the ways of seeing
their steps on the board. Ask if their steps
the figure into an algebraic
generalization. For future would always work. Have the class test it with
visual patterns, looking at the figure numbers we’ve already worked with,
more than one can be a great until everyone agrees it would work. Then ask if
leaping off point for talking anyone has a different way.
about equivalent equations.
Once you have at least one clear set of steps
on the board that works, under the 47 + 47 + 3
or the 2(47) + 3, write an n. Say, I don’t know
what figure number this is, but whatever figure
number it is, what will I do to figure out the
number of squares in it?

Record their response—either “n + n + 3” or

2(n)+3.

At the end, this piece of the board should look

something like the image on the right:

9 9 Ask if anyone knows the word for when we use letters like “n” to
Using a variable to stand for represent numbers. Chances are, someone will throw out the word
the independent change in a “variable.” Ask them what it means when something varies and
function—as we are using it remind them of your question about what was changing and what
here—is only one way to use a
was staying the same. It is the element that was changing—in this
variable.
case, the figure number—that we represent with a variable. Have
If you want to go a little deeper
into this use of a variable, you students add the following definition of a variable to their notes:
might ask some follow-up “When working with visual patterns, the variable is the part of an
questions: What does n explicit rule that changes for each figure.”
represent? How many different
numbers can n be? 10 Give out THE ARCH PROBLEM, PART 3. It could be either the final
problem-solving activity of class or it could be given as a homefun
assignment.

NOTE TO TEACHER: It’s too much to get into this the first time you
look at a visual pattern, but this question, “Which figure will have
____ squares?” can be used to build towards solving one-variable
equations—i.e. solving for “n” in the equation 2n + 3 = 175. But hold
off on making that explicit until after they’ve come up with their
own methods and shared them. Give students a chance to work
on it as it is written and it can become the foundation of students
solving for a specific unknown, except instead of us having to tell
students how to do it, they can tell us.

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Debriefing this question is a good moment to compare an equation

using a variable that has one specific value to a function, which is
about the functional relationship, where the variable can be any
number. Ask how this use of the variable is different from the way
we used it when we came up with the rule, 2n + 3.

n “Which figure will have 175 squares in it?”

There are a few strategies you should look for to have students
share. This math log was adapted
from A Collection of Math
Some students might use guess and check. You should go over this Lessons: From Grades 6
method first. through 8 by Marilyn Burns and
Cathy Humphreys
They already know the 99th figure has 201 squares, so they know it
is smaller than the 99th figure. Say, they start with the 80th figure.
They will test each guess by using the rule—doubling the figure
number and adding three—until they get to the 86th figure and
realize the 2(86) + 3 = 175.

Some might refer to the visual sketch of the figure and say
something like, “Imagine you have 175 squares. You put three
across the top, leaving you with 172 squares. You divide the 172
squares by 2 and divide them evenly to each side of the figure. That
would give us a figure with three squares across and 86 squares
down each side. So it is the 86th figure.”

n “Which figure will have 44 squares in it?”

This is a bonus question because it is a trick question. There is no

figure in this visual pattern that will have 44 squares in it. Many
students will come to that conclusion, but the goal is for them to be
able to explain why and how they know that is the case.

You need to be able to subtract 3 from the number and end up with
an even number. Put another way, if you put the three squares
across the top, you need an even number of squares to distribute
between the two columns. 44 minus 3 is 41, which cannot be divided
evenly into two columns.

11 Re-write “Algebra is the generalization of arithmetic” on the board. Ask

students to do a pair share and discuss how the sentences connects
to the work they’ve been doing on the arch problem.

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Check-Out/Exit Ticket
n Give students a minute or two to look over the whole board. Tell them you
are going to give them some time to reflect on what they learned in class.

n On a separate piece of paper—you’ll be collecting it—have students take

notes on the following items:

• The date of the lesson.

• What do you think would be a good title for today’s class?
• What happened in class today?
• What did you learn about today?
• What do patterns have to do with algebra?

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Introduction to Visual Patterns

Examine the following pattern:

1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2...
1 What will the 19th number in the sequence be?

2 What will the 41st number in the sequence be?

3 What will the 91st number in the sequence be?

Adapted from Math Matters by Suzanne H. Chapin and Art Johnson

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Introduction to Visual Patterns

“1, 2, 3, 4 Pattern—The First 30 Numbers”
What patterns do you notice?

Number in Number in
Number Number
Sequence Sequence

1st 1 16th 4

2nd 2 17th 1

3rd 3 18th 2

4th 4 19th 3

5th 1 20th 4

6th 2 21st 1

7th 3 22nd 2

8th 4 23rd 3

9th 1 24th 4

10th 2 25th 1

11th 3 26th 2

12th 4 27th 3

13th 1 28th 4

14th 2 29th 1

15th 3 30th 2

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The Arch Problem, part 1

Look at the figures below. What do you notice?

Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3

Complete the following sentence:

As the figure number changes, ________________________________________

also changes.

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The Arch Problem, part 2

1 Sketch the next two figures.
Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3

Figure 4:

Figure 5:

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2 Complete the table to the right.

Number
Figure
of
Number
Squares
3 In a few sentences, describe what the tenth figure would look like.
1

4
5

4 Explain how you would figure out the number of squares in the
99th figure.

5 BONUS QUESTION: In a few sentences, describe how you would

determine how many squares there are in any figure in the pattern.

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The Arch Problem, part 3

Which figure will have 175 squares in it?

BONUS QUESTION:

Which figure will have 44 squares in it?

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Lesson Plan II:

An Open Approach to Visual Patterns

I
n the scaffolded approach to visual patterns, the teacher identifies
the change that students should observe. In many visual patterns,
this change will be in the number of squares that make up the
figure in each stage of the sequence.

In the pattern below, for example, you could count the number of
squares in each figure, create a table to collect the data and eventually
come up with a rule for finding the number of squares in any figure.

Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4

This is just one way to look at change in a visual pattern. You could
also ask students to find height of the 10th figure or the width of the
20th figure. How many vertical lines would it take to draw the 15th
figure? If you built one of these figures out of toothpicks, how many
would you need? What is the perimeter of the 30th figure? When we
look at visual patterns with new eyes, we see that are many different
kinds of change that can eventually be represented algebraically. The main activity here—
looking at a visual pattern and
In this lesson plan, we use an open, less scaffolded approach to writing questions—can also
encourage students to find different kinds of change in visual pattern be used as warm-up activity
before using a more scaffolded
sequences and then investigate that change. The goal is to generate
approach similar to what is
interest, creativity, and flexibility in student thinking. described in the first visual
pattern lesson above. This can
We want to balance scaffolding and openness. As students become
be useful to generate different
comfortable working with visual patterns in a scaffolded approach, ways of seeing a visual pattern
we can begin to remove the scaffolding and release responsibility to before settling in to understand
students to make decisions about what they want to investigate and one kind of change together as
how they will organize their work. a class.

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OBJ ECTIVES

Students will reflect on their own persistence and practice

self-awareness while doing math.
COMMON CORE Students will write their own questions in response to a
STANDARDS OF visual pattern.
MATHEMATICAL PRACTICE
Students will consider audience when writing questions and have
MP1; MP2; MP3; MP4; an opportunity to revise their questions based on peer feedback.
MP5; MP6; MP7; MP8
Students will annotate posters of each other’s work.

ACTIVITY 1 Launch: Persistence Spectrum

MATERIALS:
• A spectrum drawn on newsprint or the board • stickies

STEPS:

1 Before class, draw a large horizontal double-headed arrow as a

scale (spectrum) on newsprint or the board. Above the arrow (leave
enough room for students to place stickies with their name), write
the following statement: “When something is hard, it makes me
want to work on it more.” Underneath the arrow, write Strongly
Agree and Strongly Disagree, as shown below:

When something is hard, it makes

me want to work on it more.

Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree

2 When students come into the room, ask them to write their name
on a stickie big enough for everyone to see and then place their
name along the scale. Encourage students to choose a spot along the
scale that accurately indicates their feelings about the statement.
They don’t have to choose strongly agree or strongly disagree. They
can place their name anywhere along the spectrum. As a model,
place your name along the scale as well. When I did this lesson, I
put my name on the left, but not all the way over. I explained that
it depended on the situation. I enjoy challenges sometimes, but only
if I feel that I have a fighting chance. I sometimes get discouraged
and want to give up. This is a nice opportunity to have individual
conversations with students how they think about this statement.

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You may want to propose some situations when this statement is

important (raising children, managing a household, dealing with a
supervisor at work, coming back to school as an adult).

3 Pair/Share: Students should turn to a partner and talk about why

they chose that spot on the spectrum. You might ask these pairs to
share examples of things they do even though they are hard.

4 Ask for volunteers to share something from their conversation. Ask

students to give examples of situations when they agree with the
statement and situations where they disagree. Possible discussion
questions:

n What are some things that you do even though they are hard?

n Are there times when you feel like giving up?

n How do encourage yourself to keep on going when things

are difficult?

n What strategies do you use to encourage yourself?

n What advice would you have for other students who are preparing
for the HSE exam?

5 Ask the group to look at the spectrum and pose the question,
What do you notice about how we placed our names? Possible
responses to the discussion include:

n Most of us agree with the statement.

n A few of us are unsure about how we feel when something

is difficult.

n The majority of the class likes a challenge.

6 If students haven’t spoken about math yet, ask how they feel about
challenges in math class. Go back to the spectrum and make the
following change:

math
When something is hard, it makes
me want to work on it more.

Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree

Ask the class if anyone would like to move their stickie based on
this change.

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7 You might say at this point that you have a challenge for them
today that you think will be interesting and you hope that by the
end of class, some students will move their names towards the left
on the spectrum. We don’t expect huge changes in one day. We’re
looking for slow and steady improvements.

Writing and Sharing Questions

ACTIVITY 2 About Visual Pattern #141

MATERIALS:
VOCABULARY
• Newsprint with drawings of the four stages of visual pattern #141
large enough for the class to see from their seats (easel paper
pattern
with a grid is helpful)
figure
• Handout: Visual Pattern #141
stage
• large strips of paper (newsprint cut horizontally into 4” wide strips)
series
• tape
• markers

TEACHER NOTE: This is one of the more challenging puzzles from

visualpatterns.org because the number of squares in each stage grows
quadratically. We recommend trying a few linear growth sequences with
your class before this one. You can, however, use most elements of this
lesson plan with any of the visual patterns collected below.

STEPS:

1 1 Before starting this activity, break your class into small groups
We want to pair students so of 2-3 students. Depending on the culture of your class, you can
that they can support each let you students choose groups or you can decide on the groups
other, but we also need to yourself. Either way, we recommend sharing advice like this before
make sure both students have you begin:
the opportunity/time/space to
grapple with the problem in You’ll be working in small groups for a lot of the class today. I
their own way. know for myself that it doesn’t feel great when I’m doing math with
An open approach to looking someone and they race ahead of me. If you’re working with someone
at visual patterns can allow
who takes their time, try to be patient and work together with them,
advanced students to tackle
more difficult problems, while without rushing ahead.
other students work on more
It’s important that we all are able to have time to think and come
accessible questions. If the
groups are more homogenous, up with ideas without being rushed. Try not to just give each other
students can choose questions answers. If you are a team, work together and make sure that
that seem doable to them. everyone understands before you move forward.

2 Post easel paper with visual pattern #141 up on the wall. You might
hang it before class and fold it up with tape in order to keep the

186 UNIT 8: ALGEBRAIC REASONING THROUGH VISUAL PATTERNS THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH
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activity a surprise. Ask students to look at the pattern and think 2

about what is happening with these figures. There isn’t anything in
Remind students that we will
particular for students to notice at this point in the lesson, but they be spending time in group
may come up with some ideas that help other students get started discussion today and should
with the worksheet that follows. This also might be a good time remember to be respectful. Ask
to define vocabulary they will be using in the rest of the lesson: student to try these sentence
starters:
pattern, figure, stage, series.
“I agree with ____ because…”
This line of questioning can be helpful to introduce students to the or “I respectfully disagree with
____ because…”
new visual pattern before working independently:

n What do you notice?

n What patterns do you see?
n What could you say about the figures as they grow?
n How would you describe the series to someone who couldn’t see
what you’re looking at (over the telephone, for example)?

3 Give out the VISUAL PATTERN #141 handout. Ask students to work
individually. They should start by describing patterns that they see:
Do you see a pattern? Describe in words what you see. Encourage
students to write sentences, or at least notes, with details about the
figures. Some preliminary examples might include:

n The drawing is getting bigger in every stage.

n There are more squares in each figure.
n There are more missing squares each time.

Encourage students to include details: In what way is it growing

bigger? How many more squares do you see? Which squares are
missing? Can you show me how the figure is growing? How can
you include these details in your written description? More precise,
rewritten sentences might include:

n Each drawing is one row taller than the last one.

n Stage 2 has 10 more squares than Stage 1. Stage 3 has 14 more
squares than Stage 2.
n There is one more missing square each time. For example, Stage
1 has one missing square and Stage 2 has two missing squares.

4 After most students have written some descriptions, encourage

them to start on the second prompt: Think of some questions you
could ask about this series of figures. Write 2-3 questions below.

5 After students have had a few minutes to write questions, ask them
to get into their small groups. Say, Share some of your questions
with a partner and then write more questions. The goal is to come
up with as many questions as possible.

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After a few more minutes of walking around, and listening to

students’ conversations, offer a few questions that occurred to you,
such as, What would Stage 5 look like? and Would Stage 10 have an
even number or odd number of squares?

If this is the first time your students have approached a problem

like this in an open way, they will most likely need some guidance
in forming questions, but let them struggle for a bit before you help
them.

a. If students have trouble coming up with questions, you might

write the following phrase under the visual pattern on newsprint:

5b In the figures below, as the stage changes, ________ also changes.*

We want students to struggle,
but we don’t want students to
shut down with the openness Ask students to fill in the blank with as many different words as
of this task. If the struggle they can. Possibilities include:
becomes unproductive,
we should talk to students • the number of squares • the perimeter
individually and explain, • the number of columns • the area
“Here’s what I mean...” and • the number of rows • the number of line segments
offer some model questions.
• the width • the number of intersections
What would the next figure
look like if I drew it?
• the height
How high would the next b. Now, ask students to use these observations in order to form
figure be? questions about the figures. For example, they might ask: “How
How many squares would many columns will the Stage 10 figure have?” Give students a
there be in the 8th figure?
few more minutes to brainstorm questions in their groups.
What questions can you
think of? c. When each group has at least a few sentences completed, say,
Together with your group, decide which questions you’d like to
5d share with the class and write them on these large strips of paper.
Hand out a couple strips of paper and a marker to each group.
There are different ways
to structure a class around d. Collect the strips as they are written and tape them up on the
student questions. You might
wall near the newsprint with the visual pattern. You might tape
ask the group to work on
one particular question first, them in rows at the front of the room so that everyone can see
and, if there is time or for them. You can hang the questions as they come in, or you can
homework, students can move try to group them in categories. Make sure that each group has
on to other questions that were contributed at least one question.
generated. Most importantly,
students have more ownership
on the work they do on the
problem. Asking questions *FOOTNOTE: Thank you to Blake Peterson (Brigham Young University) for suggesting this
about patterns and working prompt and brainstorming activity in his workshop at the National Council of Teachers
to answer these questions of Mathematics Conference, 2015. You can see the presentation for his workshop,
is way for students to act as “Intellectually Engaging Problems: The Heart of a Good Lesson,” at http://nctm.confex.com/
mathematicians. nctm/2015AM/webprogram/Session31618.html.

