2. READ THE PROBLEM 3 or more times LAYOUT OR SETUP – Get a feel for the problem… –What kind is it? –What are they asking me to do? BUILD EQUATION based on the situation –2 nd sentence –Assemble the pieces according to the wording of the problem –Equation is the mathematical equivalent of a sentence

3. SOLVE using Algebraic steps –FIND “x” –Use “x” to answer the question being asked –BE SURE TO FIND ALL ANSWERS TO THE PROBLEM CHECK ANSWER(S) to see they fit the situation –Checking the equation will not catch all errors

4. START WITH BASIC PROBLEMS 1. Ten times a number, increased by 8, is 58. Find the number. 2. After he lost 14 pounds, Homer weighed 190 pounds. Find Homer’s original weight.

5. 3.The cost of adding a garage to a home is 5 times as much as the cost of painting the house. If the garage addition costs $15,000, find the cost of painting the house. 4. After 2.5 feet had been cut from a piece of lumber, there were 9.5 feet left. What was the original length of the piece of lumber?

6. Let’s Step It Up 5. A supermarket had a one day sale on Pepperidge Farm cookies. It sold three times as many packages of chocolate-chip cookies as oatmeal, and twice as many fudge-almond as oatmeal. If the supermarket sold 600 packages in one day, how many packages of each did it sell?

7. 6.The number of square feet of lawn Mitch can mow is described with the equation y = 700x – 50, where y is the number of square feet of lawn and x is the mowing time in hours. How many square feet can Mitch mow in 1.5 hours?

8. 7. Julia mows lawns during the summer. On the weekends, she gets $59 per lawn. On the weekdays, she gets $49 per lawn. If Julia mowed 21 lawns and earned $1099, how many lawns did she mow on the weekdays and how many on the weekends?

9. 8. Jose sells cars for a living. He earns $200 a week plus 12% of each sale he is credited with. How much does Jose earn when he has $30,000 in sales?

10. 9. Leila’s expected test score can be described by the equation s = 10h + 50. In this equation, s is the score and h is the number of hours she studies for the test. What score can she expect when she studies 3 hours for a test?

11. 10. Carmella is taking a scenic drive through the country to unwind. She is traveling 50 mph for 4.5 hours. How far does she drive during her road trip?