few_shots: 
Example 1:
Problem/activity:
You’re mixing ingredients for cookies. The recipe says to combine 6 tablespoons, or ¾ stick, of butter with 1 cup of sugar. You accidentally mix in a whole stick of butter (8 tablespoons) with the cup of sugar. How can you fix this?


Concept/skill: 
Recognize and represent proportional relationships between quantities.

Answer: 
No. Usually problems that teach recognizing and representing proportional relationships between quantities involve deciding whether two quantities are in a proportional relationship or identifying the constant of proportionality, and then representing proportional relationships by equations or explaining proportional relationship using coordinate graphs.

Example 2:
Problem/activity:
For each pair of numbers, determine if the values are equivalent. Explain your reasoning for each one.
a.
$$-0.25$$
and
$$\frac{1}{-4}$$
b.
$$-\left ( \frac{1}{4} \right )$$
and
$$\frac{-1}{-4}$$
c.
$$\frac{-1}{4}$$
and
$$-\frac{1}{4}$$


Concept/skill: 
Apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication and division and of fractions to multiply and divide rational numbers.

Answer: 
Yes. This problem involves understanding fractions and division to divide rational numbers, such as 1, -4, 4, and -1. This problem also involves an understanding of multiplication: if p and q are integers, then -(p/q) = (-p)/q = p/(-q).

Example 3:
Problem/activity:
Problem 1
The table below contains single equations in a single variable, single equations in two variables, and pairs of simultaneous equations in two variables. Check the appropriate box to show whether there is no solution, exactly 1 solution, or if there is an infinite number of solutions.
{"table": [{"_attributes": {"align": "center", "class": ["table", "table-bordered"], "style": "table-layout:fixed; width:70%"}, "tbody": [{"tr": [{"td": [{"_attributes": {"style": "text-align:center"}}, {"_attributes": {"style": "text-align:center"}, "strong": [{"_value": "No solution"}]}, {"_attributes": {"style": "text-align:center"}, "strong": [{"_value": "Exactly 1 solution"}]}, {"_attributes": {"style": "text-align:center"}, "strong": [{"_value": "Infinite number of solutions"}]}]}, {"td": [{"_attributes": {"style": "text-align:center"}, "span": [{"_attributes": {"class": ["math-tex"]}, "_value": "$${9=4x+7}$$"}]}, {"_attributes": {"style": "text-align:center"}}, {"_attributes": {"style": "text-align:center"}}, {"_attributes": {"style": "text-align:center"}}]}, {"td": [{"_attributes": {"style": "text-align:center"}, "span": [{"_attributes": {"class": ["math-tex"]}, "_value": "$${y=3y+5}$$"}]}, {"_attributes": {"style": "text-align:center"}}, {"_attributes": {"style": "text-align:center"}}, {"_attributes": {"style": "text-align:center"}}]}, {"td": [{"_attributes": {"style": "text-align:center"}, "span": [{"_attributes": {"class": ["math-tex"]}, "_value": "$${y={x\\over2}}$$"}]}, {"_attributes": {"style": "text-align:center"}}, {"_attributes": {"style": "text-align:center"}}, {"_attributes": {"style": "text-align:center"}}]}, {"td": [{"p": [{"_attributes": {"style": "text-align:center"}, "span": [{"_attributes": {"class": ["math-tex"]}, "_value": "$${3x+6y-9=0}$$"}]}]}, {"_attributes": {"style": "text-align:center"}}, {"_attributes": {"style": "text-align:center"}}, {"_attributes": {"style": "text-align:center"}}]}, {"td": [{"p": [{"_attributes": {"style": "text-align:center"}, "span": [{"_attributes": {"class": ["math-tex"]}, "_value": "$${x=y}$$"}]}, {"_attributes": {"style": "text-align:center"}, "span": [{"_attributes": {"class": ["math-tex"]}, "_value": "$${1.25x=1.25y}$$"}]}]}, {"_attributes": {"style": "text-align:center"}}, {"_attributes": {"style": "text-align:center"}}, {"_attributes": {"style": "text-align:center"}}]}, {"td": [{"p": [{"_attributes": {"style": "text-align:center"}, "span": [{"_attributes": {"class": ["math-tex"]}, "_value": "$${9.9=6x+8y}$$"}]}, {"_attributes": {"style": "text-align:center"}, "span": [{"_attributes": {"class": ["math-tex"]}, "_value": "$${9x=2.5y-8.8}$$"}]}]}, {"_attributes": {"style": "text-align:center"}}, {"_attributes": {"style": "text-align:center"}}, {"_attributes": {"style": "text-align:center"}}]}, {"td": [{"p": [{"_attributes": {"style": "text-align:center"}, "span": [{"_attributes": {"class": ["math-tex"]}, "_value": "$${11x-2y=1.5}$$"}]}, {"_attributes": {"style": "text-align:center"}, "span": [{"_attributes": {"class": ["math-tex"]}, "_value": "$${11x-2y=2.5}$$"}]}]}, {"_attributes": {"style": "text-align:center"}}, {"_attributes": {"style": "text-align:center"}}, {}]}]}]}]}
Problem 2
Kim has a small container and a large container as shown.
[IMG]
It takes 16 of the small containers to fill the large container. Three small containers leave 1.95 gallons of space in the big container.
What is the size of each of the two containers?