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There are many possible questions that students could ask. Here are
is a list of questions brainstormed by teachers in a professional
development workshop:

What would the 5th stage look like?

What will the 50th stage look like?
How many squares would there be in stage 5?
How many squares are there at stage 10?
How many squares do you have to add to get the next figure each time?
Will the 10th stage have an odd or even number of squares?
Will the bottom row always increase by 2?
How many columns will stage 25 have?
Will it always get one taller each time?
How many rows will stage 25 have?
If these were tiles on a kitchen floor, how many tiles would you
need for kitchen 5?
What is the area and perimeter at each stage?
If you had to find out the area of the floor after taking out a piece,
what would the area be?
How much does the perimeter increase at each stage? 6
One goal of this discussion
How can we predict the area at stage 10? is to help students think
about audience while writing.
Imagine that these figures were made out of toothpicks. How can you
In hearing other students
find the number of toothpicks in stage 5? express their understanding
of a question, the writer will
Is this a linear, exponential or quadratic relationship? Or all of the above?
learn whether they have
What would stage 0 look like? communicated clearly enough
to be understood. After this
discussion, students should
be given an opportunity to
6 When all the groups have contributed questions for the wall, read rewrite their questions if they
the questions aloud to the group one by one. If students can’t see need to clarify their intention.
the questions from their seats, you might ask them to come up to This section of reading and
the board to look at all the questions while you read them aloud. rewriting questions is not
essential to the larger activity,
Say, As I read the questions, look at the figures on the board and see
and can be skipped if time is a
if you understand the question. Read questions aloud one at a time. constraint.
After reading all the questions, engage students in the following
line of questioning:

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a. To the class: We’re going to spend some time looking at a couple of

the questions you wrote. We won’t have time to look at all of them
in detail, but I want us to practice writing with precision so that
others can understand our thinking. When we write something, we
know what we mean, but do others have the same idea? This is an
important skill for the HSE exam, in which you will have to write
short explanations on all subjects of the test, including math.

We can help each other improve our abilities to communicate our

ideas clearly. We want to be understood when we talk about our
mathematical ideas. Other people can help us do that by sharing
what ideas they have after reading what we write, and giving us
a chance to change our words to get our ideas across even more
clearly. So, this is an opportunity for us to practice writing as a
way to communicate mathematically. Which of these questions are
interesting to you? Are there any questions here that you are not
sure what they mean? Give an example of a question you like that
isn’t your own.

b. To a volunteer: Could you read the question aloud to the group?

c. To the same student: Looking at the visual pattern (the large

drawing on newsprint), please explain your understanding of the
question. (Teacher note: Ask the writer of the question to listen
carefully.)

Let’s say, for example, that the question chosen was: Will the
bottom row always increase by 2? We would expect the volunteer
who read this question to be able to show the class how the
number of squares across the bottom is 2 more in each stage.
Another way to say this is that there are 2 more columns in each
stage of the figure. Ask the student to show their understanding
of what the question is asking by demonstrating visually with the
figures on newsprint.

d. To the class: Before we ask the writer to respond, does anyone

have thoughts about this question? Does anyone have a different
idea about what this question is asking? What gave you that idea?
If you could ask the writer one question, what would it be? What
would you like to be explained?

e. To the writer/s: Is this what you meant by your question? Is there

anything that you want to explain about the change you see in
the figures? Would you change anything about how you wrote the
question?

f. To the class: What’s another question someone finds interesting?

What’s another question that you’re not sure what it means?

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ACTIVITY 3 Work on Visual Pattern #141

1 Individual Work: Students should now start to work on one of 1
the questions. The groups should each choose questions that are This set of instructions gives
interesting to them and they feel like they might be able to answer. problem-solvers time to try
Each group should choose a question to work on, but to start, each some things on their own, but
student should work on the question independently. Make it clear with the expectation that they
to students that they should work alone at first, without help or are going to have to explain
their ideas and talk about
conversation with each other. Say, Choose a problem/pick what they did with a partner.
a question, with your partner, and then work on the question alone. Individual students should
come up with some of their
2 Pair Work: Give the groups time to talk about what individual
own ideas first before talking
students each did. While students are sharing with their partners, with a partner. We want to
visit each group to get a sense of the work each person had done insure different student voices
and the conversation of the pair. This will allow you to guide the are heard. Students need to
whole-class discussion that follows. be in a place where they are
ready to contribute ideas and
3 Whole Class Discussion: One way to organize the whole group hear the ideas of a partner.
activity is through student posters. Having posters can help other
students focus on other students’ thinking and allow them to ask
targeted questions. Here is a great way to organize a gallery walk
of student work:

a. Groups create posters on newsprint or a section of the

whiteboard.

b. One partner stands by the poster and fields questions while

the other walks around to look at the other posters, then
students switch.

c. Students annotate each others’ posters with questions and

comments on stickies.

You can also ask each group to report out and give a general
sense of what they discussed. Since students will have worked on
different questions, it is important that other students be given
time to understand their questions, the patterns they saw and the
conclusions they came to.

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ACTIVITY 4 Extension Questions

MATERIALS:
• Brainstormed questions about Visual Pattern #141
• graph paper
• scaffolded worksheet on Visual Pattern #141

STEPS:

1 Some groups will finish answering their questions sooner than

others. One of the nice things about this approach to using visual
patterns is that you should now have a long list of questions that
can be used as extensions. You can simply ask the group to choose
another question from the wall to work on.

2 2 Another way to think about extensions is to ask groups to represent

One challenge to using an their work in different ways and generalize the answers they have
open approach to visual discovered. You might give them newsprint to present their work,
patterns can be that it and respond to some of the following extensions.
is difficult to predict the
questions that students will a. If the group has worked on the question, “How many columns
choose and have the answers will stage 25 have?”, you might ask them to organize their results
prepared. We recommend so that someone else can see the pattern they see. How many
spending some time working
columns are there at each stage? This might lead to a table or a
on the visual pattern before
class, ideally with other chart, but we recommend letting students decide how to present
teachers, so that multiple the pattern.
ways of seeing patterns and
related algebra are revealed. It b. If a group has a chart or table: Figure out a way to determine the
is certainly possible to do this number of columns in any stage. What would a rule in words be
work on your own as well. Put for this pattern? The answer for this question might be, multiply
yourself in the position of a the stage number by two and add one.
student, write a few questions
about the visual pattern, c. If the group has a rule in words: Find an algebraic equation that
then work to answer them. works for the nth stage. The answer in this case might be, 2n + 1.
In the process of looking at
patterns, asking questions and d. If the group has an equation:
finding rules, you will discover
connections that your students • Graph the pattern you are investigating on graph paper.
will make as well. • Find the slope (or rate of change) of the column growth. Two, in
this case.
• Find the y-intercept (or starting amount) of the column growth.
One, in this case.

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3 Finally, you might prepare a scaffolded worksheet with a set of

questions related to a particular kind of change in the visual
pattern. For example, you could create a worksheet related to the
number of squares in each figure or, for more of a challenge, the
number of toothpicks necessary to build each figure. Whatever kind
of change you identify, you can ask the following questions in a
worksheet:

a. Draw the next two figures.

b. What patterns do you see?

c. Create a chart with the data you have gathered. (Insert a blank
table with headers of Stage # and Squares (or toothpicks,
columns, or other change.)
d. In a few sentences, describe what the 10th figure would look like.

e. Explain how you would figure out the number of _____ in the
25th figure.
f. In a few sentences, describe how you would figure out how many
_____ there would be in any figure in this pattern.
g. Which figure will have (some number) _____?

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Check-Out/Exit Ticket
This is a process that can be used at the end of class to get quick
feedback from students and encourage discussion about ways of
learning.

n Think about today’s class. In your head, think of a number 1–10

that represents how you feel that class went and what you learned.
Are you ready? Don’t say it yet. One, two, three. Say the number.
(Listen to see if you can hear more than one number at once.)

n I didn’t quite hear everyone. Can we try again? One, two, three.
Everyone at the same time. Say the number.

Ask a couple volunteers to explain their number. You might start with
a couple lower numbers, like a 5, to hear from someone who wasn’t so
positive, then hear from a couple people who had higher numbers. This
should be a short discussion, though, and just enough so students feel
comfortable giving feedback. End session.

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un i t • 8 lesson ii / handout

Visual Pattern #141

Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4

1 Do you see a pattern? Describe in words what you see.

2 Think of some questions you could ask about this series of figures.
Write 2-3 questions below.

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A Sample Progression of
Visual Patterns
Visual Pattern 1: The Upside Down T Problem

Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3

Visual Pattern 2: The Cross Problem

Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3

Visual Pattern 3: The Factory Problem

Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3

Visual Pattern 4: The Zig Zag Problem

Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4

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Visual Pattern 5: The I Problem

Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3

Visual Pattern 6: The Columns Problem

Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3

Visual Pattern 7: The Steps Problem

Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3

Visual Pattern 8: The Pool Problem

Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3

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Visual Pattern 9: Square and Triangular Numbers

Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4

Visual Pattern 10: The Lunar Lander Problem

Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3

Visual Pattern 11: The Lobster Claw Problem

Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3

Visual Pattern 12: The Super Columns Problem

Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4

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un i t • 8 additional resources

Additional Recommended Resources

for Visual Patterns
Visualpatterns.org

This is a great resource for exploring visual patterns with your students. It
is a very simple and wonderful website, created by Fawn Nguyen, a public
middle school teacher in Southern California. The site is a collection of 180
different visual patterns (with new ones posted all the time). For each pattern,
you are given the first three figures/stages of the pattern. You are also told the
number of squares in the 43rd figure in the pattern (as a way to check whether
you have the correct equation). You can email Fawn and she will send you
the “answers”—the function equations that go with each visual pattern. This
includes many of the patterns in the suggested progression, many of which
were taken or adapted from this website.

Grade 6 Rocks Visual Patterns

http://fawnnguyen.com/grade-6-rocks-visual-patterns/
Fawn Nguyen (creator of visualpatterns.org) also has a great blog (http://
fawnnguyen.com/) in which she tells stories about teaching and learning
mathematics in the classroom. For more ideas about how to use visual
patterns to develop your students’ algebraic thinking and their understanding
of functions, check out her post called “Grade 6 Rocks Visual Patterns.” The
post has some great ideas from other teachers about how they have been
using visualpatterns.org, as well as some examples from Fawn’s own class.

Animating Patterns
http://musingmathematically.blogspot.com/2013/08/animating-patterns.html
This is a blog post by Nat Banting about using visual patterns with his
students to support their work with linear functions. In the post, Banting
reports on how he created vines (7-second looping videos) to bring visual
patterns to life and help students see that visual patterns are about change.

The Border Problem

This problem is a classic and can be used in adult education classrooms at

any level. Similar to the lesson on the Arch Problem, the border problem can
be used in a variety of ways, including asking students to create their own
equations and explore the equivalency of those equations. To learn more about
the problem, check out these resources:
• Youtube video of a teacher doing the border problem with students
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6BJXKp2Sag
• Math Snacks—a brief video of two teachers talking about the problem
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tgaah_0Urvs

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• A brief blog post describing how a teacher used the problem in class
https://themathletes.wordpress.com/2013/10/07/the-border-problem/
• A Collection of Math Lessons, from Grades 6 through 8 by Marilyn
Burns and Cathy Humphreys, Chapter 2: Introducing Algebra
You can also look at the border problem as a quadratic function, if you focus
either on the total number of squares, or on the number of squares contained
within the border.

“Developing Algebraic Thinking Through Pattern Exploration”

An article by Leslee Lee & Viktor Freiman, from Mathematics Teaching in

the Middle School, This article models an exploration of a particular pattern
and also describes different questions you could ask with a wide variety of
visual patterns. It makes connections between the specific questions and the
algebra content each develops.

Toothpicks by Dan Meyer—http://threeacts.mrmeyer.com/toothpicks/

This is a Three-Act Math Task by Dan Meyer that looks at toothpicks arranged
in an interesting triangular pattern.

200 UNIT 8: ALGEBRAIC REASONING THROUGH VISUAL PATTERNS THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH
 Using Area Models to
9
# Understand Polynomials
Lesson Plan

T
his lesson plan explores a concrete way for students to
conceptualize multiplication that ultimately leads to a deeper
understanding of abstract algebraic topics, including multiplication
and factorization of polynomials. We hope that this approach will allow
both teachers and students to come away with a better sense of how
multiplication of polynomials is connected to multiplication of integers.
We should dispel the myth that math is a discrete set of topics. Ideally,
we will see math more as “an interconnected body of ideas” (Swan,
2005).

In this lesson, we start with intuitive images of arrays, move to concrete

representations of area with manipulatives and graph paper, and Check out Patricia Helmuth’s
continue in scaffolded steps towards an abstraction of the area model of CollectEdNY.org post on
multiplication, which we will use to multiply polynomials. how she uses online area
model manipulatives from
This lesson is made up of the following sections, which should be the National Library of
followed in order: Virtual Manipulatives site
to help students practice
1 Using Arrays to Explore Multiplication multiplication of whole
numbers and fractions (http://
2 A Measured Area Model www.collectedny.org/2015/02/
deepen-conceptual-
3 The Distributive Property understanding-in-math-with-
virtual-manipulatives/)
4 An Abstract Area Model

5 Applying an Area Model to the Multiplication of Polynomials

We recommend using these activities over a series of classes. In addition

to developing fluency with multiplication of integers, fractions, percents,
monomials, and binomials, the area model has the added usefulness of
helping students understand area and perimeter. This model can create
a shared visual language to refer back to when students struggle with
multiplication in different contexts.

FOOTNOTE: We would like to thank the following educators for their inspiring workshops at the
Commission on Adult Basic Education (COABE) 2015 conference: Amy Vickers, whose presentation
on Rectangles as Problem Solving Tools greatly informed our understanding of the use of area
models for teaching all forms of multiplication, including polynomials, as well as Lynda Ginsburg and
Patricia Helmuth, whose workshop on quadratics and visual models demonstrated visual ways to
contextualize factoring of quadratics. Amy’s fantastic presentation, Rectangles as Problem-Solving
Tools: Use Area Models to Teach Math Concepts at All Levels, can be found at http://adultedresource.
coabe.org.

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 9: USING AREA MODELS TO UNDERSTAND POLYNOMIALS 201
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OBJ ECTIVES

Students will use area models to…

Understand the connection between multiplication of integers
and multiplication of polynomials.
Understand multiplication as repeated addition.
Develop a better sense of numbers, especially to compose,
decompose and factor integers.
Understand and use the commutative and distributive properties
of multiplication.
Calculate area and perimeter of rectangles.
Multiply two-digit numbers.
Multiply binomials and trinomials (polynomials).
Understand that two binomials are factors of a single trinomial.
Combine like terms.

