few_shots: Example 1:
Problem/activity:
Task
Materials
One 10-frame per pair of students (see example below)
[IMG]
Counters, 10 per pair of students
Decks of number cards 0-5 (with 4 of each number) or two 0-5 dice
Setup
This activity is done in pairs. The students sit side by side with 10-frame and deck of cards or dice. If they have cards, the cards are shuffled and placed face down in front of them.
Action
Player 1 flips a card or rolls the die. They place that many counters on the 10-frame. Player 2 flips a card or rolls the die. They place that many more counters on the 10-frame next to the counters already on the ten frame. The students count the total together.
A recording sheet can be added when the students have been introduced to equations and number sentences. For those students who can handle higher numbers, a deck of 0-10 cards and two 10-frames can be used.
This game can also be played alone.


Mathematical concept/skill options: 
A. Write and interpret numerical expressions.
B. Generate and analyze patterns.
C. Analyze patterns and relationships.
D. Use properties of operations to generate equivalent expressions.
E. Use the four operations with whole numbers to solve problems.
F. Work with radicals and integer exponents.
G. Solve systems of equations.
H. Represent and solve problems involving multiplication and division.
I. Perform arithmetic operations on polynomials.
J. Understand the relationship between zeros and factors of polynomials.
K. Understand properties of multiplication and the relationship between multiplication and division.
L. Solve real-life and mathematical problems using numerical and algebraic expressions and equations.
M. Solve problems involving the four operations, and identify and explain patterns in arithmetic.
N. Use polynomial identities to solve problems.
O. Apply and extend previous understandings of arithmetic to algebraic expressions.
P. Rewrite rational expressions.
Q. Interpret the structure of expressions.
R. Add and subtract within 20.
S. Analyze and solve linear equations and pairs of simultaneous linear equations.
T. Represent and analyze quantitative relationships between dependent and independent variables.
U. Solve equations and inequalities in one variable.
V. Create equations that describe numbers or relationships
W. Reason about and solve one-variable equations and inequalities.
X. Represent and solve equations and inequalities graphically.
Y. Understand solving equations as a process of reasoning and explain the reasoning.
Z. Understand and apply properties of operations and the relationship between addition and subtraction.
AA. Gain familiarity with factors and multiples.
AB. Understand addition as putting together and adding to, and understand subtraction as taking apart and taking from.
AC. Work with addition and subtraction equations.
AD. Multiply and divide within 100.
AE. Work with equal groups of objects to gain foundations for multiplication.
AF. Represent and solve problems involving addition and subtraction.
AG. Write expressions in equivalent forms to solve problems.
AH. Understand the connections between proportional relationships, lines, and linear equations.


Thought: This task teaches students to understand addition as putting together counters, or adding to already placed counters.
Answer: AB

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
$$-\frac{1}{4}$$


Mathematical concept/skill options: 
A. Apply and extend previous understandings of operations with fractions to add, subtract, multiply, and divide rational numbers.
B. Reason quantitatively and use units to solve problems.
C. Apply and extend previous understandings of numbers to the system of rational numbers.
D. Represent complex numbers and their operations on the complex plane.
E. Perform arithmetic operations with complex numbers.
F. Compute fluently with multi-digit numbers and find common factors and multiples.
G. Represent and model with vector quantities.
H. Perform operations on vectors.
I. Use properties of rational and irrational numbers.
J. Use complex numbers in polynomial identities and equations.
K. Extend the properties of exponents to rational exponents.
L. Know that there are numbers that are not rational, and approximate them by rational numbers.
M. Perform operations on matrices and use matrices in applications.
N. Apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication and division to divide fractions by fractions.


Thought: This problem involves understanding fractions, multiplication, and division.
Answer: A

Example 3:
Problem/activity:
Find the general solution for:
$${\mathrm{cos}\left({\pi\over2}+x\right)=\mathrm{tan}{\pi\over4}}$$


Mathematical concept/skill options: 
A. Prove and apply trigonometric identities.
B. Model periodic phenomena with trigonometric functions.
C. Interpret functions that arise in applications in terms of the context.
D. Build a function that models a relationship between two quantities.
E. Define, evaluate, and compare functions.
F. Use functions to model relationships between quantities.
G. Understand the concept of a function and use function notation.
H. Analyze functions using different representations.
I. Extend the domain of trigonometric functions using the unit circle.
J. Interpret expressions for functions in terms of the situation they model.
K. Build new functions from existing functions.
L. Construct and compare linear and exponential models and solve problems.


Thought: This problem applies trigonometric identities, including the angle addition formula for cosine.
Answer: A

Now, assign the following problem or activity to one or more relevant mathematical concepts/skills it teaches.
shot_info: im_task_001477

K

fl_problem_001097

7

fl_problem_001894

HS_0
options: Use functions to model relationships between quantities.

