Education Technology


From Expressions to Equations

Activity Overview

Substitute values for variables, evaluate expressions, and solve equations.

Objectives

  • Students will recognize the difference between evaluating an expression and solving an equation.
  • Students will recognize that an expression cannot be true or false for any value of the variable while an equation can be true or false depending on the values of the variable.
  • Students will substitute replacements for the variables in an equation to find the solution.
  • Students will recognize that an equation is composed of two expressions.

Vocabulary

  • Expression
  • Equation
  • Variable

About the Lesson

This lesson involves substituting values for variables, evaluating expressions, and solving equations. The emphasis is on helping students understand that an expression and an equation are two distinctly different mathematical objects. As a result, students will:

  • Make conjectures about the connection between the values being substituted in the expression or equation and the outcomes.