KEY VOCABULARY

rectangular array: an arrangement of items in rows and columns

area model: a type of rectangular array, with arranged squares in a grid

area: the size of a surface given in square units: 18 square inches
perimeter: the distance around a two-dimensional shape, given in linear
units: 18 inches
factors: two or more numbers that can be multiplied together to get
another number (the product): 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, and 18 are factors of 18
expression: a collection of numbers, symbols, and operators put
together to show a value (doesn’t include equal sign): 3 × 6
equation: a statement in which the equal sign indicates that two
expressions have the same value: 3 × 6 = 18
commutative property of multiplication: the mathematical law stating
that order doesn’t matter in multiplication: 3 × 6 = 6 × 3
distributive property: the sum of two numbers times a third number is
equal to the sum of the products of the third number and each of the first
two numbers: 3 × (2 + 4) = 3 × 2 + 3 × 4, or a(b + c) = ab + ac
monomial: an algebraic expression with one term: x, x2, or 2x
binomial: an algebraic expression with two terms: 2x + 3
polynomial: an algebraic expression containing more than two terms:
x2 + 2x + 1

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Using Arrays to Explore

ACTIVITY 1
Multiplication
MATERIALS:
• Images of a carton of eggs, a six-pack of soda, and a 3 × 4 muffin tin
• 1-inch square tiles, or cut-out paper squares
• How Many Muffins Could You Make? (handout)
• Graph paper (ideally would have a grid on one side, with empty page
on the other side)
• (optional) Multiplication Dot Array (handout)

STEPS:

1 Tell the class that you are going to show them some photos for only
a second or two each and ask them to tell you how many items there 2
are in each photo. This is a way to tap into
our students’ intuitive
2 Flash these images quickly one at a time on a projector or on a understanding of groups.
printout. After each image, ask How many? How did you know? They will know at a glance
that there are 12 eggs and 6
a. carton of eggs sodas. They will probably not
b. six-pack of soda know how many sections a
muffin tin has, however. Some
3 Show the image of a muffin pan (3 × 4) on a projector or on a students will count four groups
printout. After each image: How many? How did you know? How of 3 or three groups of 4. Other
students will count one by one.
is this different from a carton of eggs or a six-pack of soda? Some
students might count each muffin. Show the photo just long
enough to see that there are four groups of 3, so that students are 4
encouraged to think in terms of groups. There are a few important
concepts that can be
4 Give students the handout HOW MANY MUFFINS COULD YOU MAKE? connected to these responses:
Ask them to think about the different ways they could express the • the connection between
quantity 12 muffins mathematically. Possible responses include: multiplication and addition—
multiplication can represent
n 3+3+3+3 groups of equal quantities
n 4+4+4 (repeated addition)
• the commutative property
n four groups of 3
(order doesn’t matter in
n three groups of 4 addition and multiplication),
so 4 × 3 is the same as 3 × 4
n 4×3
give the same result
n 3×4

5 With each of these responses, it’s useful to go back and ask students
to demonstrate how these different “seeings” work. The muffins can
be counted in a number of different ways and always end up being
12. You might ask a couple questions to make sure students notice
this:

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 9: USING AREA MODELS TO UNDERSTAND POLYNOMIALS 203
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n Oh, so if I add four groups of 3, that gives me the same as three

groups of 4? Can someone explain how that works?

n 4 × 3 is the same as 3 × 4? Does that always work? Is 5 × 4 the

same as 4 × 5? 8 × 3 and 3 × 8? Can I reverse the order of any two
numbers when multiplying and get the same answer? Why do you
think this works? Give students a few minutes to prove this to
themselves.

TEACH E R’S NOTE (EXTRA STU DE NT SU PPORT)

With pre-HSE classes, you might spend more time working with dot arrays as a way
for students to become comfortable moving from counting dots and adding groups to
eventually multiplying to find the quantities. Create a worksheet with different dot arrays
involving the multiplication you would like the class to practice. Draw dot arrays on the
handout, How Many Dots Are There?, to represent different multiplication problems,
which students can complete in this way:

________ 21
________
(total) (total)

________ groups of ________ 3

________ 7
groups of ________

________ 7+7+7
________
(addition) (addition)

________ 3x7
________
(multiplication) (multiplication)

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ACTIVITY 2 A Measured Area Model

MATERIALS: You can find a detailed
explanation of the transition
• 1-inch square tiles (24 for every two students) • graph paper
from the dot array to the
We now move from counting objects like eggs, sodas, and muffins area model for multiplication
to counting more abstract quantities. However, we start in a on EngageNY: https://www.
concrete way by having students use manipulatives to explore the engageny.org/resource/
multiplication-with-arrayarea-
concept of area.
models-and-the-rekenrek
STEPS:

1 Put students into groups of two or three. Give 24 one-inch tiles to

each pair of students. Tell them that their task is to find how
many different ways they can organize the 24 squares into a
rectangle. Encourage students to play with the tiles and move 1
them around in different configurations
Check out the Gold Rush
2 Next, hand out graph paper and ask students to draw each of the Problem in the Reflective
Teaching section for a problem
four rectangles they found: 4 × 6, 3 × 8, 2 × 12, 1 × 24. Some
that explores area and can
students might argue that a 4 × 6 rectangle is different from be used to refer back to this
a 6 × 4 rectangle. Take this opportunity to reemphasize the activity later.
commutative property of multiplication. You can also take a
drawing of a 4 × 6 rectangle and rotate the paper. Does this
change the size of the rectangle?

I NTRODUCI NG AR EA

Ask your students what they imagine when you say you want to measure the area of something.
If students have ideas, they could include the following:
Length times width. Perimeter?
Base times height. Covering something.
Students who make one of the comments on the left are recalling formulas they memorized, possibly
without really understanding. Students who say perimeter probably know that there is some
relationship between area and perimeter, but might not be sure what the relationship is. A student
who says something like “covering something” is on the right track. Have your students note the
following definition of area: size of a surface. Examples of surfaces include the chalkboard, the
tops of student desks/tables, and the walls. A surface can also include contours or bumps, such
as a globe or a person’s head. A surface that can be measured using area is something you could
imagine painting over. Ask volunteers to submit other real-world examples of area, and ask the class
if they agree.
Area is measured in square units (square inches, square feet, square meters). When we measure
area, we are essentially counting squares. Perimeter, on the other hand, is a measure of length and is
measured in linear units (inches, feet, meters). Instead of counting squares, students should imagine

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 9: USING AREA MODELS TO UNDERSTAND POLYNOMIALS 205
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measuring around their rectangles with a ruler or tape measure. If you wrapped a string around the
rectangle, how long would it have to be?
We encourage teachers to help students begin to calculate area by physically counting squares.
Kitchen tiles are a good example. Even better, if you have 12-inch square tiles in your classroom,
point out to your students how you can measure the area of a section of the classroom floor by
simply counting tiles. At this point, it is helpful for them to experience counting squares in order to
remember the concept. If they just memorize the procedure of multiplying length times width, it’s
easy to confuse this with the procedure for finding perimeter.
At some point in the discussion, we hope that a student will remark that the area of any rectangle
can be found by multiplying the measures of the two sides. We will want to be precise with this
description, so ask some clarifying questions of your students. Can I find the area by multiplying
the lengths of opposite sides? Why doesn’t that work? After this clarification, your students have
the ability to find the area of rectangles without a visible grid, and only with the lengths of adjacent
sides. Most importantly, they know what the product of the lengths of a rectangle’s adjacent sides
represents: the number of squares that can cover its interior surface.

3 Tell your students to take a few minutes to determine the area and
perimeter of each rectangle.

4 Now ask students to describe the rectangles they made. As volunteers

describe each rectangle, draw the rectangle on the board, including
the grid lines so that it is possible to count the number of squares
in each rectangle. After students have shared their rectangles, ask
if we have found all the possible rectangles with 24 squares. Is it
possible that we missed one? How can we be sure?

5 Next ask, What do you notice about the area and perimeter in these
four rectangles? Possible responses include the following, though
you should welcome other observations from your students.

n The area didn’t change, but the perimeter did.

n It’s possible to get the same area with different widths and
lengths.

n 1 × 24 is one group of 24, 2 × 12 is two groups of 12, etc.

n 1 × 24, 2 × 12, 3 x 8, and 4 x 6 are all equal to 24.

n The bigger the difference between the two numbers, the larger
the perimeter.

n The closer the two numbers are in size, the smaller the
perimeter.

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6 Before moving on, students should recognize that all of the

rectangles on the board have adjacent sides that are factors of
24. Helping students recognize this fact may require a line of
questioning that connects the rectangles to factors explicitly.

n What do all these rectangles have in common? They all have

24 squares.

n How do we know that they all have 24 squares? We can count

them.

n Is there any other way we could prove they each have 24

squares? We could multiply the length and width. 1 × 24,
2 × 12, 3 × 8, and 4 × 6 all equal 24.

n So, the length and width of each of these rectangles (1, 24, 2,
12, 3, 8, 4 and 6) have a relationship with 24. Does anyone
know the name for this relationship? If no one does, tell the
group that these numbers are factors of 24 and are usually
written in increasing order: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24.

7 If it hasn’t come up, now is a good time to talk about factors. Amy
Vickers uses the following questions with her students:

n What is a factor?

n How would you explain a factor in the context of rectangular

arrays?

n What are a few examples of numbers that are not factors of 24?
How would this look in a rectangular array?

n What equations can you write to describe the arrays that use
multiplication?

n What equations can you write to describe the arrays that use
division?

n What is the relationship between multiplication and division?

n For what other math topics is an understanding of factors

essential?

8 Tell students that you are going to give them a series of

multiplication problems that you would like them to show on their
graph paper. Start with the following:

a. 9 × 4

Ask students to draw this as a rectangle on their graph paper. They

should label the length of the edges and write the area on the inside
of the rectangle: Area = 36 squares.

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 9: USING AREA MODELS TO UNDERSTAND POLYNOMIALS 207
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b. 12 × 6

When students finish, ask for volunteers to explain how they came
up with 72. Possible responses include:

• Six groups of 12
• Twelve groups of 6
• Multiplied 12 × 6 or 6 × 12
• Multiplied 10 × 6 and added two groups of 6

9 12 × 6 is a good opportunity to introduce the distributive property.

Draw a 6 × 12 grid horizontally on the board and tell the class
you want to explore the 12 × 6 further. Make a heavy line dividing
the 10 from the 2, to divide the 12 in two pieces. Label the
measurements of the edges.

10 2

a. Ask, Does breaking 12 into 10 and 2 change the total number of

squares in the rectangle? How could you prove that we still have
the same number of squares? Possible answers could include:

• Counting all the squares to see if there are 72

• Adding the 10 and the 2 to make 12, then multiplying by 6

b. Ask, What if we wanted to find the area of the 6 x 10 rectangle

first? How many squares are in that part? You might block the
2 × 6 part of the grid so that students can only see the 6 × 10
rectangle (six groups of ten, ten groups of six, 10 × 6, or 6 × 10).
Write the total number of squares in the 6 × 10 section.

c. And what about the right side? How many squares are there?
Block the 6 × 10 rectangle, so students can only see the 6 × 2
rectangle (two groups of six, six groups of two, 2 × 6, or 6 × 2).
Write the total number of squares in the 6 × 2 section.

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12 squares
11
6 This might be a good time
to show students how the
60 squares
area model will give the
same answer as the standard
algorithm for multiplying two-
digit numbers. If students are
10 2 comfortable multiplying multi-
digit numbers, they should
d. So, how many total squares are there? 60 + 12 = 72. continue to do multiplication
in the way that works for
e. Rewrite the problem on the board as 6 (10 + 2) = 72. Ask students them. The purpose of these
to explain how this equation connects to the area model drawn on activities is not to replace the
the board. way they do multiplication, but
deepen our understanding of
10 At this point, students should continue using area models to multiplication and connect it
calculate the number of squares with some problems on their own. to other situations. Challenge:
Say, On your own, try using this model to multiply 15 × 9. After you Can you use the area model
to explain why the standard
draw your big rectangle, break the side that is 15 squares long into
algorithm works?
10 and 5, then use the same method that we just did for 12 × 6.

• 15 × 9 • 18 × 4 • 24 × 5 • 14 × 15

11 To process 14 × 15, guide 10 4

students to break the 14 into 10
and 4, and the 15 into 10 and
5. Students should end up with
a grid similar to the one below
and then calculate the area of

40 squares
each of the four sections (4 × 5 =
20, 4 × 10 = 40, 10 × 5= 50, 100 squares
10 × 10 = 100) 10

How could we figure out the

total area?

Answer: Add up the total

squares for each section
(20 + 40 + 50 + 100 = 210).
20 squares

5 50 squares

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 9: USING AREA MODELS TO UNDERSTAND POLYNOMIALS 209
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ACTIVITY 3 The Distributive Property

MATERIALS:
• Multiplying with Parentheses (handout)

This is a great moment to teach the distributive property of

multiplication, using the previous work as an example. This concrete
example of distribution will help students remember that they need to
multiply by each term within parentheses.

The handout MULTIPLYING WITH PARENTHESES, can be used to explore

the distributive property with students:

1 Say, What does it mean to simplify an expression? Can someone

explain the steps that Paul took when he simplified 5 (3 + 12)?
What do you think of what he did? Would you do it differently or
the same way? What is Paul’s confusion?

2 Ask a student to draw an area model of the expression on the board.

3 Ask, How can the area model help us understand 5 (3 + 12)?

4 Students should be able to connect their explanations to the

drawing. Some students may previously have known the
distributive property, but they should be able to explain why
calculating the area of both rectangles is necessary to find the
total squares.

ACTIVITY 4 An Abstract Area Model

After students have practiced and become comfortable using the
concrete method of counting squares using grid paper, we can move to
an abstract area model by leaving the grid paper behind.

1 Give the class a multiplication problem whose area model won’t fit
on their graph paper, like 45 × 26. You might count the number of
rows or columns on the graph paper you give them and then choose
a number that is just a little bit too big. Students will try to count
out the rows and columns. When students realize that they aren’t
able to able to use the grids, tell them to turn the paper over and do
it on the back.

2 Let your students know that they don’t have to draw all the lines in
the grid. They can just draw a rectangle. Ask your students to use
the same technique for breaking up the numbers and drawing lines
to divide the rectangle. Here’s one way a student might break up
the rectangle and calculate the area for each section.

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40 5

100
20 800 squares
sq.

30
6 240 squares
sq.

3 Next to the area model, show the calculations for the area of each of
the smaller rectangles, as well as the total area:

6 × 5 = 30
6 × 40 = 240
20 × 5 = 100
20 × 40 = 800
total area = 1170 squares

4 You can use this opportunity to make connections to the standard

way of doing multiplication in the United States. Ask students to
look at the following two models and make connections to the area
model. The image to the right shows the standard algorithm on
the left and the partial product method on the right. Students will
probably be familiar with the standard algorithm, though students
often struggle to record products with the proper place value. The
partial product method separates the calculations and retains
the place value for each. The second line, for example, shows the
product of 6 and 40, rather than multiplying 6 and 4 as part of the
multiplication of 45 times 6.

