8-9 Algebraic Thinking - Activities

• A visual approach to algebra (ENC-012404) This book contains real world exercises designed to help students, grades 6 to 12, learn to develop graphs for function and relation problems, before tackling these problems with a traditional algebraic approach. In each exercise, students consider graphic representations before they use equations, matching graphs with verbal statements, interpreting graphs, and drawing simple graphs. The book includes notes for the teacher as well as all student materials.

• Algebra magic tricks-Volume 1 (ENC-004355) These activities help students practice their algebra skills through simple magic number tricks. Each trick provides students the opportunity to guess how it works and then test their hypotheses using basic algebra. The acitivites incorporate the following algebraic concepts: use of variables; algebraic expressions; polynomials; and solving equations. Teacher instructions and student worksheets are included.

• Family math: The middle school years. Algebraic reasoning and number sense. (ENC-014148) This resource book, written for parents of students in grades 5 to 8 and useful for their teachers, is filled with fun, instructive, and nonthreatening math activities for families or small class groups to enjoy together. Most activities involve several integrated math concepts rather than isolated skills and aim to promote better student understanding and mathematics achievement. Algebraic thinking and the development of number sense are the focus of this book designed to help prepare students for advanced high school mathematics. The mathematics behind each activity is explained in notes to the reader.

• Logic algebra problems (ENC-011448) This book is a collection of fifty number puzzles designed to provide experiences in problem solving and thinking skills for high school students who have a background in algebra. Each puzzle consists of a sequence of ten clues about an unknown number. Students use deductive reasoning to discover the answer using the fewest clues possible. The primary emphasis is on problem-solving strategies and thinking skills.

• Number SENSE : Simple Effective Number Sense Experiences. Grades 6-8. (ENC-016338) This resource book for teachers, part of the NUMBER SENSE series, contains 40 experiences, each broken into several five to fifteen minute activities, that aim to help students in grades 6 to 8 develop number sense. The four book series is designed to promote thinking and reflection about numbers with primary through middle school students. Each volume is divided into six sections that explore the major components of number sense: estimation, measurement, and mental computation along with multiple representation, number relationships, and relative size.

• Sunshine math-Pluto Grade 8 (ENC-013669) This resource binder, part of the SUNSHINE MATH SUPERSTARS III enrichment program, contains 27 activity sheets for grade 8 mathematics, featuring problems that include solving systems of equations, computing averages, and finding probabilities. The answer section contains commentary on each problem with suggestions for parallel problems to use to stimulate discussion.

• Super problems (ENC-011447) This kit contains a collection of sixteen sets of problems designed to develop problem solving skills in students grades 7 - 9. Each set contains three related problems including a warm-up problem, a main problem (also presented as an illustrated poster), and an extension problem. The problem book contains background ideas for teaching problem solving, followed by the collection of problems, each on a reproducible worksheet with detailed teaching suggestions and solutions on the reverse side. Among the topics investigated are the Fibonacci numbers, binary numbers, and simple equations.