1. From Concrete to Abstract: Helping ALL Students Develop Algebraic Thinking Skills Heather Sparks, NBCT Taft Middle School Oklahoma City Schools www.hisparks.com October 2, 2008

2. *Adapted from Van de Walle and Lovin

3. Turtle and Snail On summer day, Little Green Turtle challenged Teeny Tiny Turtle to a race from the oak tree to the elm tree. Turtle travels at a rate of 3 feet per minute and Snail travels at a rate of 2 feet per minute. The trees are 12 feet apart. STORY:

4. Turtle and Snail 12 feet PICTURE

5. time distance TABLE 0 3 6 9 12 0123401234 Turtle Snail 0123401234 0246802468

6. RULE OR EQUATION Turtle: multiply by 3 Snail: multiply by 2 D=3t D=2t

7. GRAPH distance in feet time 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

8. Given a graph, can you write a story?

9. Let’s Apply!  Penny Bridges  Ball Bouncing  Slinky Stretch  Cup Stacking  Party Tables

10. Heather’s Website: www.hisparks.com

11. Do you want Heather to come to your district and present, free of charge? Call (405) 521-2841