TG For Book 7-1 Unit 2 PA 1-15

Patterns and Algebra Part 1 − Introduction
Before students can create or recognize a pattern in a sequence of

numbers, they must be able to tell how far apart the successive terms in the
sequence are. Students can count up on their fingers, if necessary, to find
the gap between two numbers.
Here is a foolproof method for identifying the gaps between numbers:
EXAMPLE: How far apart are 8 and 11?
Step 1: Say the lower number (8) with your fist closed.
8
Step 2: Count up by ones, raising your thumb first then one finger at a time,
until you reach the higher number (11).
9 10 11
Step 3: The number of fingers you have up when you reach the higher
number is the answer. In this case, you have three fingers up, so three is the
difference between 8 and 11.
Even the weakest student can find the difference between two numbers
using the above method, which you can teach in one lesson. Make sure
students say the first number with their fists closed! (Some students will want
to put their thumbs up to start.)
Eventually, you should wean students off using their fingers to find the gap
between a pair of numbers. The exercises in the Mental Math section of this
manual will help with this.
Here is one approach you can use to help students find larger gaps between
larger numbers:
1. Have students memorize the gap between the number 10 and each of the
numbers from 1 to 9. EXAMPLE: the gap between 8 and 10 is 2 (you need to
add 2 to 8 to get 10).
You could make flash cards to help your student learn these facts.
8 + ? = 10 8 + 2 = 10
Front of card Back of card
You could also draw a picture of a number line to help your students
visualize the gaps.
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Patterns and Algebra 7-Introduction 1

2. Have students memorize the gap between 10 and each of the numbers
from 11 to 19. Again, you might use flashcards for this:
10 + ? = 17 10 + 7 = 17
Front of card Back of card
Point out that the gap between 10 and any number from 11 to 19 is merely
the ones digit of the larger number. EXAMPLE: 16 minus 10 is 6, but 6 is
just the ones digit of 16. Once students know this, they will have no trouble
recognizing the gap between 10 and any number from 11 to 19.
3. Students can now find the gap between a number from 1 to 9 and a
number from 11 to 19—say, between 7 and 15—as follows:
Step 1: Find the gap between 7 and 10 (by now, your students will know
this is 3).
Step 2: Find the gap between 10 and 15 (your students will know this is 5).
Step 3: Add the two numbers you found in steps 1 and 2: 3 + 5 = 8. So the
gap between 7 and 15 is 8.
Show students why this works with a picture:

+3 +5
6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
4. Students can use the method introduced in part 3 to find the gap between
any pair of two-digit numbers whose leading digits differ by 1. EXAMPLE:
The gap between 47 and 55 is 8—start at 47, add 3 to get to 50, and then
add 5 to get to 55.
+3 +5
4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
This method can ultimately be used to find the gap between any pair of
two digit numbers. EXAMPLE: To go from 36 to 72 on the number line, you
add 4 to reach 40, then add 30 to reach 70, then add 2 to reach 72; the gap
between 36 and 72 is 4 + 30 + 2 = 36. (NOTE: Before students can attempt
questions of this sort, they must be able to find the gap between pairs of
numbers that have zeros in their ones place. They can find those gaps by
mentally subtracting the tens digits of the numbers. EXAMPLE: the gap
between 80 and 30 is 50, since 8 – 3 = 5.)
Do not discourage students from counting on their fingers until they can add
and subtract readily in their heads. You should expect students to answer all
of the questions in this unit, even if they have to rely on their fingers for help.
2 Teacher’s Guide for Workbook 7

PA7-1 Extending Patterns
Page xxxx
Curriculum Goals
Expectations
Ontario: review Students will use the gaps between terms to extend patterns
WNCP: review
PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
REQUIRED Materials
Can add, subtract, and count up 5 strips of paper (see details

Vocabulary to subtract below) for each student a
increasing sequence pair of scissors for each
decreasing sequence student, tape for each student
Introduce patterns. Use one or both of the Möbius strip activities below.
They can be done independently of each other. Then ASK: Why are
patterns useful? Explain that patterns allow you to make predictions about
things that may be difficult to check by hand. Do you want to try turning the
paper in either Activity 100 times? And yet, from the pattern, we can see
what will happen without checking.
Extending sequences that were made by adding or subtracting the

same number to each term.
EXAMPLE: Extend the pattern 3, 6, 9, ... up to six terms.
Step 1: Identify the gap between successive pairs of numbers in the

sequence. (Students may count on their fingers, if necessary – see
the Introduction.) The gap in this example is three. Check that the gap
between successive terms in the sequence is always the same, otherwise
you cannot continue the pattern by adding a fixed number. Write the gap
between each pair of successive terms above the pairs.
3 3
3 , 6 , 9 , , ,
Step 2: Say the last number in the sequence with your fist closed. Count by
ones until you have raised the same number of fingers as the gap, in this
case, three. The number you say when you have raised your third finger is
the next number in the sequence.
3 3
3 , 6 , 9 , 12 , ,
Step 3: Repeat Step 2. Continue adding terms to extend the sequence.
3 3
3 , 6 , 9 , 12 , 15 , 18
Extra Practice for Question 1: Extend the pattern.