What do your students notice about how the totals are calculated 4
and arranged? Where do they see any connections to the area model A clear demonstration of the
of multiplication? Which of these procedures for multiplication do partial product algorithm
can be found at http://
they prefer? Does anyone think they might use the partial product
everydaymath.uchicago.edu/
method in the future? teaching-topics/computation/
mult-part-prod/.

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 9: USING AREA MODELS TO UNDERSTAND POLYNOMIALS 211
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Applying the Area Model to the

ACTIVITY 5 Multiplication of Polynomials

In order to start working with binomials and polynomials, it is important

for students to understand and be able to use the distributive property.
The area model gives students a way to organize their work. When they
move on to college, we will want them to be able to use FOIL (First,
Outside, Inside, Last) as well, but starting with the area model connects
an abstract idea to a concrete model that students can hold on to.
We continue by substituting variables into the area models we have
already worked on so that students see the continuity in the approach.
We follow the same logic as before, but now we apply it to expressions
that include variables.

1 As a review, draw an abstract area model of 6(10 + 2). Students

should be able to say that the total number of squares is
(6 × 10) + (6 × 2).

2 To the right, draw an area model of 6(x + 2).

x 2

If students are unfamiliar with variables, you can say that x just
means we don’t know the width of the rectangle on the left. Even
though we don’t know how wide it is, we do know that 6 times that
width would tell us how many squares there are in the left part
of the rectangle. If x was 2, then there would be 12 squares. If x
was 3, there would be 18 squares. If x was 100, there would be 600
squares. x could be anything.

a. Ask students what the area of the rectangle on the right would
be. Answer: 12 squares.

And the area of the rectangle on the left? Answer: 6 times x, or

6(x), or 6x squares. 6x is a way of saying that even though we
don’t know how many squares are there, we do know that there
will be 6 times whatever x is.)

Write 6x and 12 inside the rectangles.

212 UNIT 9: USING AREA MODELS TO UNDERSTAND POLYNOMIALS THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH
un i t • 9 lesson

b. Below the area model, write 6(x + 2) = 6x + 12.

c. Following the model on the board, students should practice

multiplying the pairs below, drawing area models and writing
expressions for their answers:

(1) 9 and (x + 5)

(2) 4 and (x + 8)

(3) 5 and (2x + 4)

3 For a second example, tell the class to draw an area model of (x + 5)

(x + 4). Their model should look like this:

x 4

a. Ask students to help you fill in the area of each rectangle,

starting with the bottom right one (4 × 5 = 20 squares). Now,
move to the top right and bottom left rectangles. Students
should be able to fill in the area of these rectangles with 4x and
5x, respectively. The top-left box may present a challenge for
students who haven’t studied square numbers or exponents.
3a
At the beginning, I would accept the following answers: x times x, This is a good opportunity to
talk to students about how x
or x times itself, x × x, and, eventually, x2.
is not generally used to mean
multiplication in algebra.
x 4
Students should start to
recognize multiplication in the
following forms:
x x2 4x 5 • 6 = 30
5(6) = 30
In this case, we want to
express that x is multiplied by
x. Do students see how using
5 5x 20 x to represent multiplication
might cause a problem?

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 9: USING AREA MODELS TO UNDERSTAND POLYNOMIALS 213
un i t • 9 lesson

3b b. Below the area model, write (x + 5)(x + 4) = x2 + 4x + 5x + 20.

You can define term as either
i. Ask the class is there is anything you can do to simplify the
a single number or variable,
or numbers and variables equation, or write it with fewer terms. If no one brings up
multiplied together. The areas combining the terms 4x and 5x, explain that, in algebra, we can
x2, 4x, 5x, and 20 are all combine items when the variable parts are the same (combining
examples of terms. like terms). Ask the class to point out which two terms have the
same variable part. These two terms can be combined. If we
have 4 x’s and 5 more x’s, then we must have 9 x’s altogether.

ii. Write (x + 5)(x + 4) = x2 + 9x + 20 below the first equation.

iii. Prompt the class to look at the expression x2 + 9x + 20 and

think about how it connects to the area model. Here are some
questions you can ask:

n Where does the x2 come from?

n Where does the 9x come from?

n Where does the 20 come from?

Here, we want students to see the connection between the

product and sum of 4 and 5, as they appear in the polynomial
that is the product of the two binomials.

n Do you see any connections between 9 and 20? What is

interesting about these two numbers?

n Look at the area model. How did we get 9? 4 + 5.

How did we get 20? 4 × 5. Hmm… What do you think
about that?

n So, 4 + 5 is 9 and 4 × 5 is 20. That’s interesting.

Do you think that would happen if we multiplied
other quantities? Let’s do some other ones and see if
it happens again.

4 Give students practice multiplying binomials. Some samples you

could use are:

(x + 1) and (x + 2)
(x + 3) and (x + 4)
(x + 2) and (x + 5)

214 UNIT 9: USING AREA MODELS TO UNDERSTAND POLYNOMIALS THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH
un i t • 9 lesson

a. At this point, you could come back to the connection between the 4a
x term and the constant. Ask students to look at the trinomial You can define the constant
expressions that were products of the binomials they multiplied. as a term in an algebraic
expression that has a value
Ask, What do you notice about the x term and the constant? If
that doesn’t change, because it
there are students who don’t see the connection, you might do doesn’t have a variable.
a quick pair/share and ask students to discuss the following
example:

(x + 3)(x + 4) = x2 + 7x + 12

b. Then put this example on the board:

(x + 2)(x + 5) = x2 + 7x + 10

Ask for volunteers to talk about what they notice when they
compare these two examples. When students have confirmed that
the constants from the two binomials are added to get the x term in
the trinomial and multiplied to get the constant in the trinomial,
you might give them the attached diamond pattern worksheets that
will prepare them for factoring polynomials.

MAKI NG YOU R OWN N U M B E R DIAMON D WAR M-U P

(OPTIONAL)

As you create your own number diamond problems, rotate the given
information so that students have to adjust their reasoning. Include
decimal examples, particularly those that helps students practice their
mental math strategies, and that include the benchmark decimals (0.5,
1.5, 2.5, etc.). Be careful about items that only include the product and
sum—these can be difficult when decimals are involved. Have fun!

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 9: USING AREA MODELS TO UNDERSTAND POLYNOMIALS 215
un i t • 9 lesson / handout 1

How Many Muffins Could You Make?

How many different ways can you express the number of muffins that this pan holds?

216 UNIT 9: USING AREA MODELS TO UNDERSTAND POLYNOMIALS THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH
un i t • 9 lesson / handout 2

Multiplication Dot Array

How Many Dots Are There?

________ ________
(total) (total)
_____ groups of _____ _____ groups of _____

________ ________
(addition) (addition)

________ ________
(multiplication) (multiplication)

________ ________
(total) (total)
_____ groups of _____ _____ groups of _____

________ ________
(addition) (addition)

________ ________
(multiplication) (multiplication)

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 9: USING AREA MODELS TO UNDERSTAND POLYNOMIALS 217
un i t • 9 lesson / handout 3

Multiplying with Parentheses

Paul’s teacher wrote the following expression on the board for the class
to simplify:
5 (3+12)

Here is an excerpt from Paul’s notebook.

5(3 + 12)
5 * 3 + 12
15 + 12
27

What do you think of Paul’s work? Explain your thinking.

Draw an area model of 5(3+12) below:

How many squares are there?

218 UNIT 9: USING AREA MODELS TO UNDERSTAND POLYNOMIALS THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH
un i t • 9 l e s s o n / h a n d o u t 4 p g. 1

Number Diamond 1
X
A Number Diamond always includes four circles. The two horizontal circles
are our two base numbers. The top circle is for the product of the two base
numbers. The bottom circle is for the sum of the two base numbers.

In each Number Diamond, you will be given two numbers, and you will have 3 6
to figure out the missing two. In this example, you are given the two base
numbers. What is the product of 3 and 6? What is the sum of 3 and 6?

Fill in the missing circles for each Number Diamond. +

X X X

28

5 7 7 3

11

+ + +

X X X

12 24

5 20

7 14

+ + +

X X X

9 .5 8

9 9

+ + +
Source: Adapted from Foundations for Algebra by College Preparatory Mathematics

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 9: USING AREA MODELS TO UNDERSTAND POLYNOMIALS 219
un i t • 9 l e s s o n / h a n d o u t 4 p g. 2

Solution: Number Diamond 1

These number puzzles provide a rich and engaging opportunity for students to improve their
arithmetic skills, including whole numbers, decimals, fractions, and even negative numbers.

These puzzles also foreshadow skills students will need if they go on to college-level
mathematics. This particular type of factoring requires the kind of reasoning called for when
students need to figure out the base numbers when given their product and sum.

X X X

35 28 24

5 7 4 7 8 3

12 11 11

+ + +

X X X

100 12 24

5 20 3 4 12 2

25 7 14

+ + +

X X X

0 8 4

0 9 1 8 .5 8

9 9 8.5

+ + +
Source: Adapted from Foundations for Algebra by College Preparatory Mathematics

220 UNIT 9: USING AREA MODELS TO UNDERSTAND POLYNOMIALS THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH
un i t • 9 lesson / handout 5

Number Diamond
Fill in the missing circles for each Number Diamond.

X X X

+ + +
X X X

+ + +
X X X

+ + +
X X X

+ + +
Source: Adapted from Foundations for Algebra by College Preparatory Mathematics

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH UNIT 9: USING AREA MODELS TO UNDERSTAND POLYNOMIALS 221
 What would it look like if
we designed schools to be
places where teachers learned,
alongside their students?
—Dr. Elham Kazemi

222 THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

Reflective Teaching
A Focus on Student Thinking in Problem-Solving

I
f there is one mantra that has stuck with us when it comes to
improving our math instruction, it is “make a small change, reflect,
and do it again.” In their article, “Math Tasks as a Framework for
Reflection: From Research to Practice,” Mary K. Stein and Margaret
Schwan Smith cite the NCTM Professional Standards for Teaching
Mathematics which argue that a primary factor in the professional
growth of teachers is the opportunity teachers have to “reflect on Make a
learning and teaching individually and with colleagues.” They go on
to say that whereas all teachers informally think about what happens small change,
in their classrooms, “cultivating a habit of systematic and deliberate
reflection may hold the key to improving one’s teaching as well as to
reflect, and
sustaining lifelong professional development.” do it again.
But what should teachers reflect on? There is no right answer to that
question, but we’d like to share some work we’ve been doing to support
teacher reflection, focusing on student mathematical thinking on
nonroutine math problems.

Below you will find three sets of questions focusing on three important
aspects of your teaching—planning, student work, and reflection/
revision. The goal of these questions is to help you learn from your
experience and from the experience of your students. I recently heard an
inspiring question from Dr. Elham Kazemi, professor of mathematics Dr. Kazemi has developed a
education and associate dean for professional learning at the University great observation technique
of Washington—“What would it look like if we designed schools to be called “teacher time out.”
places where teachers learned, alongside their students?” We offer the To learn more, visit http://www.
shadowmathcon.com/elham-
process detailed below as a beginning. Even if you only have time to
kazemi/
answer a few questions from each section, or if you only do this formally
once a year, we hope the experience will be rewarding.

You are a scientist looking into learning. The planning phase is your
problem-posing and hypothesizing. The teaching is the experiment, and
the student work is the data collection and observation. The reflection is
the conclusion and may lead to a revised hypothesis and a new “teaching
experiment.”

One final suggestion…Consider doing this with at least one other

teacher. You can do a problem together and then work together on the
Planning Questions. Then each of you tries the problem with their
students. You can meet again and discuss what you learned from your
students’ reasoning. These questions can help structure any follow-up
conversations.

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH REFLECTIVE TEACHING 223

 Instructions
1 Find or create an open-ended, challenging math problem that
meets the criteria proposed in the introduction to the math section.

2 Complete the Planning Questions below, before doing the

problem with your class.

3 Try the problem with your students.

4 Collect samples of student work.
5 Choose some samples of student work and complete
Questions on Student Work.

6 Complete the Reflection/Revision Questions.

PLANNING QUESTIONS
We start with a quality math problem and try to solve it in as many
ways as possible. Once we have had our own problem-solving experience
with the problem, we can be explicit about the content/strategies we
want students to learn. Then we start to think about how to engage
students. We can begin to imagine how students might approach the
problem. We can also start to identify potential student struggles and
plan for them beforehand. One of our goals is to allow students to
experience productive struggle and that requires some preparation.
It can be hard to come up with questions to support struggling students
and extensions to challenge faster learners if we have to do it in the
moment. Certainly, we are always going to have to do some thinking on
our feet, but the better prepared we are, the more strategic we can be.

1 Describe how you solved the problem.

2 Can you think of any other ways to solve the problem?

3 Why did you choose this problem? What do you like about it?

4 Why do you think this is a DOK 3 problem?

5 What do you want students to get from working on this problem?

6 Identify and describe a few specific challenges you think students

will have in solving the problem. Describe how you might help
and support the problem-solving efforts of those students without
giving too much away.

7 How could you extend this problem for students who finish?

224 REFLECTIVE TEACHING THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

 QUESTIONS ON STUDENT THINKING
Adult education teachers always talk about how much we learn from
our students. Many teachers say they learn more from their students
than their students learn from them. Teachers are usually referring to
all the stories and experiences our students share, or the inspiration we
derive from their decisions to come to our classes, balancing complicated
Our students
lives and responsibilities for a regular date with struggle. But there is are trying
another really important way we can learn from our students—focus on to teach us
their reasoning. We must really delve deeply into student thinking, to
understand the individuals in our class, and also to better understand
if we take the
adult education students in general and how they learn. Our students time to listen.
are trying to teach us, if we take the time to listen. If possible, consider
doing this phase with another teachers. Math teachers coming together
to analyze student thinking can be a rich activity. Remember when
choosing work to analyze, don’t focus only on students who got the right
answer. You may learn more from student mistakes, or solution methods
that are interesting but incomplete.

Answer the following questions for each sample

of student work you choose:

1 Explain each student’s method/thinking.

2 Why did you choose this sample of student work?

What did you learn from it?

3 How typical was this student’s approach in your class?

4 Any additional comments?

REFLECTIONS/REVISION QUESTIONS
Whatever happens is an opportunity to learn something about your
students and how they learn. If something doesn’t go well, you can
learn a lot about how to do it better next time. And if things do go
well, why did they go well and how could they go better. This section
is about looking back at your predictions and comparing them to what
happened—as you observe and analyze student thinking you’ll start
to improve your sense of how they will make sense of and productively
struggle with future problems. Even if you are not going to be sharing
this with other teachers, spend some time with the last question. The
teacher you are advising might be you.

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH REFLECTIVE TEACHING 225

 1 What did you learn from using this problem with your students
(about math, about individual students, about your class, about
student thinking in general, etc)?

2 What (if anything) would you do differently if you used this

problem again?

3 Comment on how your class (individual students, or as a whole)

may have benefited from their work on this problem.

4 Did students get what you wanted them to get from the problem?
How do you know?

5 What challenges came up for your students that you didn’t expect?

6 What strategies/solution methods/questions came out that seemed

helpful to students?

7 What advice/message do you have for a teacher who is considering

using this problem with their class?

