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Lesson Plan #2

Connecting Knowledge Day


Teacher Name: Taylor Eppler
Number of Students: 32
Date of Lesson: Fourth day of unit
Length of Lesson: 50 minutes
Lesson Objective:
The objective of this lesson is for the students to make a connection between solving
a system of equations by graphing and by the substitution method. Students should
use technology to allow them to graph systems of equations in different forms used
for the substitution method so they can make connections of why this method
works.
State Standards Addressed: CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.8.EE.C.7-8
Materials: TI-Inspire, whiteboard and markers, sheet of paper and pencil
Teaching Instructional Process:
Teacher Action
Anticipatory Set:
Have the following four
problems up on the
board as a warm-up
when the students walk
in.
1. Solve the system
of linear
equations by
graphing: y = -x +
8 and y = 4x 7
2. Solve by
graphing: x + 2y =
5 and 2x + 4y = 2
3. Solve using
substitution: y =
3x and x + 2y = 21
4. Solve using
substitution: x
+5y = -3 and 3x
2y = 8

Teacher Talk

Expected Response

Okay class, as you can


see there are four
problems up on the
The students should come up
board for you to do as a with the following solutions:
warm up. These are
1. (3,5)
examples of the types of
2. No solution (the lines
problems we have been
are parallel)
working on the last two
3. (-3,-9)
days. Please work on
4. (2,-1)
them independently
and we will go over
them in about ten
minutes.

What did your graph

Students should respond

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look like for #1? What


was the solution?
After about ten minutes
go over the problems on
the board.

Before moving on make


sure no one has any
questions about these
four problems or general
questions about solving
using graphing and the
substitution method.

What about for #2?


The lines were parallel when
What did the graph look they were graphed. This
like?
means the lines will never
cross and so there is no
solution.
How did you get #3?
What piece did you plug
in for what? What
variable did you solve
for first? What was your
answer?
Great job so far! What
did you get for the final
answer? Does anyone
have any questions
about these problems
before we move on?

Instructional Process:
After going over the
warm up problems
explain how both solving
by graphing and by
substitution essentially
are doing the same thing,
they just appear
different. Have students
brainstorm the
similarities and
differences between
them and write a list on
the board.

similar to this:
The graph for #1 had the
lines intersecting at x = 3 and
y = 5 so the solution is (3,5)

So after learning both


of these ways to solve
systems of linear
equations, what
similarities and
differences do you see
between them?

For 3, I plugged in 3x for y in


the second equation. I then
solved x to be -3 and used this
to find y using the first
equation. I found y to be -9

The answer to 4 is (2,-1)

Possible student responses.


Similarities:
o Both can solve systems
with one solution, no
solution, or infinitely
many solutions
o Both give you a
solution with an x and
y value
o Both are multiple step
processes that involve
solving for a variable
in the first step.
Differences:
o Graphing gives us a
picture of what is
happening
o Substitution method
seems to have more

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steps but be a little


faster
o We can use our
calculators to help us
graph

After you have made a


nice list on the board
have the students get a
TI-Inspire Calculator. Go
over the next problem
with them and how they
will use their calculators
to show that solving
using substitution and
graphing are really doing
the same thing.

Once students have


solved the system using
the traditional way of
graphing, have them
begin the process for
solving by substitution
but pausing after each
step and graphing what
they have. This will

Please grab a TIInspire, and open a new


document with a graph.
Given the following
system of equations,
what would we need to
do first to solve by
graphing? This is what
we talked about two
days ago remember
x = -y and 6 = 2x y

Students should realize that


first they need to solve both
equations for y. They would
then solve the equations and
get y = -x and y = 2x 6

Students should find the


answer (2,-2) and their graph
should look like this:

Now please graph


these two equations on
your calculator and tell
me what you get

Great job! Now tell me


how you would begin to
solve this same
problem using
substitution. What is
the firs step you would
do? Lets graph the
equations after this first
step before we move
on. We will be graphing
them a little bit

