Algebraic Reasoning Class Summary 10/21/13

with Kim Rodgers

Mighty Morph Machine!

The Morph Machine was introduced in class on Monday!

This machine has two chambers. The first transforms the number going into the machine, while the second restores the number back to its original number through different processes. 

Mental math was used to take each student’s choice of a number through the first stage of the Morph Machine. Once students' numbers were sufficiently morphed using several steps, we made a T-table and they shared their outcomes. I surprised them all by “guessing” their restored number quickly and correctly! Once we did a handful of these morphed/restored numbers the students began to see a pattern and could “guess” the restored numbers, as well. Even though there were several steps to get to the morphed number, they saw that they could do one step to get back to their original number. We did several of these together, with the students seeing patterns more quickly each time.

In order to take a mental break, the students worked on number tile problems with a partner. You should have received an e-mail with a photo of the one they were working on. Some of the students wanted to work on the solutions at home. After about 15 minutes we went back to the Morph Machine.

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This time we worked on restoring our numbers by going backwards through the sequence of steps we had used to morph our numbers. Students saw how using the opposite operations would bring them back to their original number. Using this strategy in class next week will lead us to begin writing our steps using algebraic form. We will also see how the Morph Machine works with shapes, as well as using morphs that seem magical! 

See you next week!