Unit 6 Expressions, Equations, and Inequalities — Unit Plan

TitleTakeawaysVisual / Anchor ChartAssessment
Lesson 2
Reasoning about Contexts with Tape Diagrams
Red and Yellow Apples (1 problem)

Here is a story: Lin bought 4 bags of apples. Each bag had the same number of apples. After eating 1 apple from each bag, she had 28 apples left.

  1. Which diagram best represents the story? Explain why the diagram represents it.

    A
    Tape diagram A with 4 equal parts labeled, x + 1, total 28.

    B
    Tape diagram B with 1 small part labeled 1, four equal parts labeled x, total 28.

    C
    Tape diagram C with four equal parts labeled, x minus 1, total 28.

  2. Describe how you would find the unknown amount in the story.
Show Solution
  1. C. Sample reasoning: When she ate 1 apple from each bag, there were x1x-1 apples left in each bag. 
  2. Each of the 4 pieces of the diagram represents 7 apples, because 28÷4=7.28 \div 4 = 7. If x1=7x-1=7, then xx is 8.
Lesson 3
Reasoning about Equations with Tape Diagrams
Three of These Equations Belong Together (1 problem)

Here is a diagram.

Tape diagram, one part marked 6, three parts marked x, total 30.

  1. Which equation matches the diagram?

    1. 6+3x=306+3x=30

    2. 6x+3=306x+3=30

    3. 3x=30+63x=30+6

    4. 30=3x630=3x-6

  2. Draw a diagram that matches the equation 3(x+6)=303(x+6)=30.
Show Solution
  1. 6+3x=306+3x=30
  2. Sample response:

    <p>Tape diagram.</p>

Lesson 4
Reasoning about Equations and Tape Diagrams (Part 1)
Finding Solutions (1 problem)

Here is a diagram and its corresponding equation. Find the solution to the equation and explain your reasoning.

Tape diagram, 4 small parts each labeled x, 1 large part labeled 17, total 23.


4x+17=234x+17=23

Show Solution

x=112x=1\frac12. Sample explanation: The diagram and equation show that 4 groups plus 17 more equals a total of 23. If we take aways the 17 more, we have 4 groups that equal a total of 6, and 64=112.\frac64=1\frac12.

Lesson 6
Distinguishing between Two Types of Situations
After-School Tutoring (1 problem)

Write an equation for each story. Then find the number of problems originally assigned by each teacher. If you get stuck, try drawing a diagram to represent the story.

  1. Five students came for after-school tutoring. Lin’s teacher assigned each of them the same number of problems to complete. Then he assigned each student 2 more problems. In all, 30 problems were assigned. 
  2. Five students came for after-school tutoring. Priya’s teacher assigned each of them the same number of problems to complete. Then she assigned 2 more problems to one of the students. In all, 27 problems were assigned.
Show Solution
  1. 5(x+2)=305(x+2)=30 (or equivalent), solution: x=4x=4; The teacher originally assigned 4 problems to each student.
  2. 5x+2=275x+2=27 (or equivalent), solution: x=5x=5; The teacher originally assigned 5 problems to each student.

<p>Two tape diagrams.</p>

Lesson 7
Reasoning about Solving Equations (Part 1)
Solve the Equation (1 problem)

Solve the equation. If you get stuck, use the diagram.

5x+14=614\displaystyle 5x+\frac14=\frac{61}{4}

Balanced hanger. Left side, 5 circles labeled x, square labeled 1 fourth. Right side, rectangle labeled 61 fourths.

Show Solution

x=3x=3

Lesson 8
Reasoning about Solving Equations (Part 2)
Solve Another Equation (1 problem)

Solve the equation 3(x+4.5)=363(x+4.5)=36. If you get stuck, use the diagram.

Balanced hanger diagram, left side, circle x, square 4 point 5, circle x, square 4 point 5, circle x, square 4 point 5, right side, rectangle 36.