MathMemos.org is a
teacher space where
adult numeracy/HSE
teachers share rich math
problems, samples of A Call to Action
student work, and
practical suggestions for To give readers a real sense of how helpful these reflections can be, we
bringing the problem to are including three sample write-ups, written by Tyler Holzer, a teacher
life in your classroom. leader at a community-based organization in Brooklyn, NY. If you find
MathMemos
contributors are adult
Tyler’s write-ups helpful, consider writing one yourself, using these
educators who are questions to guide you. Share those write-ups with your colleagues.
passionate about Write them with your colleagues. If you are a program manager,
teaching math through consider protecting some time for your staff to work on these questions
problem-solving
activities.
together. We believe in teacher-led professional development of practice.
Too often, we teach in our little pocket of the egg carton, isolated from
other teachers. Let us turn our classrooms into laboratories to learn
about learning and share what we discover.

n Multiples of Nine Problem

n The Gold Rush Problem

n The Movie Theater Problem

226 REFLECTIVE TEACHING THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

Multiples of Nine Problem
The Problem:
Find the smallest multiple of 9 that has only
even digits. Please show all your work.

How I Solved It
I knew that none of the two-digit multiples of 9 contained only even
numbers. I also knew that any multiples of 9 that were between 100 and
199 wouldn’t work, because they all would have a 1—an odd number—
as the leading digit. I started working under the assumption that the
correct number would be somewhere in the 200s, so I picked a nice,
round number and started from there. I calculated 9 × 30 = 270. Because
this had a 7 in it, I knew that it couldn’t be the right answer, but I
noticed that if I were to add 18 to 270, I would get 288. Thus, 9 × 32 =
288 was my tentative answer.

I couldn’t commit to this answer because there might be a smaller

multiple of 9 that was located in the 200s and also had only even digits.
So I went back to 270 and began counting down by 18. I counted down
by 18 instead of 9 because the correct number has to be an even number
times 9 (so that I would have an even product). So the numbers I
checked were 9 × 28 = 252, 9 × 26 = 234, and 9 × 24 = 216. None of these
worked, so the correct answer must be 288.

Other Ways to Solve This Problem

I could just write out all the multiples of 9 and keep going until I
found one that had only even digits. This method feels a little risky
because—if I were just counting up by 9 to the next multiple rather than
multiplying each time—it would be easy to make a mistake somewhere.
Even if I were go through and multiply 9 by several numbers, it’s likely
that I would miss a number at some point.

Another way to solve this involves knowing the divisibility test for 9.
If the sum of the digits in a number add up to a multiple of 9, then the
number itself is divisible by 9. The sum of the digits in this problem
couldn’t be 9, though, because the sum of even numbers can never
be odd. The smallest multiple of 9 with only even digits must be the
smallest combination of three even numbers that add up to 18. It would
have to be 288.

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH REFLECTIVE TEACHING 227

 Also, when the multiples of 9 are organized into a table, an interesting
pattern emerges. By looking at the digit sums and the changes to the
ones and tens digit, we see some interesting things.

Table of the First Forty Multiples of 9

9×1=9 9 × 11 = 99 9 × 21 = 189 9 × 31 = 279

9 × 2 = 18 9 × 12 = 108 9 × 22 = 198 9 × 32 = 288

9 × 3 = 27 9 × 13 = 117 9 × 23 = 207 9 × 33 = 297

9 × 4 = 36 9 × 14 = 126 9 × 24 = 216 9 × 34 = 306

9 × 5 = 45 9 × 15 = 135 9 × 25 = 225 9 × 35 = 315

9 × 6 = 54 9 × 16 = 144 9 × 26 = 234 9 × 36 = 324

9 × 7 = 63 9 × 17 = 153 9 × 27 = 243 9 × 37 = 333

9 × 8 = 72 9 × 18 = 162 9 × 28 = 252 9 × 38 = 342

9 × 9 = 81 9 × 19 = 171 9 × 29 = 261 9 × 39 = 351

9 × 10 = 90 9 × 20 = 180 9 × 30 = 270 9 × 40 = 360

Why I Chose This Problem

I recently discovered this problem, and I really like it for a number
of reasons. First, it requires a little bit of vocabulary in order to get
started. Students will have to know what a multiple is, they will have to
know what digits are—and more specifically, how digits can differ from
numbers—and they’ll have to understand the difference between even
and odd numbers. I also like how nonintimidating it looks at first glance.
“How hard could it be to find a multiple of 9 that has only even digits?
I shouldn’t have to count up very far.” Because the problem doesn’t look
lengthy or challenging, it comes as a surprise when the correct answer is
actually the 32nd multiple of nine. I anticipate a lot of students writing
out 9, 18, 27, 36, 45, 54, etc, and then getting frustrated or giving up
when they don’t get to the answer fairly quickly.

Second, I like that the problem requires students to perform basic

calculations and that it requires precision in order to get the answer
right without making mistakes. Also, the repetition involved in either
adding 9 over and over or multiplying by 9 over and over is helpful for
students with lower math abilities, and it still provides good practice for
students who are more comfortable working with numbers. Moreover,

228 REFLECTIVE TEACHING THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

the 9 times tables are interesting because of the pattern that arises in
the tens digit and the ones digit. My hope is that as students start listing
out the multiples of 9, they will be able to see the pattern and work with
it. I like exposing my students to several different ways of thinking about
multiplication. My hope is that they find one that works for them.

And finally, I really like this problem because there are good extension
questions. If a student finishes early, they can find the next smallest
multiple, and then the next one. Once everyone has had plenty of time to
work, the class can talk about divisibility tests, and they could work on
finding all the three-digit multiples of 9 that have only even digits. And
so on.

Why This Is a DOK 3 Problem

This is a DOK 3 problem because it invites multiple approaches, and even
though there is a correct answer, students need to be able to explain why
the number they chose is the correct one. They also have to analyze each
multiple they come up with to make sure that both digits are even. (I
anticipate several students saying that something like 36 or 72 is correct
because it is an even number.) Depending on how quickly students finish,
they might be asked to investigate the pattern that shows up in the
multiples of 9 that only have even digits. Students could then be asked to
draw a conclusion about that pattern.

My Goal for Student Learning

This problem is intended for a class of new students with low math levels,
many of whom struggle with multiplication, and it is going to take a while
for most of them to finish. My goal is for them to stick with the problem
and not get discouraged as the numbers start getting bigger and bigger.
I am giving this problem during the first week of class, and my sense is
that the students aren’t used to struggling with math problems for long
periods of time. Another goal is for students to come up with an organized
approach to tackling this problem. That is, I would like to see some
students create tables or lists rather than simply start multiplying 9 by
randomly chosen numbers. Also, because it’s so early in the cycle, I would
like to see my students feel comfortable talking about their work and the
work of their peers.

Challenges for Students

The first challenge I anticipate involves the vocabulary and phrasing of
the problem. Because I will be working on this problem with a group of
new students, they have only recently been introduced to multiples and
factors. They will likely need a quick refresher. Similarly, I expect to see

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH REFLECTIVE TEACHING 229

 students struggle with the idea of “even digits,” and we may have to
talk about it as a group to make sure that everyone is on the same page
before we get started.

I also expect students to have a hard time organizing their work, and
I expect to see some mistakes with basic computation as the multiples
get higher and higher. This will require me to intervene somewhat to
help students spot their mistakes—either with adding or multiplying,
depending on their approach. I think that some students will want to
give up after they’ve found the first fifteen or twenty multiples of 9. They
might think that it’s a trick question and that there actually aren’t any
multiples of 9 that have only even digits.

To support students who are struggling with this problem, I will help
them identify mathematical mistakes so that they can correct them as
they go along. I won’t tell them that they’ve made a mistake though;
instead, I’ll ask them to talk about how they got from one number to the
next so that they can see the mistake for themselves. I think that some
students will notice the pattern in multiples of 9 (increasing tens digit,
decreasing ones digit), and so I will help them to articulate it and apply
it to the work that they are doing. For those students who work all the
way through it and don’t see the pattern, I will ask them to look over their
work and talk to me about the changes they see to the digits. I expect that
some students will try to guess-and-check their way through the problem,
which could potentially make it take a very long time. I will talk to these
students about ways they might be able to organize their guesses so that
they don’t lose track of the work they’ve already done.

Extension Questions
If some students finish early, I would ask them to find the next smallest
multiple of 9 with only even digits, and then the next one, and the next
one, and so on. It might seem a little tedious at first, but if I support it
well, I can help students to understand how the divisibility test for 9
works. This is something that I don’t think many, if any, students will
know.

All of the multiples of 9 that are less than 1000 and have only even
digits are: 468, 486, 648, 666, 684, 828, and 882. Even if a student only
got to 468 and 486, I could start having the conversation with them
about how any number with a digit sum equal to a multiple of 9 must
itself be a multiple of 9. Since no combination of even numbers can sum
to 9, they must have to sum to 18. From there, students can work on
finding the other possibilities.

230 REFLECTIVE TEACHING THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

Student Work
FI DE L’S APPROACH

F idel is one of the strongest students in this group. He attends every

class session, asks good questions, and works hard on every problem
that he encounters. Even this early in the cycle, Fidel’s classmates have
come to recognize him as one of the leaders in the class, and they often
rely on him to help them out when they are struggling. However, Fidel
had a really hard time with this problem.

First off, he needed a reminder on the difference between odd and even
numbers, and after we talked about it as a group, he wrote them down
just to be sure. Then he started working. If you look closely at Fidel’s
work, you’ll see that he started out by writing all of the multiples of 9,
but then he erased them. When I asked why, he explained that when
he got above 100, he noticed that all of the multiples would have a 1 in
them and therefore couldn’t be correct. This is where he gave up on the
list and decided to try guessing and checking. His guesses look a little
disorganized, but there is a method to them. He was trying to locate
multiples of 9 that were in the 200s. His first guesses were much too big,
but he kept making adjustments. He erased most of these, but he left a
few and, after a while he found 9 × 32 = 288.

What was interesting about Fidel’s work is how he noticed some

important qualities about the numbers—namely, that the correct answer
would have to start with a 2, 4, 6, or 8—but he didn’t come up with a
good way of organizing the work that he was doing. Because he guessed
and checked, several students finished the problem before him and
began working on the extension questions. This was a case where the
strongest student in the class struggled the most because the problem-
solving strategy he chose may not have been the most appropriate one.

J EAN MAR I E’S APPROACH

O f all the students in the class, Jean Marie probably has most
difficulty with math. She performs all basic calculations on her
fingers, and she has little confidence in her ability to grow as a math
student. This was the first extended problem that she had done on her
own.

From the outset, Jean Marie was frustrated by this problem because
she noticed that it had to do with times tables, and she reminded me
several times that she doesn’t know her nines. You’ll even see at the top
of the page that she was drawing circles for the first couple multiples
of 9. While everyone else was working on their own, I spent a lot of
time sitting with Jean Marie and talking her through the problem. She

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH REFLECTIVE TEACHING 231

 Student Work started with 9 × 1 = 9 but then couldn’t remember
9 × 2. So we talked about how she would figure
it out. She seemed a little embarrassed when
telling me that she would count on her fingers.
But when I told her that her method was fine, she
went back to work. She counted up to 18, and then
counted up another 9 to 27, and so on. From here,
she was able to work on her own, but she tried to
give up about every five minutes. It took a lot of
encouragement to get Jean Marie through this
problem, and she made a lot of mistakes. I made
the decision to help her identify her mistakes so
that she wouldn’t get more frustrated as she got
further and realized she had been working with
incorrect numbers.

In the end, with a lot of support, Jean Marie

did arrive at the correct answer. I liked how
well-organized her method was, and I really
appreciated her ability to stick with a problem
that was so challenging and frustrating to her.
In the end, Jean Marie finished before Fidel did!
And it was a really important moment for her.
She wrestled with a problem that she thought she
could never do, and she was successful.
Student Work
FE LICIANO’S APPROACH

T his was the day when I learned that Feliciano

is incredibly good with numbers and loves doing
math. He did this problem on his second day in
class, and since he was the first to finish, I got to
talk to him about some of the extension questions
that I was hoping to use.

Feliciano started out by listing the multiples

that he knew off the top of his head, and then he
worked additively from there. This approach was
largely typical of what most students did. Each
time he arrived at a new multiple of 9, he added
9, wrote the next one down, and repeated. By
following this pattern, Feliciano got to 288 pretty
quickly, so I asked him to find the next multiple
of 9. He kept working additively for a while before
figuring out that 9 × 52 was equal to 468. Here,
Feliciano stopped and looked a little more closely

232 REFLECTIVE TEACHING THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

at the relationship between 288 and 468. In the middle of the page, he
adds 2 to the hundreds digit in 288 and subtracts two from the tens
digit, which gives him 468. He repeats the process again to get 648.

At this point, Feliciano and I talked about why this worked. Feliciano
couldn’t articulate the divisibility test for 9, but he was working with
it intuitively when he found 468 and 648. After we talked about how
the digits needed to add up to 18, he was able to find all of the other
combinations, which are scattered around the page. I’m glad I got the
chance to see how this problem worked with a student who was skilled
in math. Feliciano was engaged with the problem, and he enjoyed
getting to learn and talk about the divisibility test.

Final Thoughts

I really liked the way this problem played out in class. For most of the
students, this was only the second problem-solving activity that they
had done. Because they were new to struggling with math problems,
I hoped that working on this one
would encourage persistence and
help them to come up with strategies
for organization. For the most part,
we met those goals. We also took the
time to talk about the patterns that
appear in multiples of 9, as well as
the divisibility test, which is shown in
the board work at the right. Through
working on this problem and its
extensions, I learned that with enough
preparation, there are interesting
questions that can be asked about any
mathematical idea—even one as basic
as multiples.

n What I Might Change

I wouldn’t change much about how I did this problem. If I do it
again early in the cycle, though, I might try reviewing the different
problem-solving strategies that we had discussed before doing this
problem. That way, students would have to make a more conscious
choice between using a table/chart and trying to guess and check.
Unfortunately, this time, a handful of students spun their wheels
guessing and checking when they could have used a more effective
method. Still, I think they benefited somewhat from doing it the
“wrong way” before moving on to a better way.

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH REFLECTIVE TEACHING 233

 I might also give out hundreds charts to students who really
struggle with their times tables. It could help them to get started,
and it could also help them to identify a pattern that will help
them remember their nines in the future. And lastly, if I do this
problem early in a class cycle again, I might ask students to write a
reflection of what it was like working on the problem.

n Unexpected Challenges
I gave this problem again in another class—one with a wider range
of math levels—and found that it was a little difficult to manage
all of the students. Some students finished the problem quickly,
while others needed me to sit with them and keep them working,
give them feedback on their work, etc. This made it challenging to
keep the higher-level students engaged while still supporting the
students who needed individual attention.

n Student Takeaways
My students liked this problem, and it fit in well with the work
on factors and multiples that we were doing in class earlier in the
week. They enjoyed trying out and discussing some of the problem-
solving strategies that we had been working on as a class. They
also got to hear about different solution methods from their peers,
and they had the opportunity to share their frustrations with the
problem, as well as the sequence of steps they took to break through
that frustration. For one student in particular—Jean Marie—this
problem was a major breakthrough. For the first time in class,
she stuck with something, got angry at it, settled back down, tried
again, failed, tried again, and finally succeeded. She hasn’t given up
on a problem since. This is a great exercise to do with students who
need to learn how to stick with something. It has a low entry point,
but the discussion can go a lot of different ways.