a) 6, 9, 12, 15, , Bonus a) 99, 101, 103, ,
b) 5, 11, 17, 23, , b) 654, 657, 660, ,
c) 2, 10, 18, 26, ,

Patterns and Algebra 7-1 3

Extra Practice for Question 2: Extend the pattern.
a) 21, 19, 17, 15, , Bonus a) 141, 139, 137, 135, ___
b) 34, 31, 28, , , b) 548, 541, 534, 527, ___
c) 48, 41, 34, 27, , c) 234, 221, 208, ___
process Expectation Extend sequences by extending the pattern in the gaps. See Question
Looking for a pattern 3. In parts a), b), and d), the gaps form sequences similar to those in
Questions 1 and 2. In parts c) and e), the gaps form the same sequence as
the original.
Extra practice for Question 3: Extend the pattern.

1, 3, 6, 10, 15, , ,
Bonus 1, 4, 10, 20, 35, , ,
Extra Bonus 1, 5, 15, 35, 70, , ,
process Expectation ACTIVITIES 1-2

Looking for a pattern 1. Each student will need 3 strips of paper (11” × 1”), 2 longer strips of
paper (say, 22” × 1”), a pair of scissors, and tape (staples do not work
for this activity).
Show your students a sheet of paper and ask how many sides it has.
(2) Repeat with an 11” × 1” strip of paper with the ends taped so that
it looks like a ring. Trace each side of the ring with your finger, naming
them “inside” and “outside.” Point out that you could colour one side
and leave the other side blank. Have students create their own rings
and colour one side. ASK: If an ant is walking along the coloured side
(and never goes over the edge), will it always stay on the coloured
side? (yes) Take another strip and tape the ends together as though to
tape make a ring, but this time turn one of the ends once before you tape it.
Have students do the same. Have students put a finger somewhere

on the strip and ASK: Is your finger on the inside or on the outside
of the strip? Ask students to slide their fingers along the strip until
everyone has their finger on the outside. Have students continue
sliding their fingers along the strip until everyone has their finger on
the inside. ASK: How did you slide your finger from the outside to the
inside without going over the edge? Could you have done that with the
original ring? (no)
Show your own strip and explain that you think it has two sides (point
to two opposite “sides” at the same point). Suggest to students that
if there were two sides, they should be able to colour only one side.
Challenge them to do so. Students will see that if they colour a whole
side, they have to colour every part of the paper, even what was
originally the other side of the strip!
Explain to the students that when they taped the two ends together
after turning one of the ends, they created only one side—they glued
the “inside” to the “outside.” Explain that this surface is called a
Möbius strip. Show an 11” × 1” strip of paper with one side coloured.

Then demonstrate turning it into a Möbius strip and show how the
coloured side becomes the white side.
Then ask students what they think will happen if they make two turns
instead of one before taping the ends together. Do they end up with
one side or two sides? (two sides) Have them predict and then check
their prediction. Repeat with three turns (one side), and four turns (two
sides), this time using the longer strips of paper. Have students predict
what will happen with five turns and six turns. What about 99 turns?
(one side) 100 turns? (two sides)
2. Each student will need 3 strips of paper (11” × 1”) and 2 longer
strips of paper (say, 22” × 1”) with a line drawn lengthwise in the
middle of each strip, a pair of scissors, and tape (staples do not work
for this activity). Draw the lines with a marker that bleeds through the
paper, so that the lines are visible on the other side of the strip as well.
Ask students to tape the ends of one of the strips of paper to make a
ring, so that the ends of the line in the middle meet. SAY: I want to cut
this ring along the line (hold up your own ring to illustrate what you
tape mean). What will I get? (two thinner rings). Have students check their
predictions by cutting their rings.
Take another strip of paper and tape the ends together, this time
turning one of the ends once before you tape them. Make sure the
ends of the line meet, as before. Have students do the same. Ask
students to predict what will happen when they cut the strip along the
line. (Students who have never seen a Möbius strip before will likely
predict that there will be two rings. Ask students who have seen or
done this before not to reveal the right answer.) Then have students
cut their strips to check their prediction. (There will be only one ring!)
Explain that the surface students made before cutting it in half is

called a Möbius strip. Then ASK: What will happen to the surface
when I cut it if I turn one end two times before taping it to the other
end? Have students check their prediction. (There will be two rings
linked together.) Repeat with three turns (one ring) and four turns
(two rings), this time using the longer strips. Have students predict
what will happen with five turns and six turns. What about 99 turns?
100 turns? (For even numbers of turns, there will be two rings. For
odd numbers of turns, there will be a single ring.) To explain why this
happens, colour half of the strip along the middle line (e.g. colour the
bottom half of both sides of the strip). When you turn the end once,
the coloured half is glued to the white half, and the resulting ring is half
coloured and half white. When you turn the end twice, the coloured
half is glued back to the coloured half, and the white to the white. This
way, when you cut the strip, you separate the coloured ring from the
white ring.

