Introduction to Linear Relationships
5 min
Narrative
This Warm-up helps students to make sense of a context they will see in a following activity.
This activity uses the Co-Craft Questions math language routine to advance reading and writing as students make sense of a context and practice generating mathematical questions.
Launch
Tell students to close their books or devices (or to keep them closed). Arrange students in groups of 2. Introduce the context image. Use Co-Craft Questions to orient students to the context and elicit possible mathematical questions.
Give students 1–2 minutes to write a list of mathematical questions that could be asked about the situation before comparing questions with a partner.
Student Task
Sample Response
Sample responses:
-
How tall is each stack of cups?
-
How much taller is the stack of cups on the right?
-
How tall is one cup?
-
How much taller does a stack get when one cup is added?
-
How many cups will it take for the stack to be 100 cm tall?
-
How many cups will it take for a stack to be as tall as me?
Synthesis
Invite several partners to share one question with the class and record responses. Ask the class to make comparisons among the shared questions and their own. Ask, “What do these questions have in common? How are they different?” Listen for and amplify language related to the learning goal, such as “rate of change,” “proportional” or “nonproportional,” and “linear.”
Standards
Building Toward
- 8.EE.B·Understand the connections between proportional relationships, lines, and linear equations.
- 8.EE.B·Understand the connections between proportional relationships, lines, and linear equations.