My students were also able to see the importance of pattern

recognition in math. Recognizing the patterns for multiples of 9
helped several students write out all of the multiples quickly, rather
than adding repeatedly. After we finished this activity, “Look for a
pattern” was added to our list of problem-solving strategies, and it
has since helped students succeed in other difficult problems.

n Advice for Teachers

This is a good low-entry problem for students who are new to your
class, but it could be used at any point in the cycle as a warmup
exercise. Teachers should be prepared for students to get frustrated
and give up, but they should also be prepared with extra questions
for students who breeze through the exercise. The problem works

234 REFLECTIVE TEACHING THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

 best if you allow plenty of time for the class as a whole to debrief,
especially because students need to see that there is a bigger
takeaway from doing the problem than just crunching numbers.
And there’s a lot of rich territory on which to have that discussion.
Talk about organizing information, talk about patterns, talk about
divisibility tests, and emphasize key vocabulary. Help your students
understand that their struggle was a productive one.

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH REFLECTIVE TEACHING 235

 The Gold Rush Problem

The Problem:
In 1848, gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill in California. Over the next several years,
hundreds of thousands of prospectors traveled westward hoping to make their fortunes
mining gold.

A man named Billy Merrell happened to own some of the land where the gold was
discovered. Instead of digging the gold himself, he decided to rent plots of land to the
prospectors. Billy gave each prospector four wooden stakes and a rope measuring exactly
100 meters in length. Each prospector then had to use the stakes and the rope to mark
off a rectangular plot of land.

1 Assuming that each prospector would like to have the biggest possible plot, what should the
dimensions of each plot be? Explain the reasoning behind your answer in a sentence or two.

2 One prospector noticed an advertisement that Billy had posted on his land. It read:
“Join the ropes together! You can get more land if you work together!”
Investigate whether or not this statement is actually true for two or more prospectors who
work together and divide the plot equally, still using just four stakes.

Explain your answer in a few sentences.

from Math Assessment Project (map.mathshell.org)

How I Solved It
This is an optimization problem. Let x and y be the dimensions of the
rectangular plot. Given the constraint of only having 100 meters of rope,
the perimeter of my plot would be 2x + 2y = 100. The area would be
A = xy. I started by solving the perimeter equation for y so that I could
substitute it into the equation for area.

2x + 2y = 100
–2x –2x
2y = 100 – 2x
2 2 2
y = 50 – x

Substituting this into the equation for area, I have A = x(50 – x), or
A = 50x – x2. The graph of this equation will be a parabola with a single

236 REFLECTIVE TEACHING THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

critical point, and that critical point will give me the x-value that will
maximize area. To find that point, I need to know the derivative of A
with respect to x; this will be the equation for slope of the tangent line to
the graph. The critical point I’m looking for will have a tangent line with
slope 0.

The derivative of my area formula is A’ = 50 – 2x, where A’ represents

the slope of the tangent line at a chosen point. Since I’m trying to find
the point where the slope is zero, I substitute 0 for A’. Now I have
0 = 50 – 2x. When I solve this for x, I get the solution x = 25 meters.
So this is the optimal length, which means that my optimal width is also
25 meters. The shape that will maximize area is a square that is
25 meters by 25 meters.

To answer the second part of the question, I applied the same rationale
to a rope that is now 200 meters in length. If the optimal shape is a
square, then it would be 50 meters by 50 meters, and it would have an
area of 2500 square meters. This means that each prospector would get
1250 square meters of land, which is twice as much as they would have
before. So it does make sense to “join the ropes.”

Other Ways to Solve This Problem

The method I outlined above is impractical for teaching, and I only tried
it to challenge myself and to see if I could remember how optimization
problems worked. So after solving it algebraically, I wanted to examine
the relationship between area and perimeter just so that I could see
how much the area changed when I made slight modifications to the
dimensions. I drew a few different rectangles and ended up at the
square that was my final answer from before.

40 35 30 25

10
15
20
25

A = 400 A = 525 A = 600 A = 625

The pattern I noticed when drawing the rectangles out in this order—
from long and skinny to square—showed me that as a shape becomes
closer in form to a square, the area increases.

I also wrote it out in table form, just so that I could have an organized
chart showing the areas given by different dimensions. I started the
table at 40 by 10, as shown below, and worked my way up.

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH REFLECTIVE TEACHING 237

 Length Width Area
40 10 400
39 11 429
38 12 456
37 13 481
36 14 504 The table is
35 15 525 interesting because
it provides the
34 16 544
opportunity to see the
33 17 561 consecutive difference
32 18 576 in area each time that
31 19 589 the dimensions are
30 20 600 adjusted by 1 meter.
I noticed a pattern,
29 21 609
which is added in the
28 22 616 updated table below:
27 23 621
26 24 624
25 25 625
24 26 624

Length Width Area Consec. Diff.

40 10 400 +29 = 429
39 11 429 +27 = 456
38 12 456 +25 = 481
37 13 481 +23 = 504
36 14 504 +21 = 525
35 15 525 +19 = 544
34 16 544 +17 = 561
33 17 561 +15 = 576
32 18 576 +13 = 589
31 19 589 +11 = 600
30 20 600 +9 = 609
29 21 609 +7 = 616
28 22 616 +5 = 621
27 23 621 +3 = 624
26 24 624 +1 = 625
25 25 625 MAX
24 26 624 –1 = 624

238 REFLECTIVE TEACHING THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

Why I Chose This Problem
I chose the gold rush problem because it is similar to a problem that I
had used in my class before; the version I used involved maximizing the
area of a garden given a limited amount of available fencing to surround
the garden. What I liked about the gold rush problem is that it took
the garden problem a step further by asking students to analyze what
happens to area when perimeter is doubled, tripled, etc, and I like how
it invites different strategies for solving. I also like how this problem
encourages creative thinking about basic shapes. It invites students to
construct several different rectangles, which ideally will lead them to a
better understanding of how dimensions relate to perimeter. Doing this
also reinforces computation skills, and so it works well in a multilevel
classroom. Once students arrive at their answers, there is a lot to talk
about. For example, is a square a rectangle? Is a rectangle a square?
Assuming that I did share a plot of land with another prospector, what
would be the most equitable way to split it? Do we split the land, or do
we split the profits? At what point in joining the ropes together does the
workload become too much for one prospector? And so on.

And finally, there’s a bit of historical context here, and so it fits well into
a class that also has a history component. It acts as a good springboard
into a discussion about the pre-Civil War period and the waves of
westward migration that were occurring around the time.

Why This Is a DOK 3 Problem

Depending on how the problem is used and what you’re asking your
students to produce in the end, this could actually be a DOK 4 problem.
At DOK 4, students are essentially completing a research project that
allows them to draw a conclusion not just about a specific situation, but
about a mathematical concept in general. In this case, the students first
have to read and understand a situation that might not be immediately
clear to them. From here, they have to think creatively about how they
might get started. They then perform some basic calculations, but they
also have to keep in mind that they’re looking to maximize area while
keeping perimeter the same. This attention to multiple constraints and
geometric concepts requires some higher-level thinking than a standard
DOK 1 or 2 question in which students might just be asked to calculate
the area of a shape (level 1), or calculate the area of a shape given its
perimeter (level 2).

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH REFLECTIVE TEACHING 239

 My Goal for Student Learning
One goal in presenting this problem is that my students will be able to
apply the basic concepts of area and perimeter in a setting that is a little
different from what they might be used to. I also hope to see that they’re
able to think creatively about the problem and make adjustments to the
shape of their plots in order to see how the shape of the rectangle has a
significant effect on its area. In other words, I want them to be able to
create a possible plot but then—without my intervention—try drawing
other rectangles as a way of checking to see if their answer is correct.
Another goal is for students to verbalize the relationship between the
shape of a rectangle and its area. What the students should notice is that,
as the rectangles become more square-like, the area increases. I also
would like to see an organized approach to solving this problem, although
I realize that the way students organize their work will differ greatly.

Challenges for Students

I anticipate a number of students drawing one rectangle and thinking
that they’ve answered the question after they’ve successfully calculated
its area. Moreover, I anticipate some resistance when I prompt them
to try drawing other rectangles so that they can compare the areas of
each. I also anticipate some issues with understanding the situation.
Even though the prompt specifically mentions rectangular plots, I have
a feeling that some students will miss this part. They’ll understand that
they’re getting four stakes and a rope, but they won’t really know where
to go from there. So I might have to intervene a bit just to clarify exactly
what the question is asking them today. I also foresee students jumping
to a quick conclusion about the second part of the question. That is, I
think that some will gloss over the part about joining two ropes together
and just assume that because you’re sharing with another prospector,
you would get less land.

To support students who are struggling, I will first ask them to tell
me what is happening in the problem. I would want to make sure that
they understand exactly what they’re getting from Billy and why they
are getting those materials. If they are unable to make a rectangle,
I might ask them to draw one, and then I would ask what the length
of the rectangle could be. They could then try a few things and check
their work. For students who try to stop after drawing one rectangle,
I’ll ask how they know that the one they drew provides the most land
to work with. So after they try one more, I’ll ask that they try another.
And so on. I have some students in my class who really struggle to do
long multiplication, and so I may allow them to use calculators. The goal
of this activity is to encourage reasoning about shapes; it’s not about

240 REFLECTIVE TEACHING THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

crunching numbers.

Extension Questions
If some students finish early, I would ask what would happen if three,
four, or five people joined their ropes together. How much land would
each person get in these cases? And is there a pattern to the increase
in land you get by working together with other prospectors? How could
you organize the data to see what the pattern might be? Could this be
viewed as an input/output table, or a function? If so, what would be the
rule of the function? How do you know? How many ropes would you need
to join together so that you could get 7500 square meters to work with?

Student Work
E LISA AN D B E LE N’S APPROACH

B elen is one of the brightest students in the class. Elisa struggles and
has missed several classes because of her work schedule and other
issues. This group had a hard time getting started, but once they figured
out a pattern, they were able to make progress. What I like about their
representation is how organized it is. They begin with a rectangle that
is 30 meters by 20 meters; it has an area of 600. The next rectangle they
drew had dimensions of 28 by 22, with an area of 616. When I talked
to B. and E. about this, they said that they were surprised about what
happened to the area. They explained that they noticed how, when they
decreased the length and increased the width, the area got bigger.
So they kept doing this until they arrived at the dimensions 26 Student Work
by 24, for an area of 624. This was the greatest area possible,
they said.

When I asked why they didn’t go a step further and try 25 by

25, they reasoned that it wasn’t allowed: The plot had to be a
rectangle, and 25 by 25 would be a square. I was interested
in this solution because I predicted that students would get
hung up on the square/rectangle issue, and these two were
adamant that the plot could not be a square. So we talked
about this. Also, notice their reasoning at the bottom. It says,
“After a while we figure it out that if you increase the width,
then you have to decrease the length in order to have the same
perimeter, but bigger Area.” I understood what they meant, but
we talked about it for a while to get some clarification. Is there
a point at which decreasing length and increasing width doesn’t
increase area anymore? What is that point? Why does it work
this way? This group’s graphical approach was typical of what
other students tried.

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH REFLECTIVE TEACHING 241

 TRAVIS AN D LATOYA’S APPROACH

W hat interested me about this group’s approach was that the first
rectangle they drew was actually correct. But they didn’t know
that. So I prompted them to try drawing a few others. Travis was sure
that he could find one with a greater area, because he reasoned that as
the length value got bigger and bigger, the area would too. He wasn’t
really thinking multiplicatively yet. So he tried some other rectangles:
40 by 10, 20 by 30, and 45 by 5. He told me that he was really surprised
to find that the 45 meter by 5 meter rectangle had the smallest area. So
he, Latoya, and I went into a hallway that was about 5 feet wide and
looked at how narrow this would actually be.

Travis and Latoya were able to complete the second part of the question
pretty quickly. Latoya said that she knew the shape would need to be
a square again, since the square from part 1 had a bigger area than
the rectangles. They did some calculations and concluded: “It would be
better to join the ropes because you can make your width and length
wider by each side. By doing this you increase your profit. There is also
more land for you and your partner to dig.” I was really interested in the
comment about profit, and so we talked about it with the whole group.
We wondered whether having more land would necessarily guarantee
more profit. So in talking about this, we touched on probability, and we
also began thinking about what the most equitable way of sharing the
plot would be. Is it more fair to split the land, or is it more fair to split
the total profit? Most of the students concluded that it would be the
most fair to split the total profit, or weight in gold, equally. Though some
said they would prefer to take a gamble and have half of the land all to
themselves. This was interesting, I thought.

Student Work

242 REFLECTIVE TEACHING THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

 Student Work
RODOLFO, CLE M E NTE, AN D
J U LIO’S APPROACH

R odolfo and Julio have been with

me for a while, but Clemente is
pretty new. All have limited English
proficiency, and so it was fascinating
to me that their description of
how they solved this problem was
the most verbal of any that I saw.
What isn’t clear from this photo is
that, before they submitted this
poster, they had done another that
contained pictures and nothing
else. I told them that I would like to
know more about what they had to say about the problem, meaning that
I would like them to talk about it to the group. They decided to start
over and take the approach you see above.

After finishing part 1, Rodolfo was sure that there was no way it would
be beneficial to work with another prospector. So I asked him to prove
it to me, and he started working. When I checked back with their table
only three or four minutes later, Rodolfo told me that he was wrong:
If he worked with another prospector, he would get twice as much
land. Because they answered so quickly, I asked: “What if all four of
us decided to join our ropes together? How much land would we get
then?” And they produced the explanation on the right. Their drawing is
interesting. It suggests that the four small squares could be put together
to form the big square with area of 10,000 square meters. I asked them
about this. They explained to the group that they didn’t mean it that
way, and they realized how their drawing didn’t accurately represent
their thinking. This approach to presenting their solution was great and
not at all what I was expecting.

CRYSTAL AN D STEVE N’S APPROACH

I liked Crystal’s approach because of its clarity and simplicity. But it’s
also worth noting that Crystal needs almost constant support in the
classroom. She has a hard time struggling on her own, and her hand
shoots up to ask for my help once every five minutes or so. When she
first looked at this problem, she gave up right away and said that she
didn’t have any idea where to start. So we first just talked about what
was happening in the problem. Once Crystal figured out that she needed
to make a rectangular plot, she was able to produce the four rectangles
above. And she worked independently for the next fifteen minutes

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH REFLECTIVE TEACHING 243

 without asking a single question.
After a few tries, she arrived at the
correct answer.

Steven was really struggling.

Despite some help and some tips
from me, he wasn’t able to find any
rectangles that had a perimeter of
100 meters. The only one he could
come up with was 25 by 25. This
was good, but I wanted to see some
flexibility in how he was thinking
about this, so I pushed him to keep
trying. Crystal was sitting next to
Student Work
him, and when I stepped away to
talk to another student, she started showing Steven what she had been
working on. Steven followed along with what she was saying and asked
her questions. I thought this was a really great moment for Crystal.
Here was a student who had no confidence in her own abilities, teaching
another student how to create rectangles. I also noticed that Steven was
really listening. So I stayed out of the way, and they finished the project
together, with Crystal doing most of the heavy lifting and Steven asking
good questions along the way.