Students should remember


that the first step for solving a
system by substitution is to
solve one of the equations for
one variable. They should
then see that the first
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show students that even


though the two
processed look different,
they are still doing the
same thing and that is
why they both give you
the same answer.

differently.
First we need to add a
page so click the blue
ctrl button and then
doc. Make sure you add
graphs! Now go to
menu, graph entry/edit,
equation, line, and
select the form that
looks most like our
equations. We might
have to switch them
around a little to fit the
form for the calculator.
For our given equations
choose #3. For x = -y we
need both variables on
the same side so move
the y over to get x + y =
0. Now type this into
the calculator. You
should enter 1x +1y = 0
and then hit enter to
graph. Repeat this for
the second equation 6 =
2x y

equation is already solved for


x so the first step is done for
them.

The students should then


graph x = -y and 6 = 2x y
using the new way of
graphing and the graph
should look like this

Go back to the first


page. Does this graph
look the same as the
other one we did?

The students should see that


the graphs look the same and
havent changed

Now lets move onto


the next step. What
would we do next to
solve using
substitution?

Students should respond


similarly to this:
Next we would replace the y
in the second equation with a
x. This would give us x = 2x
6

Good, now lets move

Students should see that since


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that 2x over to the


other side to give us -3x
+ 0y = -6. Lets graph
this. Notice the graph is
a vertical line at x=2.
How does this relate to
our problem? Solve -3x
= -6 for x. What do you
get? Does this match
our graph?

Moving onto the next


step, plug 2 in for x in
the first equation to
solve for y. What does
this give us? Graph 0x +
-y = 2. What does this
graph look like?

After finishing this


exploration give the
students one more
system of equations to
work through with a
partner.

the solution is (2,-2) x=2 so it


should make sense that when
we are graphing the equation
with only x values, the graph
gives us x=2 which is what we
would get solving using
substitution.

This gives us 2 = -y. The


graph is a horizontal line at
y=-2

Now finish solving for


y using substitution.
What do you get? How
does this match our
graph?

Students should get y = -2 and


see that this matches our
graph, giving us the answer
for y.

Try this process again


with the following
system of equations.
-x = y 8
y 4x = -7

Students should work


through this problem just like
the last one noticing that both
ways produce the answer
(3,5).

Work with a partner


and write out your
process. Make sure you
have a hat on your

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calculator so I can check


in on how you are doing
and see your graphs on
my computer.
Before the students
leave class have them
write a short response
reflecting on the class
period.
It is important to follow
up with students who
write down that they are
still confused and
answer any questions
students write down the
next day

I am passing out
notecards to everyone
right now. Before you
leave class today please
write something you
learned today,
something you are still
confused about, or a
question you have. This
will be your ticket out
the door!

Students could write


something like they learned
why the substitution method
works and how it is a
different way of doing the
same thing as graphing. They
might also say they are still
confused about why the
graphs changed when we
graphed the -3x = -6 or 2 = -y.
They could also ask a question
about how many more
methods are there to solving
systems of linear equations.

Guided Practice and Monitoring:


The review questions during the warm up is a great way to see what students
remember from previous days and where you need to start for your lesson that day.
Also working through the exploration like that as a class gives students the chance
to ask questions and for you to walk around the room at times and check that
everyone is doing okay. You can also use the TI-Inspire software to see what the
students are doing on their calculator and monitor what they are doing. The exit
ticket is also a great way to see what students have learned and what topics might
still be confusing and address these areas and questions the next day at the
beginning of class.
Strategies to Engage Diverse Learners:
Using the calculators can be a great tool for some diverse learners, but it could be
difficult or a distraction to others. Students who struggle with fine motor skills will
have a much easier time graphing on their calculator than by hand but a student
with ADHD for example might have a hard time following all of the steps to learn
how to use the calculator to graph. For students who are struggling with this
technology you could pair them with a buddy who will help them use their
calculator. Another accommodation that can be made is that if a student needs
more time on their exit ticket you could allow them to take it home with them and
return it to you the next morning.

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