Extensions
1. Find the incorrect number in each pattern and correct it.
a) 2, 5, 7, 11 add 3
b) 7, 12, 17, 21 add 5
c) 6, 8, 14, 18 add 4
d) 29, 27, 26, 23 subtract 2
e) 40, 34, 30, 22 subtract 6
process Assessment 2. Each pattern was made by adding or subtracting the same number
[R, C, PS, 7m1, 7m7] each time. Find the missing number(s) in each pattern and explain the
strategy you used.
a) 2, 4, , 8 b) 9, 7, , 3
c) 7, 10, , 16 d) 16, , 8, 4
e) 3, , 11, 15 f) 15, 18, , 24, , 30
g) 14, , , 20 h) 57, , , 48
SOLUTION: In parts a)–f), you can find the gap directly, since two
consecutive terms are given, then use the gap to find the missing terms.
Parts g) and h) require more work. Here are two possible strategies
students can use:
process Expectation • Guess, check, and revise. For example, for part g), you know you have
Guessing, checking and to add because 20 is more than 14. Try adding 1 each time; this only gets
revising you to 17: 14, 15, 16, 17. Try adding 2 each time; this gets you to 20: 14,
16, 18, 20.
process Expectation • Find the gap by determining the number of steps needed to get from
Using logical reasoning one given term to the next. For example, in part g), you have to increase
14 by 6 in 3 equal steps, so each step must be an increase of 2. Similarly,
for h), you need to decrease 57 by 9 in 3 equal steps, so each step must
be a decrease of 3.
process Assessment Bonus 15, , , 24,
[R, PS, C, 7m1, 7m7] 59, , , , 71
Workbook Question 4 100, , , , , , 850
Number
6 Sense 1-3 Teacher’s Guide for Workbook 7
PA7-2 Describing Patterns
Page xxxx
Curriculum Goals
Expectations
Ontario: 5m63, 5m66, review Students will describe increasing, decreasing, and repeating patterns
WNCP: review by writing a rule.
PRIOR KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED
Can add, subtract, multiply, and divide

Vocabulary
Can count up to subtract
increases
decreases
term Match sequences to descriptions. See Question 2.
Extra Practice for Question 2:

Describe each pattern below as one of the following:
A: Increases by the same amount
B: Decreases by the same amount
C: Increases by different amounts
D: Decreases by different amounts
E: Repeating pattern
F: Increases and decreases by different amounts
a) 17, 16, 14, 12, 11 (D)

b) 10, 14, 18, 22, 26 (A)
c) 54, 47, 40, 33, 26 (B)
d) 741, 751, 731, 721 (C)
e) 98, 95, 92, 86, 83 (F)
f) 210, 214, 218, 222 (E)
g) 3, 5, 8, 9, 3, 5, 8, 9 (A)
h) 74, 69, 64, 59, 54 (B)
Identify terms in patterns. Write these three patterns:

1, 5, 10, 1, 5, 10, 1, 5, 10, …
red, blue, green, yellow, red, blue, green, yellow, red, blue, green, yellow,…
do re mi fa so la ti do re mi fa so la ….
ASK: What is the same about all these patterns? (they are all repeating
patterns) What is different? (the length of the core—the part that repeats—is
different; the patterns consist of different types of things—numbers,
colours, and musical notes)
Explain that each thing in a pattern—whether it’s a number, a colour, a

musical note, a shape, or anything else—is called a term. Have volunteers
identify the third term in each sequence above. (10, green, and mi)
Extra Practice:
a) What is the third term of the sequence 2, 4, 6, 8?
b) What is the fourth term of the sequence 17, 14, 11, 8?
c) Extend each sequence to find the sixth term.
i) 5, 10, 15, 20 ii) 8, 12, 16, 20 iii) 131, 125, 119, 113, 107

Sequences made by multiplying and dividing each term by the same
number. See Questions 4 and 5.
Extra Practice for Questions 4 and 5:

What operation was performed on each term in the sequence to make
the next term?
a) 2, 4, 8, 16, … (multiply each term by 2)
b) 10 000, 1 000, 100, 10, … (divide each term by 10)
c) 10 000, 5 000, 2 500, 1 250, … (divide each term by 2)
d) 5, 15, 45, 135, … (multiply each term by 3)
Introduce rules of the form “Start at ___, add/subtract/multiply by/

divide by ___.”

1. Write the rule for each pattern.
a) 12, 15, 18, 21, … b) 19, 17, 15, 13, … c) 132, 136, 140, 144, …
d) 1, 3, 9, 27, …. e) 224, 112, 56, 28, … f) 25, 75, 225, 675, …
2. Use the description of each sequence to find the 4th term of

the sequence.
a) Start at 5 and add 3. b) Start at 40 and subtract 7.
c) Start at 320 and divide by 2. d) Start at 5 and multiply by 4.
Write rules for repeating patterns. See Question 8.
Extensions
1. One of these sequences was not made by adding or subtracting the
same number each time. Find the sequence and state the rules for the
other two sequences.
A. 25, 20, 15, 10 B. 6, 8, 10, 11 C. 9, 12, 15, 18
2. The first term of a sequence of numbers is 2. Each term after the first is
obtained by multiplying the preceding term by 5 then subtracting 6. What
is the 5th term of the sequence?
3. Match each pattern to its description.

1, 4, 13, 40, 121 A. Multiply by 5 and subtract 1.
1, 4, 7, 10, 13 B. Multiply by 3 and add 1.
1, 4, 19, 94, 469 C. Add 5 and subtract 2.