Final Thoughts
I really enjoyed doing this problem with my classes, and it’s one that I
would highly recommend using with any class level. I wasn’t whether
or not to have small groups present their strategies to the class using
posters, but I’m really glad I did. In some cases, I was explicit with
students in asking them to represent all of the steps they took to get to
their answers—meaning, I wanted to see the mistakes as well as the
successes. But with other groups, I just let them go. I found this to be
an effective way of structuring the discussion about student responses.
By doing this, we got to talk about different ways of structuring and
illustrating our thinking, but we also got to talk about the choices
that the students made in terms of what to include and what to take
out when creating their posters. Over the past two years, a big part
of my teaching has involved talking about student work, and this
activity only reinforced it for me. Time spent talking about thinking
and talking about strategy is just as valuable as time spent solving
equations or graphing lines. I also learned a lot about my students’
ability to persevere and struggle from doing this activity. I do at least
one of these long-form problems every week, and at the beginning of the

244 REFLECTIVE TEACHING THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

cycle, my students tended to give up, get frustrated, and ask me why I
was making them do problems like this. But now that we’ve done ten or
twelve of them, my students have become real problem-solvers. It was
affirming to see that we can teach persistence and that our students do
benefit from it.

n What I Might Change

When I did the problem this time, I asked my students to work
independently for about twenty minutes, but then I allowed them
to work with the other people at their table for the next forty
minutes. I think that this improved the “presentation” element of
working on this problem, but I would be interested in seeing what
would happen if students just work independently the entire time.
I plan to try this next time around, just to see what I get from
them. My sense is that the small-group work facilitated some good
discussion, and it helped keep struggling students engaged. Even
if they weren’t able to completely solve the problem on their own,
they were able to provide input and feedback as the group worked
together. I’m also interested in trying this activity over a period of
a week. Students could submit something on the first day. I would
then provide some feedback and ask them to clarify their thinking
in places, and I would ask them to resubmit their work. I’d like to
see how their explanations and processes would change if they were
given several days, rather than just an hour, to think and elaborate.

n Unexpected Challenges
I used this problem with two groups of students who didn’t have
a lot of experience with geometry. Most of them were able to pick
up on area and perimeter quickly—in large part because it wasn’t
completely new—but some had a hard time. I can think of two or
three students who just couldn’t figure out how to make a
rectangle have a perimeter of 100 meters. Or, if they were able to
find one, then they couldn’t find one with different dimensions.
In these cases, I just asked the students to focus on creating
rectangles, not finding the one with the biggest area: “Calculating
the area can wait; for now, let’s just see how many different
rectangles we can find that have the perimeter we’re looking for.”
Next time I’ll be better prepared to help students with this part of
the problem.

n Student Takeaways
My students really liked this problem, and they liked getting the
opportunity to explain how they solved it. The students did learn
some important mathematical concepts, but I think that the most

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH REFLECTIVE TEACHING 245

 important thing they got out of it was thinking about how they
would create their posters so that they could talk about their
thinking. They learned that they needed to show the beginning
and intermediary steps before just getting to the answer because
this would help their classmates understand where the approach
came from and how they worked with it. Through the course of
the activity, I saw my students start to think like teachers. When
talking about their strategies, they explained all their steps and
they fielded questions, both from me and from their peers.

n Advice for Teachers

This is a great problem that gives students a lot of material to talk
about. On the surface, it just seems like another word problem, but
there are lots of extension questions you could pose to encourage
further thinking, and there are good discussions that can arise after
the students have already found the solution. S o don’t feel like you
have to rush through it. Take your time, talk to your students about
their thinking, and then ask them to show their thinking to their
peers. You’ll also get a sense of what your students are interested
in. Mine, for example, were really interested in turning this into a
function (because we had just covered functions). Each student will
find something interesting about this problem. So take a little bit of
time to let the class go where they want it to go. Your students will
appreciate it.

246 REFLECTIVE TEACHING THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

The Movie Theater Problem

The Problem:
At a movie theater in Windsor Terrace, the price of a children’s ticket is
50 percent of the price of an adult’s ticket. Nick and Katie (both adults)
took their three children to see a movie yesterday, and the total for all
the tickets was $36.75. What was the price of each child’s ticket?

Please show all your work, and circle your final answer.

How I Solved It
I solved this problem algebraically. Let x be the price of each child’s
ticket. An adult’s ticket costs twice as much as a child’s ticket, so the
price of each adult’s ticket would be 2x. There are two adults, and so
the total price for their tickets would be 2x + 2x, or 4x. There are three
children, and so their total ticket price would be 3x. The total for all
tickets would therefore be 4x + 3x, or 7x. This should be equal to the
amount paid, $36.75. So:

7x = 36.75

x = 5.25

A child’s ticket costs $5.25.

Other Ways to Solve This Problem

One possibility would be guess and check. Let’s assume that a child’s
ticket is $6.00. If this were true, then the total for the children would
be 3 times $6.00, or $18.00. Since the adult tickets cost twice as much,
and there are two adults, the adults paid $12.00 times 2, or $24.00. The
total for this scenario would be $42.00, which is too high. I could keep
adjusting my guess until I get the correct result.

I could also put this information into a table, which would help me to
organize my guesses. Let’s say I started by guessing that a child’s ticket
is $4.00, and then I recorded each subsequent guess into the table. It
might look something like this:

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH REFLECTIVE TEACHING 247

 Child’s Ticket Adult’s Ticket Total Cost
$4.00 × 3 = $12.00 $8.00 × 2 = $16.00 $12.00 + $16.00 = $28.00
$5.00 × 3 = $15.00 $10.00 × 2 = $20.00 $15.00 + $20.00 = $35.00
$6.00 × 3 = $18.00 $12.00 × 2 = $24.00 $18.00 + $24.00 = $42.00
$5.50 × 3 = $16.50 $11.00 × 2 = $22.00 $16.50 + $22.00 = $38.50
$5.25 × 3 = $15.75 $10.50 × 2 = $21.00 $15.75 + $21.00 = $36.75

Why Did You Choose This Problem?

What Do You Like About It?
I like the problem because even though the situation is easy to
understand, solving the problem is difficult. Because my students aren’t
familiar with algebra yet, they’ll have to puzzle it out using a bit of
guessing and exercising precision and control over basic operations. I’ve
noticed throughout the cycle that this group of students does very well
with calculation and that they don’t have too much trouble working
out rather complex problems when the methods required are clear to
them. However, they struggle when they have to puzzle things out for
themselves, especially when there are no given answers to choose from.
Had I given this problem the first week of class, I probably could have
expected most of my students to come up with an incorrect answer. Now
that we’ve had a bit more practice with problem solving, though, I expect
to see far more correct answers. And finally, this question requires
close reading, which is what my students struggle with the most. I
deliberately made the wording in the first part a little more confusing
than it needed to be, which will require them to think carefully about
how the two ticket prices are related. They’ll also be thrown by the
percent figure in there, and I’m guessing that a number of students will
try to apply formulas like the percent proportion, which probably won’t
be of much help here. The question requires a more comprehensive
understanding of what percent means. I’ll also be interested to see how
many “correct” answers I get that give me the price of an adult’s ticket
instead of a child’s ticket.

Why Is This a Good Problem?

I think this problem is a good fit for this particular group, and it will
help my students to persevere in problem solving. The problem has at
least a couple of different solution methods, and it requires a synthesis
of basic operations, close reading, and checking the answer. It requires
several steps in that the students will have to correctly identify the
number of adults and the number of children and then perform a few

248 REFLECTIVE TEACHING THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

rounds of basic operations. It requires also reasoning and inference
in that the students should use their own knowledge of the world to
assume that a child’s ticket likely wouldn’t cost something like $1.50 or
$22.00; common sense should help the students to arrive at an answer.
Students will definitely have to think about what the question is asking
before jumping right in, because in a sense they’ll be working backward
from the total to determine the cost of the “parts.” I think that this
requires a holistic approach to the concepts, in that they’ll see how the
basic operations relate to each other and to common, everyday settings.
This question also requires careful reading, and most students will need
to read it at least two or three times to really get a handle on it . Lastly,
this problem definitely invites the use of a few different problem-solving
strategies. I’m assuming most students will use guess-and-check; they’ll
draw pictures; they’ll work backwards; and they’ll look for patterns as
they try these strategies.

Challenges for Students

n Reading
As I noted above, my students have more difficulty with
understanding the question than with performing calculations.
I anticipate that some will simply assume all the ticket prices are
the same; others might misinterpret the number of people seeing
the movie; and others might return the price of an adult ticket instead
of a child’s ticket.

n Puzzling out an answer

This group has a hard time digging into really difficult problems when
the answer choices aren’t given to them. I think that this problem
will make them try a few different methods or guesses to arrive at the
answer. Some might get frustrated in doing this and might just give up.

n Checking their answer and making sure it makes sense

As with most of the students I teach at this level, this group has a
tendency to come up with an answer and then just go with it, without
making sure that it makes sense or that it actually checks out. When
I see the student work, I’m hoping to see that at least a few people
went back and made sure their answer was correct.

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH REFLECTIVE TEACHING 249

 Support
n I will emphasize careful reading and ask good clarifying questions. If a
student is struggling, I’ll read through the question with them and
make sure that they understand both the criteria set forth in the
problem and exactly what it is that the question is asking them. This
will help to set them on the right track in terms of figuring out how to
solve the problem.

n “I don’t know where to start.” This is something that I hear a lot, and
when this happens during this activity, I’ll ask what the student
thinks the answer could be. So, if a student is really struggling with
this problem, I’ll ask that they start by taking a guess at what the cost
of a child’s ticket will be, then I’ll see where that takes them.

n I will need to help students think about their answers and whether or not
they make sense. I plan to ask students how they can be sure that
their answer is correct and asking that they prove their answers to
me. This will show me that they really understand the question and
why their answer is correct.

Student Work
LI N DA’S APPROACH

Linda is perhaps the brightest student in the class, but because her
English-speaking and reading skills aren’t too good, she sometimes
gets hung up on problems with confusing wording. Her work on this
exercise exemplified this problem. I knew when I included a mention
of “50 percent” in the question that students would first try to use the
percent proportion to solve; this was Linda’s approach. She found that
50 percent of 36.75 was equal to 18.375, and it was hard for her to let
go of this number. Once she got it, she divided it by three and assumed
that each child’s ticket must be $6.125. She was then convinced that
this had to be part of the answer. Linda’s work—and her failure to solve
the problem correctly—showed both me and her how much she needs
to work on creative approaches to problem solving. Linda immediately
associated the percent figure with the percent proportion that we
worked on in class, and then couldn’t understand how it could be wrong.
She feels comfortable working with formulas and struggles when they
don’t always work out.

250 REFLECTIVE TEACHING THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

 1 Why did you choose this sample of work?
As I mentioned above, this sample shows a problem that Linda has
struggled with all semester. She doesn’t like to take guesses, draw
pictures, or work backwards. She likes to fall back on the formulas
that she has memorized, and when those don’t work out, she freezes
and can’t understand how her answer could be wrong, no matter
how much I try to lead her into thinking about the problem more
comprehensively. Linda’s work shows a student who sees numbers,
plugs them into what she knows, and thinks that it should result in
the correct answer, which, most of the time for Linda, it does. Oddly,
Linda also started asking people across the room for clues, which
is something I’ve never seen her do. When I would turn my back to
her and work with someone else, I would hear her whispering to
other students asking how they got the answer. It really shows how
uncomfortable she gets when her formulas don’t work.

2 How typical was this student’s approach in your class?

Very typical. Of the seven students who tried the exercise, all seven
started by finding 50 percent of $36.75. Most of the others, however,
realized that this approach wasn’t getting them anywhere and then
moved on. Linda had a hard time with this, even when I changed
the wording of the question to say that “an adult’s ticket cost twice
as much as a child’s ticket.” Although I thought that changing the
wording might affect Linda’s thinking—which it did for many of the
other students—she still couldn’t shake the notion that 50 percent
of $36.75 had something to do with the answer.

R U B E N’S APPROACH

From Ruben’s work, it’s difficult to tell exactly how his thinking is
organized, which I found interesting. He began by dividing 36.75 by
5, and came up with an answer of $7.35. When I pressed him on that
answer and asked if everything checked out, he was confident that it
did. But then when I asked him if the adults and the children all paid
the same price for tickets, he recognized his mistake. Then, like Linda,
he found 50 percent of the total ticket cost, but he seems to have realized
fairly quickly that it wasn’t working. Unlike Linda, though, he continued
to try to puzzle out an answer by labeling different numbers and by
repeating values for the ticket prices for the adults and for the children.
Ruben was not able to come up with the correct answer.

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH REFLECTIVE TEACHING 251

 1 Why did you choose this sample of student work?
I primarily chose it because of the student. Ruben isn’t very
strong mathematically, but in general he has a good head on his
shoulders and enough real-world experience using math that he’s
able to come up with correct answers, or at least strong guesses.
In two consecutive classes, he passed both both forms of the TASC
Readiness Test. This surprised me, in large part because Ruben’s
in-class work usually looks like it did on this exercise; that is, he
tends to just jump into a problem and plug in numbers. So I found
this example of work interesting because it seems like Ruben
doesn’t really have a plan, but he has consistently scored well on
all assessments he’s given in class, which tells me that I must be
missing something. This kind of disorganized work is something
that I warn students against in class, but Ruben doesn’t seem
able to break the habit—and maybe that’s okay. To my mind,
organization seems essential to doing math, and through his work
Ruben is making me call that idea into question. Or maybe we just
have different ideas of organization.

2 How typical was this student’s approach in your class?

Fairly atypical. In most of the samples I collected, the students
seemed to really consider things for a long time before writing
anything down, and even then, they didn’t write much. Ruben just
went right for it and worked with just about any number he could
find. By far, he wrote more and tried more than any other student.

AR I’S APPROACH

Like Ruben and Linda, one of the first things Ari did was calculate 50
percent of the total ticket price. She appears to have abandoned that
idea pretty quickly though. She then did what Ruben did and divided
36.75 by 5 to get $7.35. This is where Ari made an interesting mistake:
she began calculating 50 percent of 7.35, and then tried to work with
the resulting value, $3.67, as the child’s ticket price. At this point she
got stuck and asked for some guidance. When we checked her answer
against the criteria set forth in the question, she saw that her answer
was wrong and decided to try something else and started guessing. As
you see at the bottom of her page, she tried a few different child’s ticket
prices and then calculated the totals, adjusting her guesses as necessary
until she arrived at the correct answer.

1 Why did you choose this sample of student work?

Ari was the only student who answered this question correctly
on her own, and she was the second student to come up with an

252 REFLECTIVE TEACHING THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

 answer after Ruben’s initial incorrect one. In all, it took her about
ten minutes. Everyone else in the class labored over the problem
for more than a half hour and needed a good deal of guidance to
come up with an answer. When Ari got the answer of $5.25, she was
also confident in it and was able to prove that it was correct using
her calculator. Ari came into the class pretty unsure of herself,
but she has become a great student and a leader in the classroom.
Her ability to try different methods and be confident in her answer
shows really reflects her growth as a learner.