Prove and apply trigonometric identities.

Construct and compare linear and exponential models and solve problems.

Build new functions from existing functions.

Extend the domain of trigonometric functions using the unit circle.

Analyze functions using different representations.

Interpret expressions for functions in terms of the situation they model.

Interpret functions that arise in applications in terms of the context.

Understand the concept of a function and use function notation.

Define, evaluate, and compare functions.

Model periodic phenomena with trigonometric functions.

Build a function that models a relationship between two quantities.
problem_activity: Activity
The purpose of this activity is to connect features of an equation representing a function to what that means in a context.
Students start with two functions that represent a tank being filled up and another being drained out and are asked to determine which equations represent which situation. This gives students the opportunity to connect initial value and slope, which they learned about in a previous unit, to the general form of the linear equation and to the fact that linear relationships are functions.
Launch
Arrange students in groups of 2. Give students 3–5 minutes of quiet work time and then time to share their responses with their partner and reach agreement on their answers. Encourage partners to talk about specific parts of the graph and equation that indicate whether the tank is filling up or draining out. Follow with a whole-class discussion.
Action and Expression: Internalize Executive Functions.
Chunk this task into more manageable parts to support students who benefit from support with organization and problem solving. For example present one question at a time.
Supports accessibility for: Organization; Attention
Writing, Conversing: MLR5 Co-Craft Questions.
Display the task statement without the questions that follow. Ask pairs of students to write possible mathematical questions about the situation. Then, invite pairs to share their questions with the class. Look for questions that ask students to determine which tank is increasing or decreasing in volume. This helps students produce the language of mathematical questions and talk about the relationship between slope and the situation of water flowing in or out of a tank prior to solving the questions in this activity.
Design Principle(s): Maximize meta-awareness; Support sense-making
Student Facing
There are four tanks of water.
The amount of water in gallons,
\(A\)
, in Tank A is given by the function
\(A = 200 + 8t\)
, where
\(t\)
is in minutes.
The amount of water in gallons,
\(B\)
, in Tank B starts at 400 gallons and is decreasing at 5 gallons per minute. These functions work when
\(t \geq 0\)
and
\(t \leq 80\)
.
Which tank started out with more water?
Write an equation representing the relationship between
\(B\)
and
\(t\)
.
One tank is filling up. The other is draining out. Which is which? How can you tell?
The amount of water in gallons,
\(C\)
, in Tank C is given by the function
\(C = 800 - 7t\)
. Is it filling up or draining out? Can you tell just by looking at the equation?
The graph of the function for the amount of water in gallons,
\(D\)
, in Tank D at time
\(t\)
is shown. Is it filling up or draining out? How do you know?
[IMG]
Student Response
Teachers with a valid work email address can
click here to register or sign in
for free access to Student Response.
Student Facing
Are you ready for more?
Pick a tank that was draining out. How long did it take for that tank to drain? What percent full was the tank when 30% of that time had elapsed? When 70% of the time had elapsed?
What point in the plane is 30% of the way from
\((0,15)\)
to
\((5,0)\)
? 70% of the way?
What point in the plane is 30% of the way from
\((3,5)\)
to
\((8,6)\)
? 70% of the way?
Student Response
Teachers with a valid work email address can
click here to register or sign in
for free access to Extension Student Response.
Activity Synthesis
Consider asking some of the following questions to begin the discussion:
“For the second problem, what in the equation tells you that the slope is decreasing? Increasing?” (Decreasing: the slope in the equation is negative; Increasing: the slope in the equation is positive.)
“For the third problem, what is similar between the equation in this problem and the decreasing equation in the previous problem?”
(Both slopes are negative.)
“For the last problem, what in the graph tells you that Tank D is draining out? What would a graph that has a tank filling up look like? What would be different?” (I know it is draining out because the graph is going down from left to right. If the tank were filling up, the graph would be going up from left to right.)
Tell students that a linear function can always be represented with an equation of the form
\(y = mx+b\)
. The slope of the line,
\(m\)
, is the rate of the change of the function and the initial value of the function is
\(b\)
.
If time allows, give students the following scenario to come up with a possible equation for Tank D:
“Tank D started out with more water than Tank B but less water than Tank C. The water is draining from Tank D faster than from Tank B but slower than Tank C. What is a possible equation for the graph of the function for the amount of water
\(D\)
in Tank D over time
\(t\)
?” (Students should choose an initial value between 400 and 800, and a constant rate of change between -7 and -5. One possible such equation might be
\(D=600-6t\)
.)


correct_option_index: 0

9