PA7-3 T-tables
Page xxxx
Curriculum Goals
Expectations
Ontario: 5m63, 5m64, 5m65, Students will use T-tables to solve word problems.
7m1, 7m6
WNCP: [R, PS] PRIOR KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED
Can find the gaps between numbers

Can extend patterns obtained by doing one operation successively
Vocabulary
T-table Introduce T-tables using the example on the worksheet. Work through
rule the example at the top of Workbook p.25 together. Point out that this type of
chart is called a T-table because the central part of the chart looks like a T.
Teach students how to use and create T-tables by following the progression
process expectation in Questions 1–4: start by identifying the rules for patterns from completed
Organizing data T-tables (Question 1); then use T-tables to extend patterns (Questions 2 and
3); then create T-tables to extend patterns (Question 4).
Extra Practice:
Count the number of toothpicks in each figure. Then use a T-table to
process expectation determine how many toothpicks make up Figure 5.
Looking for a pattern Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3
Double T-charts. Draw this pattern on the board:
Make a double T-chart—a T-chart with 3 columns—with headings Number

of Unshaded Squares, Number of Shaded Squares, and Number of
Squares. Have students copy the blank chart in their notebooks and fill
it in independently. Then have students use the chart to answer these
questions:
a) How many shaded squares will be needed for a figure with 7
unshaded squares?
b) How many squares in total will be needed for a figure with 15
shaded squares?
Show the following double T-chart and ask students to answer the
questions below.
Time (min) Fuel (L) Distance from airport (km)
0 1200 525
5 1150 450
10 1100 375
a) How much fuel will be left in the airplane after 25 minutes?

b) How far from the airport will the plane be after 30 minutes?
c) How much fuel will be left in the airplane when it reaches the airport?

Students will need double T-charts to solve Workbook p. 27 Question 10.
Extra Practice with Word Problems:

1. The snow is 17 cm deep at 5 p.m. Four centimetres of snow falls
each hour. How deep is the snow at 9 p.m.? (33 cm)
2. Philip has $42 in savings at the end of July. Each month he saves $9.
How much will he have by the end of October? ($69)
process expectation 3. Carol’s plant is 3 cm high and grows 5 cm per week.

Problem-Solving Ron’s plant is 9 cm high and grows 3 cm per week.
How many weeks until the plants are the same height? (3)
4. Rita made an ornament using a hexagon (dark grey), pentagons

(light grey), and triangles (white).
a) How many pentagons does Rita need to make 7 ornaments? (42)
b) Rita used 12 hexagons to make ornaments.
How many triangles did she use? (144)
c) Rita used 12 pentagons to make ornaments.
How many triangles did she use? (24)
5. A store rents snowboards at $7 for the first hour and $5 for every
hour after that. How much does it cost to rent a snowboard for 6
hours? ($32)
6. a) How many triangles would Ann need to make a figure with 10

squares? (14)
b) Ann says that she needs 15 triangles to make the sixth figure. Is
she correct? (No, to make the sixth figure she needs 16 triangles.)
1 2 3
7. Merle saves $55 in August. She saves $6 each month after that. Alex
saves $42 in August. He saves $7 each month after that. Who has
saved the most money by the end of January? (Merle has $85,
whereas Alex only has $77, so Merle has saved the most money by
the end of January.)
ACTIVITY
Give each student a set of blocks and ask them to build a sequence
of figures that grows in a regular way (according to some pattern rule)
and that could be a model for a given T-table. SAMPLE T-tables:
Figure # of Blocks Figure # of Blocks Figure # of Blocks
1 4 1 3 1 1
2 6 2 7 2 5
3 8 3 11 3 9
Extensions
process Assessment 1. a) How many 11s would there be in the sequence 1 3 3 5 5 5 …?
[PS, R, V, 7m1, 7m6] b) How many 7s would there be in the sequence 1 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3?

HINT: Use a T-chart with headings Number and Number of Times Occurs
ANSWERS: a) 6 b) 19
2. Magic Squares. Show students the 3 × 3 array of numbers in the margin.

4 7 4 Explain that this is a magic square because all the numbers in each row,
column, and diagonal add to the same number, in this case 15. Verify this
5 5 5
together. (4 + 7 + 4 = 15, 5 + 5 + 5 = 15, and so on)
6 3 6 A pure 3 × 3 magic square places each of the numbers from 1 to 9
exactly once in a 3 × 3 grid in such a way that each row, column, and
diagonal adds to the same number. Follow the steps below to make a
pure 3 × 3 magic square.
a) By pairing numbers that add to 10, find 1 + 2 + ... + 8 + 9. (45)
b) Your answer to part a) tells you what all 3 rows add to. What does
each row add to? (45 ÷ 3 = 15) This is the magic sum.
process expectation c) List all possible ways of adding 3 different numbers from 1 to 9 to total
Organizing data 15 (EXAMPLE: 2 + 4 + 9 works, but 3 + 3 + 9 and 6 + 9 do not)
ANSWER: 1 + 5 + 9 1+6+8 2+4+9 2+5+8
2+6+7 3+4+8 3+5+7 4+5+6
process expectation d) Look at a 3 × 3 grid. How many sets of numbers that add to 15 must
Using logical reasoning the number in the middle square be a part of? ANSWER: 4—the
middle row, the middle column, and both diagonals.
Look at your list from part c) to determine which number must be in
the middle. ANSWER: Only the number 5 occurs four times, so 5 must
be in the middle.
process expectation e) Which numbers must be corner numbers? Why?
Looking for a pattern ANSWER: The corner numbers are each part of three sums. This
happens for 2, 4, 6, and 8. (The numbers 1, 3, 7, and 9 only occur in
two sums, so these must be in the remaining four squares.)
connection f) Write the numbers in the grid to make a pure 3 × 3 magic square!
Geometry Compare your magic square with those of other people. What
transformations (e.g., rotations or reflections) can you do to a magic
square to get another magic square? (SAMPLE ANSWERS: rotate 90°
clockwise; reflect vertically using middle column as a mirror line)
g) Now make a magic square with the numbers 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10.