2 How typical was this student’s approach in your class?

Initially, it was typical. Ari was hung up on the numbers given to
her in the problem and fell back on the mathematical methods that
she would normally use to solve a problem. But when she realized
that those didn’t work, she felt comfortable stepping away from
them and making a guess. Soon after her first incorrect guess, she
realized that she would get to the correct answer using the guess-
and-check strategy and continued working until she came up with
the answer. Very few other students felt comfortable guessing, and
even when I recommended that they try it, those students were
resistant.

Final Thoughts
I learned that even though I have adopted more of a problem-solving
approach to the teaching of math in this course, I still have a ways to go.
My students’ relative inability to puzzle out an answer to this problem
showed me that they still have a long way to go in terms of being
problem solvers. They did a good job mathematically, which shows me
that I’ve at least done a reasonably effective job of teaching computation,
but their work on this problem evidence a real lack of comprehensive
understanding of mathematical concepts—in this case, percent. I
mentioned this in my workshop reflection, and it was made concrete in
class when I gave my students this problem.

All of this showed reminded me that teaching computation is such a

small part of the battle in HSE math. I’m now thinking that the best
thing to do is to work on fewer problems in class and instead really work
hard on just a few problems, emphasizing the deep connections between
concepts. It’s great for students to see and work on a wide variety of
problems, but if the conceptual understanding is missing, they still
won’t be able to solve difficult problems like this one on their own.

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH REFLECTIVE TEACHING 253

 n What I Might Change
I think that in changing the wording to involve a mention of
percent, I made this problem a little too difficult. Next time, I might
try saying that an adult ticket costs twice as much as a child’s
ticket and then see where my students take it. Another thought I
had is that we could have a discussion as a class about what the
50 percent means in the context of the question. Does it mean that
the children’s tickets were 50 percent of the total cost? How can we
connect 50 percent to a fraction? What do we need to calculate 50
percent of? And so on.

n Student Takeaways
I think that there is a great benefit in applying something that
you know you know only to learn that it doesn’t always work out
the way you think it should. In this case, almost everyone jumped
straight to the percent proportion, because it so often does help
them to get to the correct answer, even if it’s only a step along the
way. Here, falling back on the formula they had been using all
semester actually did them a disservice in solving this problem. It
is my hope that working on this problem for the length of time that
they did helped them to understand that they sometimes need to be
a little bit more creative.

It also really emphasized close reading, which is something that all

of my students have identified as something they need to work on.
Several students came up with answer that added up to $36.75, but
they ignored the criteria that a child’s ticket costs half as much as
an adult’s ticket. While it’s important to know what the question
is asking and to focus your efforts toward answering it, it’s also
important to keep the constraints in mind.

n Unexpected Challenges
I really didn’t think they would have quite as much trouble working
with and understanding the constraint built into the problem—
that children’s tickets cost half as much as adult tickets. Several
of them were able to come up with answers, but no student—save
perhaps Ari—showed me a correct answer on their first try. It was
also difficult to nudge students away from calculating 50 percent of
the total ticket price without giving too much away. And then when
I did, and when I encouraged them to try making a guess, they
would kind of roll their eyes and dismiss the suggestion, because I
think that many of my students see guessing and checking as “not
real math.” They want to know a more concrete, more typically
“mathematical” method. So this is something that I will try to build
on more before I give this question in the future.

254 REFLECTIVE TEACHING THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

n Advice for Teachers
I would recommend that a teacher first give the problem exactly as
it is written, just to see what students are able to com up with. But
then, I think it’s important to carefully structure the clues given to
the students as they continue struggling, and it’s just as important
to reinforce problem-solving strategies. I might also recommend
leading with a less confusingly worded constraint; the teacher
could then discuss other ways that the constraint could be written.
For example, each student could say that a child’s ticket is half as
much as an adult’s, or that each adult’s ticket is twice as much as
a child’s, or that an adult’s ticket costs 100% more than a child’s
ticket. This might be an interesting way to reinforce concepts.

Guessing and checking got a few people to the right answer, but
that was the only method that worked. After the first twenty
minutes to a half hour, I put five answer choices on the board and
told them that one of those answers was exactly correct. At this
point, the students started to remember that they could try each
one against the constraints set forth in the question—which, at
this point, we had gone over together as a group to make sure
that everyone was on the same page—and they came up with the
answer. I was pleased to see that they were able to work backwards,
but when I teach that solution method next semester, I’ll be sure to
do a better job of linking it to guessing and checking.

It might also be interesting, once students have arrived at the

correct answer, to have them create a similar question of their
own and then solve it. Or it might also be good to have students
write new questions based on the values in the question and the
answer. I like to emphasize that doing math is a creative process,
and I often have students write their own problems based on the
concepts covered in class that day. I haven’t, however, had them use
information from an existing question—one that they had solved—
to come up with something unique. I think I’ll try that next time.

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH REFLECTIVE TEACHING 255

 Education is what happens to the
other person, not what comes out
of the mouth of the educator.
—Myles Horton

256 THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

Math Resources
The resources here are divided up into Books, Articles/Reports and Web
Resources. Use the chart to get a sense of how each resource might best support
your work. Any resource that is marked “About Teaching” is focused on both the art
and the craft of teaching. “About Math Content” are resources for teachers who are
interested in deepening their own content knowledge of mathematics. “Problems”
are resources that have quality tasks and activities that can be used with adult
education math students. Any resource in any of those three categories could
be used for professional development, but the resources marked “Professional
Development” are ones that have specific activities and discussion questions for
teachers to do and talk about together.
Included after the chart are additional web resources that support math teachers.

BOOKS
ABOUT ABOUT MATH PROFESSIONAL
BOOK TITLE PROBLEMS
TEACHING CONTENT DEVELOPMENT

About Teaching Mathematics, by Marilyn Burns

5 Practices for Orchestrating Productive Mathematics

Discussions, by Margaret S. Smith and Mary Kay
Stein
Fostering Geometric Thinking: A Guide for Teachers,
Grades 5-10, by Mark Driscoll
The Art of Problem Posing, by Stephen I. Brown and
Marion I. Walter

Math Matters, by Suzanne Chapin and Art Johnson

Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics,

by Liping Ma
The Teaching Gap, by James Stigler and James
Hiebert
Fostering Algebraic Thinking: A Guide for Teachers,
Grades 6-10 by Mark Driscoll

What’s Math Got To Do With It?, by Jo Boaler

A Collection of Math Lessons from Grades 6 through

8, by Marilyn Burns and Cathy Humphreys
Lessons for Algebraic Thinking Grades 3 through 5,
by Maryann Wickett, Katharine Kharas and Marilyn
Burns
Lessons for Algebraic Thinking Grades 6-8,
by Ann Lawrence and Charlie Hennessy
Elementary and Middle School Mathematics:
Teaching Developmentally, by John A. Van De Wall,
Karen S, Karp, and Jennifer M. Bay-Williams

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH MATH RESOURCES 257

 ABOUT ABOUT MATH PROFESSIONAL
BOOK TITLE PROBLEMS
TEACHING CONTENT DEVELOPMENT
The entire EMPower series by Mary Jane Schmitt,
Myriam Steinback, Donna Curry, Tricia Donovan and
Martha Merson
Every Minute Counts: Making Your Math Class
Work and Making Minutes Count Even More,
by David R. Johnson
Classroom Discussions: Using Math Talk to Help
Students Learn, Grades 1-6, by Suzanne H. Chapin,
Catherine O’Connor and Nancy Canavan Anderson
Principles to Actions: Ensuring Mathematical
Success For All – National Council of Teachers
of Mathematics
A Problem-Solving Approach to Mathematics for
Elementary School Teachers, by Rick Billstein

ARTICLES/REPORTS
ABOUT ABOUT MATH PROFESSIONAL
ARTICLE / REPORT TITLE PROBLEMS
TEACHING CONTENT DEVELOPMENT
13 Rules that Expire, by Karen S. Karp, Sarah B.
Bush, and Barbara J. Dougherty
Algebraic Thinking in Adult Education, by Myrna
Manly and Lynda Ginsburg
Improving Learning in Mathematics: Challenges
and Strategies, by Malcolm Swan
The Thinking of Students: The Three Bears Cookie
Store, by Edward S. Mooney
Three Balloons for Two Dollars: Developing
Proportional Reasoning, by Cynthia W. Langrall and
Jane Swafford
Mathematical Tasks as a Framework for Reflection:
From Research to Practice, by Mary Kay Stein and
Margaret Schwan Smith
Fostering Relational Thinking while Negotiating the
Meaning of the Equals Sign, by Marta Molina and
Rebecca C. Ambrose
Promoting Algebraic Reasoning Using Student
Thinking, by Joyce W. Bishop, Albert D. Otto and
Cheryl A. Lubinski
Big Ideas and Understandings as the Foundation f
or Elementary and Middle School Mathematics,
by Randall I. Charles
A World of Difference, by James Hiebert and James
W. Stigler

258 MATH RESOURCES THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

 ABOUT ABOUT MATH PROFESSIONAL
ARTICLE / REPORT TITLE PROBLEMS
TEACHING CONTENT DEVELOPMENT
Orchestrating Discussions, by Margaret S. Smith,
Elizabeth K. Hughes, Randi A. Engle and Mary
Kay Stein
Characteristics of Japanese Mathematics Lessons,
by Akihiko Takahashi
Redefining Success in Math Teaching and Learning,
by Margaret Schwan Smith
Turning Traditional Textbook Problems into Open-
Ended Problems, by Mary S. Kabiri and Nancy L.
Smith
Selecting and Creating Math Tasks: From Research
to Practice, by Mary Schwan Smith and Mary Kay
Stein
Never Say Anything a Kid Can Say, by Steven
Reinhart
A Can of Coke Leads to a Piece of Pi, by Marilyn
Burns
Improving Middle School Teachers Reasoning and
Proportional Reasoning, by Charles Thompson and
William S. Bush
Teachers Investigating Adult Numeracy Bundles
(available online at http://tian.terc.edu)
Developing Algebraic Thinking Through Pattern
Exploration, by Lesley Lee and Viktor Freiman
Math Works! Guide, by the Teacher Excellence in
Adult Literacy (TEAL) Center
Problem-Solving as a Basis for Reform in
Curriculum and Instruction: The Case of
Mathematics by James Hiebert, Thomas P.
Carpenter, Elizabeth Fennama, Karen Fuson, Piet
Human, Hunlie Murray, Alwyn Olivier,
Diana Wearne

WEB RESOURCES
n Visualpatterns.org
Visual Patterns is a very simple and wonderful website, created by a public
middle school teacher in Southern California named Fawn Nguyen. The site is
essentially a collection of 157 different visual patterns (and growing). For each
pattern, you are given the first three figures/stages of the pattern.
 CollectEDNY.org
CollectEDNY offers a wealth of free, quality teaching resources vetted and
reviewed by adult education instructors for adult education instructors. Teachers
can also post comments sharing experiences and asking questions about the
teaching material.
THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH MATH RESOURCES 259
n Mathmistakes.org
A wonderful website edited by Michael Pershan, a middle and high school math
teacher. Teachers send in photos of student mistakes they find fascinating,
confounding and/or mysterious. Michael posts it on the site and then teachers
can discuss in the comment section. Teacher comments tend to focus on
analyzing the thinking, identifying the assumptions behind the work, strategies for
responding, what the next steps could be, etc.
n insidemathematics.org
This is a professional resource for educators passionate about improving
students’ mathematics learning and performance. The goal of the site is to help
educators continue to grow and transform their teaching practice. The site
includes lessons, challenging math problems, videos of classroom instruction,
videos of teachers planning lessons, videos of teachers reflecting on lessons they
just taught, etc.
n illustrativemathematics.org
This is a great resource that brought together teachers, math educators and
mathematicians to create mathematical tasks aligned to each standard of the
Common Core. There are currently over 1000 tasks, from grades K through
12. Because it is K-12, some tasks will need to be adapted, but there are rich
materials for adult education students at all levels, from ABE to HSE.
n Math Assessment Project—http://map.mathshell.org
The project has the goal of providing well-engineered assessment tools for
implementing the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. To meet this
goal, the MAP website covers three major content areas: formative assessment,
summative assessment, and professional development. The best place to start is
with the formative assessment lessons, which are called Classroom Challenges.
These classroom challenges are separated by grade level and divided into two
different sections: concept development lessons and problem-solving lessons.
n Which One Doesn’t Belong?—http://wodb.ca
WODB is a website with a very simple concept. It is “dedicated to providing
thought-provoking puzzles for math teachers and students alike.” Basically, it
presents four of something and you have to come up with a reason why each one
of the four things doesn’t belong.
n Dan Meyer’s Three-Act Math Tasks—http://blog.mrmeyer.com/2011/the-
three-acts-of-a-mathematical-story/
This web site shares interesting problems designed to be rolled out in three
stages (or acts). The goal is to help students develop initiative, perseverance and
retention while working to answer questions they have posed in response to real-
world problems.

260 MATH RESOURCES THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH

n Fawn Nguyen’s Blog—Fawnnguyen.com
Fawn Nguyen is a middle school math teacher in California. Finding Ways
is where she tells stories that are mainly about teaching and learning
mathematics in the classroom. Her blog is filled with great problems and
activities, engaging commentary and photos of student thinking and a
contagious love of teaching math.

n 101 Questions—101qs.com
The premise is simple. Go to the site and a photo or video will appear. You
are asked to write the first question that comes to your head. Then repeat.
But dig a little deeper and you will find math teachers who have created
lessons, activities and Three-Act Math Tasks using many of those photos
and videos. This site is also a great way for teachers to create their own
Three-Act Math Tasks.

n Estimation180.com—“Building number sense one day at a time.”

Each day of the school year Andrew Stadel presents his students with an
estimation challenge. His goal is to help students improve both their number
sense and problem solving skills. This website is his platform to share the
estimation challenges for other teachers to use with their students.

n Openmiddle.com
Inspired by Dan Meyers, this web site shares problems with an “open middle.”
This means that they have a closed beginning (start with the same initial
problem), have a closed end (one answer), but there are multiple ways to
approach and ultimately solve each problem.

n Would You Rather?—wyrmath.wordpress.com

This blog collects Would You Rather… questions for students, which we
students will have to consider, then justify their answers. The dilemmas posed
include lottery lump-sum payments versus monthly payments, choice of lines
in the supermarket, coupon discounts, leasing or buying a car, etc.

n Desmos.com
This free online calculator allows you to graph functions, plot tables of data,
and evaluate equations. If you create an account, you can also save your work
and export formulas and graphs.

 CUNY Framework Posts—http://www.collectedny.org/frameworkposts/

In the CUNY Framework Posts section of CollectEdNY, teachers can find
materials to extend the lessons in the CUNY HSE Curriculum Framework as
well as to provide additional support and practice for students. Teachers can
also find lessons/problems/readings/teaching materials for content that is not
contained within the CUNY HSE Framework.

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • MATH MATH RESOURCES 261