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Additional Teaching Ideas 2.6

This document provides teaching ideas and resources for teaching inequalities to lower secondary mathematics students. It includes starter, main teaching, and plenary ideas. The main teaching idea focuses on helping students understand that letters in inequalities can represent open intervals by having them list possible numbers for expressions like "n < 10". Questioning and examples on a number line are suggested to differentiate for struggling students. A plenary flash card activity reviews inequalities by having students state numbers that satisfy shown inequalities.

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Pooja Sharma
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23 views

Additional Teaching Ideas 2.6

This document provides teaching ideas and resources for teaching inequalities to lower secondary mathematics students. It includes starter, main teaching, and plenary ideas. The main teaching idea focuses on helping students understand that letters in inequalities can represent open intervals by having them list possible numbers for expressions like "n < 10". Questioning and examples on a number line are suggested to differentiate for struggling students. A plenary flash card activity reviews inequalities by having students state numbers that satisfy shown inequalities.

Uploaded by

Pooja Sharma
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CAMBRIDGE LOWER SECONDARY MATHEMATICS 7: TEACHER’S RESOURCE

Additional teaching
ideas
2.6 Inequalities
Starter idea Main teaching ideas
Greater than, less than or equal to <ess than? (10 minutes)
(5 minutes if the numbers are on the Learning intention: To understand that letters can
board when learners arrive to class. represent an open interval (one term).
Slightly more time if learners are writing Resources (including stimulus materials): Mini
answers on the board.) whiteboards
Resources (physical/digital resource or manipulables): Description: This activity promotes a deeper
Mini whiteboards understanding of the number list represented by the
Description: Write pairs of numbers on the board inequality < (extending to >, if suitable). First, read
with a space large enough for you [or learners] to the two examples in the Learner’s Book:
write <, > or = between the two numbers. The inequality x > 4 means that x can be any number
Start with very simple pairs of numbers, such greater than 4.
as 4 and 3, 8 and 5, 17 and 17, 25 and 3.5, then The inequality y < 7 means that y can be any number
gradually use larger and more varied numbers that less than 7.
learners have seen before. Aim for less than a quarter Write ‘n < 10’ as you say ‘My number [write n] is an
of the pairs being equal and an equal mix of integer [remind learners that an integer is any whole
< and > answers. number], which is less than [write <] 10 [write 10].
If you are going to write the answers on the board, What could my number be?’ Repeat the sentence as
get learners to write < on one side of their mini you point to the three parts of the inequality at least
whiteboard and > on the other side. When you one more time.
point to a pair of numbers, learners show you the Ask learners to give suggestions. If the first learner
appropriate side of their mini whiteboard. If the says ‘9’, other learners might think they have got the
answer is ‘=’ then learners hold up the board with only correct answer. Say that 9 is a possible correct
an edge towards you, so that you can’t see either the answer, but there are lots of other possible answers.
< or the >. Ask for other suggestions. Write the suggestions
If you prefer learners to write on the board, you below ‘n < 10’ as they are given. Continue to ask for
could either do one number pair at a time or ask a more and more suggestions, until you get at least
learner for a particular type; for example ‘Write the two negative answers. Learners need to understand
greater than sign on any pair of numbers where the that for the inequality n < 10, n can be any of the
first number is greater than the second number.’ numbers they have suggested, and many, many more
When showing the boards, learners might make (only use the term ‘infinite’ if you are sure your class
mistakes because they are looking at the back of the will understand it). Explain that you don’t write them
board. After a few practices, mistakes should only be all, but usually you write only the first four or five
made by those with a genuine misunderstanding of numbers followed by ‘. . .’ (ellipses) to show that the
what you have asked. list continues forever.

1 Cambridge Lower Secondary Mathematics 7 – Byrd, Byrd & Pearce © Cambridge University Press 2021
CAMBRIDGE LOWER SECONDARY MATHEMATICS 7: TEACHER’S RESOURCE

Write ‘n = 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, . . .’ alongside the ‘n < 10’ Answers:


already on the board. a There is not a greatest integer because as long as
Point out that the inequality here has a ‘is less than’ y is greater than the values shown, it can be any
symbol, but when you give the list that the number integer.
could be, you use an ‘is equal to’ symbol. b There is not a smallest integer because as long
as n is less than the values shown, it can be any
Ask the class to write on their mini whiteboards a integer.
list of integers for the inequality n < 7. If you see any
learners with a list starting with 7, ask them to read
Differentiation ideas: For learners who find these
out loud the sentence n < 7. Make sure they say
concepts difficult to understand, in part a of both
‘n is less than 7’ and ask ‘Are all of the numbers in
Questions 6 and 7, ask learners to draw each
your list ‘less than’ 7?’
inequality on a number line. Help them if necessary.
When completed, ask ‘Why is there an arrow sign on
Answers: n = 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, . . . the end of each line?’ If necessary, reinforce that the
arrow is there to show that the line and the list of
Differentiation ideas: If appropriate, repeat this numbers continues forever.
activity for examples with the inequality >.
Plenary idea
Question 8, Think like a mathematician
(10–15 minutes) Flash cards (5–10 minutes)
Learning intention: To understand some of the Resources: Paper (cut up pieces of A4 into eight
implications when dealing with inequalities. To pieces. Each piece will be about 75 mm by 100 mm).
realise that with > you can find the smallest value, You need one piece of paper per learner.
but not the largest value; and that with < you can Description: Give each learner a piece of paper.
find the largest, but not the smallest value. Ask them to write onto one side of the paper any
Resources (including stimulus materials): Learner’s inequality with < or > that they choose. They should
Book, learner’s answers to Questions 6 and 7. write their inequality large enough to read from the
other side of the room. Collect all of the pieces of
Description: Before marking Questions 6 and 7, put
paper and shuffle them briefly.
the learners into pairs (or small groups). Read out
part a of Question 8. Give learners 3 minutes to Show the first inequality to the first learner. The
discuss this and to write down their reason. After 2 learner needs to say any number that satisfies the
minutes have passed, tell learners that they have 1 inequality shown to them. The rest of the class must
minute to write down their reason. listen. When the answer has been said, the other
learners put their hands up if they think the answer is
Put learners into a different pair (or small group).
correct. Only intervene when some/lots of/all learners
Read out part b of Question 8. Again, give learners
don’t raise their hands.
3 minutes to discuss this and to write down their
reason. After 2 minutes have passed, tell learners that Now show the second inequality to the second
they have 1 minute to write down their reason. learner and repeat. Then show the third inequality to
the third learner, etc.
Then, as a whole class, ask a learner to read out their
reason for part a. Decide as a class if it is a good Assessment ideas (including self or peer assessment,
reason. If the class does not think it is a good reason, if relevant): Each learner should have at least one
ask ‘How can it be improved?’ If necessary, explain question to answer, which will be checked by the
that infinity is not a number, it is more of a concept/ class and discussed if you think it’s necessary. With
idea. Repeat for part b. so many questions to answer/check, it is unlikely
that learners will not understand this topic by
When the discussion is finished, read out the answers
the end of the activity. If you are unsure that all
to Questions 6 and 7 for learners to self-mark.
learners understand, ask one or two questions, using
Remind learners that the ‘. . .’ at the end of their
the cards, for the whole class to answer on a mini
list is very important because it shows that the list
whiteboard or in their notebooks for you to check.
continues forever.

2 Cambridge Lower Secondary Mathematics 7 – Byrd, Byrd & Pearce © Cambridge University Press 2021

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