What will the new magic sum be? What if you use the numbers
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11?
Make a T-table of magic sums:
Numbers Used in the Magic Square Magic Sum

1-9 15
2-10 18
Predict the magic sum for a magic square made with the numbers
8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. Check your answer.

PA7-4 Patterns (Advanced)
Page xxxx
Curriculum Goals
Expectations
Ontario: 7m1, 7m3, 7m5, Students will investigate patterns in geometrical sequences, the
7m6, 7m7 Fibonacci sequence, and Pascal’s triangle.
WNCP: [R, ME, C, CN ]
Can extend patterns

Can use charts and T-tables to display sequences
Vocabulary
even
odd Finding patterns within patterns. Have students extend this pattern: 1, 4,
7, 10, …. Then tell students that you would like to look for a pattern within
this pattern. Review the terms even and odd, then have students identify
each term in the pattern as even or odd and record their answers in a table
process Expectation like this one:
Looking for a pattern, Term Number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Organizing data.
Term 1 4 7 10
Even or Odd O E
Have students predict whether the 100th term will be even or odd and
explain their prediction. (The odd-even pattern is “O, E, then repeat.” The
100th term will be even because every even-numbered term is even.)
Now have students extend this pattern: 2, 4, 8, 16, ….

Tell students that you would like to know if there is a pattern in the ones
digits of this sequence. How about in the tens digits in this sequence? (The
ones digits form a repeating pattern: 2, 4, 8, 6, repeat; the tens digits form
no easily discernible pattern.)
Finally, have students extend the pattern 1, 4, 9, 16, … and look for an
odd-even pattern. (O, E, repeat)
Bonus Look for a pattern in the ones digits. (1, 4, 9, 6, 5, 6, 9, 4, 1, 0,
repeat; notice the symmetry in the core of this pattern)
process Expectation Pascal’s triangle. See Question 3.

Looking for a pattern. Extra Practice: Describe the pattern in the numbers along the 2nd diagonal
of Pascal’s triangle.
Bonus Add the numbers in each row of Pascal’s triangle. For
example, the numbers in the third row add to 1 + 2 + 1 = 4.
Use a T-table to find the sum of each of the first five rows,
then predict the sum of the 8th row.
Bonus Describe the pattern in the numbers along the 4th diagonal of
Pascal’s triangle.
Estimating and thinking before solving a problem. Before assigning the

Investigation, show students the diagram on Workbook p.29 (the first picture
below). If possible, have it reproduced on an overhead transparency so that
you can show it for a brief time and remove it quickly (to prevent students

process expectation from counting the lines). Have students guess how many lines there are
without counting them. Take all answers. Discuss what makes this problem
Mental math and estimation
hard. If students say “Because the lines intersect in so many places”, show
them the following set of lines to count. Second picture below:
process expectation Challenge students to articulate why this set of lines is easier to count.
Doing a simpler problem first Solving the problem in the Investigation. Discuss strategies for solving
the problem. Guide the students to do a simpler problem first. Suggest that
if they find the answer in easier cases first, they might find a pattern. ASK:
How can we make this problem easier? PROMPT: There are 8 dots with
all possible lines joining them. What problem can we solve that would be
easier? Listen to students’ suggestions and, if they don’t bring it up, point
out that if they solve the same problem with 1 dot, 2 dots, 3 dots, and 4
process expectation dots, they might find a pattern.
Reflecting on what made the Reflecting on other ways to solve the problem. After students finish the
problem easy or hard Investigation, explain that you noticed another pattern within the pattern of
the number of lines for each given number of dots:
Numbers of Dots 1 2 3 4
0×1 1×2 2×3 3×4
Number of Lines 0 = 1= 3= 6=
2 2 2 2
Numbers of Dots 5 6 7
4×5 5×6 6×7
Number of Lines 10 = 15 = 21 =
2 2 2
Challenge students to predict the expression for the number of lines for
8 dots. Does their expression give the right answer, 28? Then challenge
students to explain why the expression works: What does 7 × 8 tell you?
Why do we divide by 2? (There are 8 dots and 7 lines extending from each
dot, so 7 × 8 tells you the number of endpoints altogether. Since each line
has two endpoints, the total number of lines is 7 × 8 ÷ 2 = 28.)
process expectation ACTIVITY
Reflecting on what made Have students get into groups of 2 and shake hands with everyone
a problem easy or hard, else in their group. How many handshakes were there? (1) Repeat
Organizing data, Connecting with groups of 3, groups of 4, and groups of 5. (Ensure that different
students are left out, when necessary, of each round.) What do
students notice about their answers to this problem and their answers
to the Investigation on the worksheet? (They are the same!) Discuss
why this happened. Students could arrange themselves in a circle, so
that each student represents a point and each handshake represents
Patterns and Algebra 7- 13

