Algebra Lab Gear - Basic Algebra Teaching Guide

Designed to promote conceptual understanding rather than rote memorization of algorithms, Algebra Lab Gear provides a hands-on experience and leads the student into meaningful discussions. A supplement to pre-algebra or algebra, these lessons and activities can be used as either a preview or as a review and don't need to be closely coordinated with a curriculum. It's important to understand that hand-on materials do not automatically yield understanding. Accompanying discussion is crucial. These materials provide the tools needed to encourage and direct this discussion.

Yellow blocks for numbers and blue blocks for variables make up the unusual manipulative set. The sizes of the x blocks and y blocks were carefully chosen so that neither one can be matched in length by the 1-blocks. Two teaching guides (one for middle school math reviewing arithmetic and introducing algebra concepts) and one for beginning algebra. These guides provide lessons that present new ideas giving the teacher support for preliminary activities, discussion ideas, and specific activity instructions. Activity worksheets walk the student through each investigative discovery. Answers are in the back of the book and the lesson worksheets are reproducible for classroom use.