Summary
What are those letters inside of algebra equations? They’re not just runaways from your English class--they’re variables! In this BrainPOP movie, Tim and Moby find themselves in a bind: how to build a ladder to get to their new treehouse. Using a simple one-variable equation, Tim will walk you through the process of simplification and show you how to isolate the variable on one side of the equals sign. You’ll learn how to substitute numbers you don’t know for letters, and how to figure out what numbers those letters actually stand for. Cool! Watch this movie, and you’ll know what to do the next time you have to solve for x. Or y. Or a. Or d. You get the point!
Viewer safety
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
A few questions to talk through after watching Equations with Variables:
- What is one new thing you learned about equations with variables?
- Can you explain it to a partner in your own words?
- Where might you see this in the real world?
- What is one question you still have?
Quick work-a-long
Try it:
- Write one sentence explaining equations with variables.
- Draw or give one example of your own.