the line between the two points. Have students arrange themselves
into groups of 7 or 8 and to count the handshakes directly. Encourage
students to be organized in their counting. Was counting handshakes
easier or harder than counting lines between points? Why? (Students
might find it easier to keep track of who they have already shaken
hands with than which lines they have already counted.)
Extensions
1. Sudoku is a popular mathematical game that is a regular feature in
many newspapers. See Extra Worksheets and Blackline Masters (p XXX)
for Sudoku suitable for children with step-by-step instructions. Once
students master this easier form of Sudoku they can try the real thing.
2. Pick one number from each row in the grid below; each number must be
1 2 3 4 5
in a different column. Add the numbers. Now repeat with a different set
6 7 8 9 10 of selections. What do you notice about the two sums? (ANSWER: They
are the same.) Will this always happen? (yes) Can you explain why it
11 12 13 14 15 happens?
16 17 18 19 20 EXPLANATION: Let’s label each row according to the first number in the
row: the 1 row, the 6 row, the 11 row, the 16 row, the 21 row. One number
21 22 23 24 25 is selected from each row. If you select a number in, say, the 16 row,
you can either pick 16 + 0, 16 + 1, 16 + 2, 16 + 3, or 16 + 4. No matter
which row you pick from, you are either adding 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 to the first
number in that row. Since you pick one number from each column, you
add 0 once, 1 once, 2 once, 3 once, and 4 once, so the sum is 1 + 6 +
11 + 16 + 21 + 0 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 = 65.
To help students discover this explanation, ask them to answer the same
questions for one or more of the arrays below (or others like them). On
the first card, how often are the numbers from the first part of each sum
(1, 6, 11, 16, and 21) selected? How often are the numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, and
4 from the second part selected? (once each)
1+0 1+1 1+2 1+3 1+4 1+0 1+1 1+2 1+3 1+4
6+0 6+1 6+2 6+3 6+4 11 + 0 11 + 1 11 + 2 11 + 3 11 + 4
11 + 0 11 + 1 11 + 2 11 + 3 11 + 4 21 + 0 21 + 1 21 + 2 21 + 3 21 + 4
16 + 0 16 + 1 16 + 2 16 + 3 16 + 4 31 + 0 31 + 1 31 + 2 31 + 3 31 + 4
21 + 0 21 + 1 21 + 2 21 + 3 21 + 4 41 + 0 41 + 1 41 + 2 41 + 3 41 + 4
1+0 1+1 1+3 1+5 1+7 1+0 1+2 1+4 1+5 1+8
6+0 6+1 6+3 6+5 6+7 11 + 0 11 + 2 11 + 4 11 + 5 11 + 8
11 + 0 11 + 1 11 + 3 11 + 5 11 + 7 21 + 0 21 + 2 21 + 4 21 + 5 21 + 8
16 + 0 16 + 1 16 + 3 16 + 5 16 + 7 31 + 0 31 + 2 31 + 4 31 + 5 31 + 8
21 + 0 21 + 1 21 + 3 21 + 5 21 + 7 41 + 0 41 + 2 41 + 4 41 + 5 41 + 8

Students can make up their own such 5 × 5 grid and present it as a
magic trick to a younger class. One way to present this as a magic trick
would be as follows: Each student gives a grid to a younger buddy.
The student tells the younger buddy to pick 5 numbers, one from each
row and column. (Your student may need to explain to the buddy what
a row is and what a column is.) The buddy then adds the numbers but
doesn’t tell your student the sum. Your student asks questions that may
seem relevant, but really are not. (EXAMPLES: Is the number in the third
column bigger or smaller than the number in the second column? How
far apart are the two biggest numbers?) Students will have to be careful
to ask questions that are compatible with their buddies’ level. Students
then give the correct answer, to their buddies’ surprise.
process ASSESSMENT 3. Look at Pascal’s triangle.

[PS, R, 1m1, 1m2] a) Start at the top right of any (right to left) diagonal and move along
the diagonal, adding the numbers you encounter. Stop at any point
you wish. Where will you find the sum? (ANSWER: Just below and to
the right of the last number you added.) EXAMPLE:
10
b) How can you find the sum 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 quickly using Pascal’s
triangle?
HINT: Use the pattern you found in part a).
c) Extend Pascal’s triangle to 15 rows and shade the even numbers.