Concept/skill: 
Analyze and solve pairs of simultaneous linear equations.

Answer: 
Yes. The last three rows of the table in the first problem involves solving pairs of simultaneous linear equations. The second word problem can also be represented as two simultaneous linear equations.

Now, does the problem or activity shown below enable students to learn the full intent of the following concept or skill?

shot_info: fl_problem_000972_neg_0

6

fl_problem_001097_pos_0

7

fl_problem_001392_pos_0

8
standard_description: Use ratio and rate reasoning to solve real-world and mathematical problems, e.g., by reasoning about tables of equivalent ratios, tape diagrams, double number line diagrams, or equations.
problem_activity: Activity
One purpose of this activity is to practice seeing the total length of a segment as the sum of its pieces, and using the whole side length of a rectangle to express its area. Another is to generate examples of equivalent expressions, and understand why they are equivalent based on an understanding of area and the distributive property.
Monitor for students who write different but equivalent expressions to represent the area of a rectangle. For example,
\(2(t+5+t)\)
,
\(2t+10+2t\)
, and
\(4t+10\)
for figure B.
Student Facing
Complete the table with the length, width, and area of each rectangle.
[IMG]
{"table": [{"_attributes": {"border": "1"}, "thead": [{"tr": [{"th": [{"_attributes": {"scope": "col"}, "_value": "rectangle"}, {"_attributes": {"scope": "col"}, "_value": "length (units)"}, {"_attributes": {"scope": "col"}, "_value": "width (units)"}, {"_attributes": {"scope": "col"}, "_value": "area (square units)"}]}]}], "tbody": [{"tr": [{"td": [{"_value": "A"}, {"span": [{"_attributes": {"class": ["math", "math-repaired"]}, "_value": "\\(a+4\\)"}]}, {}, {}]}, {"td": [{"_value": "B"}, {}, {"_value": "2"}, {}]}, {"td": [{"_value": "C"}, {}, {}, {}]}, {"td": [{"_value": "D"}, {}, {}, {}]}, {"td": [{"_value": "E"}, {}, {}, {}]}]}]}]}
Student Response
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Activity Synthesis
Invite previously-selected students to share different but equivalent expressions for length and area. (Reassure students that it doesn’t matter which side is considered the length or the width.) If any students express confusion over a response, encourage the student who came up with the response to explain. For example, a student might wonder why
\(a+a+a\)
can be expressed as
\(3a\)
.
Display the table from the task statement for all to see, and write any equivalent expressions that are mentioned next to each other. For example, for the area of figure A, you might write
\(5(a+4)\)
,
\((4+a) \boldcdot 5\)
, and
\(5a+20\)
. Show in the figure how you can see
\(5(a+4)\)
(the product of one side and the other whole side) and
\(5a+20\)
(the area of each smaller rectangle, added up). Emphasize that all of these expressions correctly represent the area of the whole figure, and highlight use of the distributive property where it occurs.


aligns: no