Show Solution

7.5. Sample reasoning:

  • Divide each side by 3 leaving x+4.5=12x+4.5=12, then subtract 4.5 from each side.
  • The distributive property gives 3x+13.5=363x+13.5=36. Subtract 13.5 from each side leaving 3x=22.53x=22.5. Divide each side by 3.
Lesson 9
Dealing with Negative Numbers
Solve Two More Equations (1 problem)

Solve each equation. Show your work, or explain your reasoning.

  1. -3x5=16\text-3x-5=16
  2. -4(y2)=12\text-4(y-2)=12
Show Solution
  1. x=-7x=\text-7. Sample reasoning: After adding 5 to both sides, we get -3x=21\text{-}3x=21. After dividing both sides by -3, we get x=-7x=\text{-}7.
  2. y=-1y=\text-1. Sample reasoning: After dividing both sides by -4, we get y2=-3y-2=\text{-}3. After adding 2 to both sides, we get y=-1y=\text{-}1.
Lesson 10
Different Options for Solving One Equation
Solve Two Equations (1 problem)

Solve each equation. Explain or show your reasoning.

8.88=4.44(x7)8.88=4.44(x-7)

5(y+25)=-135\left(y+\frac25\right)=\text-13

Show Solution
  • x=9x=9. Sample reasoning: After dividing both sides by 4.44, the equation is 2=x72=x-7. After adding 7 to both sides, the equation is x=9x=9.
  • y=-3y=\text-3. Sample reasoning: After distributing the 5, the equation is 5y+2=-135y+2=\text{-}13.  After subtracting 2 from each side, it is 5y=-155y=\text{-}15. After dividing both sides by 5, it is y=-3y=\text{-}3.
Lesson 11
Using Equations to Solve Problems
The Basketball Game (1 problem)

Diego scored 9 points less than Andre in the basketball game. Noah scored twice as many points as Diego. If Noah scored 10 points, how many points did Andre score? Explain or show your reasoning.

Show Solution

14 points. Sample reasoning:

  • Equation: 2(x9)=102(x-9)=10, where xx is the number of points scored by Andre. x9=5x-9=5, x=14x=14.
  • Reasoning: Diego scored half as many points as Noah, so he scored 5 points. Andre scored 9 points more than Diego, or 14 points.
  • Diagram: One possibility is two boxes each with x9x-9 showing a total of 10. Each box represents 5 points, so xx is 14. 
Lesson 12
Solving Problems about Percent Increase or Decrease
Timing the Relay Race (1 problem)

The track team is trying to reduce their time for a relay race. First, they reduce their time by 2.1 minutes. Then they are able to reduce that time by 110\frac{1}{10}. If their final time is 3.96 minutes, what was their beginning time? Show or explain your reasoning.

Show Solution

6.5 minutes. Sample reasoning:

  • With equation: 0.9(x2.1)=3.960.9(x-2.1) = 3.96, x2.1=4.4x-2.1=4.4, x=6.5x=6.5.
  • Reasoning with or without a diagram: 9 out of 10 parts represent 3.96 minutes, so the 110\frac{1}{10} reduction was 3.96÷93.96\div9 or 0.44 minutes. That makes the time before the 2.1 minute reduction 3.96+0.443.96+0.44 or 4.4 minutes. The original time was 4.4+2.14.4+2.1, or 6.5 minutes.
Lesson 13
Reintroducing Inequalities
What Is Different? (1 problem)
  1. List some values for xx that would make the inequality -2x>10\text-2x > 10 true.
  2. What is different about the values of xx that make -2x10\text-2x \geq 10 true, compared to -2x>10\text-2x > 10?
Show Solution
  1. Sample responses: -6, -7, -100, -5.001 (any number less than -5)
  2. Sample response: When xx is -5, the inequality -2x10\text-2x \geq 10 is true, but the inequality -2x>10\text-2x > 10 is false.
Lesson 14
Finding Solutions to Inequalities in Context
Colder and Colder (1 problem)

It is currently 10 degrees outside. The temperature is dropping 4 degrees every hour.