What patterns do you see?
d) Without extending Pascal’s triangle, can you find the missing

numbers in the 8th row?
1 8 28 56 70 56 28 8 1
process ASSESSMENT HINT: The first and last numbers in each row are 1. Some students
[7m1, 7m2, PS, R] may notice that since the rows are symmetrical, they can reduce their
Workbook Investigation work by half.
Patterns and Algebra 7- 15

PA7-5 Constant Rates
Page xxxx
Curriculum Goals
Expectations
Ontario: 5m68, 6m63, 7m65, Students will substitute values for the variables in algebraic expressions
7m1, 7m7, 7m67 and translate simple word problems into algebraic expressions.
WNCP: 7PA5, [C, PS]
Can add, subtract, multiply, and divide

Knows the order of operations
Vocabulary
variable
algebraic expression Introduce variables and algebraic expressions. See Questions 1–3.
substitution
flat fee A variable represents a changing number. After students do Question 4,
hourly rate write on the board the cost of renting a pair of skates for 2 hours, 3 hours,
4 hours, and 5 hours. ASK: How much would it cost to rent the skates for 6
process expectation hours? 10 hours? 37 hours? h hours? t hours? w hours? r hours?
Looking for a pattern Introduce flat fees and hourly rates. Work through Question 8 a) together,
then have students write an expression for the cost of renting a boat (at the
same flat fee of $9 and hourly rate of $5) for these times:
a) 1 hour b) 3 hours c) 4 hours
d) 5 hours e) 11 hours f) 15 hours
Now challenge students to write an expression for the cost of renting a boat
for h hours, or m hours, or n hours.
What changes? Have students identify the quantity that changes in

each of the following situations. (This quantity is what the variable in the
corresponding algebraic expression represents.)
a) Poppies are on sale for 5¢ each. (poppies)

b) An Internet café charges $2 for each hour. (hours)
c) A grocery store charges 5¢ for each plastic bag. (plastic bags)
Introduce the terms flat fee and hourly rate. Then have students decide
what quantity in the following situations must be represented by a variable.
a) A skate rental company charges a $2 flat fee and then $3 for each
hour. (hours)
b) A boat rental company charges a $10 flat fee and then $5 per hour.
(hours)
c) A taxi company charges a $5 flat fee and then $2 for each kilometre.
(kilometres)
Bonus A bus company charges 10¢ per kilometre and $5 per
passenger. (both kilometres and passengers)
Substituting values for the variable in expressions involving only

addition. See Question 12.

The need for brackets when substituting. See Question 13.
Using brackets as another notation for multiplication. See Question 14.
Extra Practice: Evaluate these expressions.

a) 3(5) + 4
b) 7 + 2(3)
c) 7 – 2(3)
d) 3(4) – 5
Bonus 7(6) – 2(5) + 3(3) – 8(5)
Substituting in a context. See Question 16.
Interchangeable expressions. Using different variables in the same

expression, or writing the terms of the expression in a different order,
doesn’t change the meaning of the expression. Students will discover this
by doing Questions 18–22.
process ASSESSMENT Substituting for 2 variables. See Question 23.
[7m1, PS] Extra Practice: Find the value of each expression for x = 2 and y = 3.
Workbook Question 24 ANSWERS:
a) 5x + 4y 22
b) 6x – 2y 6
–
c) 9x y 15
Bonus 9xy 54
Extensions
1. A rectangle has area xy. Find the area if x = 5 and y = 7.
ANSWER: 35
2. A triangle has area 1 bh. Find the area if b = 8 and h = 3.

2
ANSWER: 12
3. Write an expression for the cost of a pizza (x) divided among 4 people.
ANSWER: x ÷ 4
process ASSESSMENT 4. Give students a copy of a times table. Ask them to write an expression
[7m1, R] that would allow them to find the numbers in a particular column
of the times table given the row number. For example, to find any
number in the 5s column of the times table, you multiply the row number
by 5; each number in the 5s column is given by the algebraic expression
5 × n, where n is the row number. Ask students to write an algebraic
expression for the numbers in a given row.
17
PA7-6
Solving Equations—Guess and Check
Page xxxx
Curriculum Goals
Expectations
Ontario: 6m66, 7m1, 7m6, Students will solve equations of the form ax + b = c by guessing small
7m7, 7m69 values for x, checking by substitution, and then revising their answer.
WNCP: 5PA2, [R, C]
Can substitute a number for a variable