  1. Explain what the equation 104h=-210 - 4h=\text-2 represents.
  2. What value of hh makes the equation true?
  3. Explain what the inequality 104h<-210 -4h < \text-2 represents.
  4. Does the solution to this inequality look like h< __h < \text{\_\_} or h>__h > \text{\_\_}? Explain your reasoning.
Show Solution
  1. Sample response: when the temperature is exactly -2 degrees
  2. h=3h=3
  3. Sample response: When the temperature is colder than -2 degrees
  4. h>__h > \text{\_\_}. Sample reasoning: The solution is h>3h > 3. Since the temperature is dropping, it will be colder than -2 degrees after 3 hours.
Lesson 15
Efficiently Solving Inequalities
Testing for Solutions (1 problem)

For each inequality, decide whether the solution is represented by x<2.5x < 2.5 or x>2.5x > 2.5.

  1. -4x+5>-5\text-4x + 5 > \text-5
  1. -25>-5(x+2.5)\text-25>\text-5(x+2.5)
Show Solution
  1. x<2.5x<2.5
  2. x>2.5x>2.5
Lesson 16
Interpreting Inequalities
Party Decorations (1 problem)

Andre is making paper cranes to decorate for a party. He plans to make one large paper crane for a centerpiece and several smaller paper cranes to put around the table. It takes Andre 10 minutes to make the centerpiece and 3 minutes to make each small crane. He will only have 30 minutes to make the paper cranes once he gets home.

  1. ​Andre wrote the inequality 3x+10303x + 10 \leq 30 to plan his time. Describe how this inequality represents the situation.

  2. Solve Andre’s inequality, and explain what the solution means.
Show Solution
  1. Sample response: The variable xx represents the number of small paper cranes Andre can make. 3x3x is the amount of time it takes to make xx small cranes. 10 is the number of minutes it takes to make the centerpiece. 30 is Andre’s time limit in minutes.
  2. x623x \leq 6\frac23. Sample response: Andre can make up to 6 small cranes.​
Lesson 17
Modeling with Inequalities
Playlist Timing (1 problem)

Elena is trying to create a playlist that lasts no more than 2 hours (120 minutes). She has already added songs that total 15 minutes. She reads that the average song length on her music streaming service is 3.5 minutes. Elena writes the inequality 3.5x+151203.5x + 15 \geq 120 and solves it to find the solution x30x \geq 30.

  1. Explain how you know Elena made a mistake based on her solution.
  2. Fix Elena’s inequality and explain what each part of the inequality means.
Show Solution
  1. Sample response: x30x \geq 30 means Elena can add more than 30 songs on the playlist. This doesn’t make sense because there should be a maximum limit on songs rather than a minimum limit.
  2. The correct inequality is 3.5x+151203.5x+15 \leq 120. The number 3.5 represents the average length of each song. The variable xx represents the number of songs that Elena adds. The 15 represents the 15 minutes of songs that are already on the playlist. The 120\leq 120 represents that the total number of minutes has to be less than or equal to 120.
Lesson 19
Expanding and Factoring
Equivalent Expressions (1 problem)
  1. Expand to write an equivalent expression: -12(-2x+4y)\text- \frac12(\text-2x+4y)
  2. Factor to write an equivalent expression: 26a1026a -10

If you get stuck, use a diagram to organize your work.

Show Solution

Sample responses:

  1. x2yx-2y
  2. 2(13a5)2(13a-5)

Expressions equivalent to these are also acceptable, such as (13a5)2.(13a-5) \boldcdot 2.

Lesson 20
Combining Like Terms (Part 1)
Fewer Terms (1 problem)

Write each expression with fewer terms. Show your work or explain your reasoning.

  1. 10x2x10x-2x
  2. 10x3y+2x10x-3y+2x
Show Solution
  1. 8x8x
  2. 12x3y12x-3y