Can read charts
Vocabulary Can verify equations
solving for the variable
(e.g., solving for x)
Introduce using a chart to solve equations. Review Question 24 from
PA7-5: The cost, in dollars, of renting the bike is 8h + 5, where h is the
number of hours the bike is rented for. We want to know how many hours
it will take for the cost to reach $61. ASK: How can we express that using
an equation? (we want to find h so that 8h + 5 = 61; this will be the largest
amount of hours we can rent the bike for; if h was higher, the price would
be more than $61) Show students how to solve 8h + 5 = 61 by using a
chart and plugging h = 1, h = 2, h = 3, and so on, into the expression. See
Questions 1 and 2 on the worksheet for this lesson.
process expectation Introduce the guess and check method to solve equations. Show the
Guessing, checking and equation 7h – 2 = 61. Tell students that you are going to solve this equation
revising by guessing and checking. Start by guessing h = 5. ASK: If h = 5, what is
7h – 2? (33) What does this tell me? Should h be higher or lower to make
7h – 2 = 61? (higher) What would your next guess be? Continue in this way
until students see that h = 9.
process expectation Compare the two methods of solving equations. ASK: Which method
takes less work? Which method is quicker? (the guess and check method
Connecting
is quicker) Which method is more like looking up a word in the dictionary
using alphabetical order? (guess and check) Which method is more like
looking up a word in the dictionary without knowing or using alphabetical
order? (using the chart) Have students explain the connection. (In a
dictionary, each page you turn to tells you whether to look to the right or to
the left.)
Equations that mean the same thing. When solving Question 7, students
might prefer to rewrite the equation in the form ax + b = c. They can do
this and know they will still get the same answer because of their work in
Questions 5 and 6.
process expectation Look for equations that mean the same thing. See Question 8.
Organizing data Discuss strategies for finding an equation that means the same thing as
2 + 7x = 23. If the equations mean the same thing, would they have the
same answer? (yes, the same number will solve both) Would you look for
18
an equation that has an x? (no, 7x means the same thing as 7r or 7u) Which
equations are solved by the same number as part e)? (a, d, I, m, n, and p)
What part or parts of the equation should you look for? (a 7 in front of the
variable and a 23 or a 2 in the equation). ASK: Should the 23 be on the
same side of the equal sign as the variable or on the opposite side? (the side
opposite the variable) What about the 2? (the same side as the variable)
process expectation HINT for Bonus: Try splitting the problem into two easier problems:
Splitting into simpler 2x + 1 = 7 and 4y – 1 = 7.
problems
Extensions
process ASSESSMENT 1. How many digits does the solution to 3x + 5 = 8000 have? Explain.
[7m1, 7m7, PS, C] ANSWER: To determine the number of digits in the answer, we need to
determine the first power of 10 (10, 100, 1000, etc.) that is greater than
the solution. So, substitute increasing powers of 10 for the variable until
the answer is larger than 8000:
3(10) + 5 = 35
3(100) + 5 = 305
3(1 000) + 5 = 3 005
3(10 000) + 5 = 30 005
So x is between 1 000 and 10 000, which means that it has 4 digits.
2. Students who do the Bonus will see that the solution to 2x + 1 = 7 =

4y – 1 is x = 3 and y = 2. How many solutions can students find to
2x + 1 = 4y – 1 (the same expressions but not necessarily both equal
to 7) if x and y are whole numbers?
ANSWER: Find 2x + 1 for various values of x:
x 1 2 3 4 5
2x + 1 3 5 7 9 11
Now find 4y – 1 for various values of y:
y 1 2 3 4 5
4y – 1 3 7 11 15 19
Look for numbers that are the same in the second rows:
2x + 1 = 3 = 4y – 1 when x = 1 and y = 1
2x + 1 = 7 = 4y – 1 when x = 3 and y = 2
2x + 1 = 11 = 4y – 1 when x = 5 and y = 3
process ASSESSMENT Students might continue the pattern to find more solutions (x = 7 and
y = 4 is the next one).
[7m7, C]
Workbook Question 5
19
PA7-7 Modelling Equations
Page xxxx
Curriculum Goals
Expectations
Ontario: 7m1, 7m2, 7m6, Students will use pictures to model and solve equations.
7m7, 7m69
WNCP: 7PA4, 7PA6, 7PA7, PRIOR KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED
[C, R, V]
Can use variables to represent an unknown value
Can solve an equation to find an unknown value
Can solve equations by guessing and checking
Vocabulary
expression Materials
equation paper bags and counters
variable
process expectation Finding the unknown in a concrete model. Divide students into pairs and
Modelling have them play the following game:
Step 1: Player 1 takes a small number of paper bags and puts an equal
number of counters in each bag. Player 1 also selects some counters to be
left outside the bags.
Step 2: Player 1 tells Player 2 the total number of counters placed both in
the bags and outside the bags. EXAMPLE: If Player 1 places 2 counters
in each of 5 bags and has 3 counters outside, Player 1 tells Player 2 “I’ve
placed 13 counters altogether”.
Step 3: Player 2 has to figure out (without looking in the bags) how many
counters are in each bag. Players then switch roles.
Students can use guessing, checking, and revising as a strategy. In the

example in Step 2, a student might start by guessing 1 counter in each bag
and then check how many counters there would be in total (only 8, so this
guess is too small). Students might also discover the strategy of working
backwards. EXAMPLE: If there are 13 counters altogether and I see 3
counters outside the bags, there must be 10 counters in the bags. There
are 5 bags, so there must be 2 in each bag.
Relate the model to algebra. ASK: What is the unknown you were looking
for? (the number of counters in each bag) Represent that by x. ASK: How
can you get the number of counters in all the bags from x? (multiply x by
the number of bags) How can you get the total number of counters from x?
(x × the number of bags + the number of counters outside of bags)
Draw a model on the board and build the corresponding algebraic

expression step by step:
There are x counters in each bag.

There are 4x counters in all the bags because there are 4 bags.
There are 4x + 3 counters altogether.
20
Then tell students that there are 35 counters altogether. ASK: What equation
can we write? (4x + 3 = 35) Challenge students to determine the number of
counters in each bag by solving the equation. (x = 8)
process expectation Draw a model to verify an answer. EXAMPLE: For the equation
Modelling 2x + 5 = 11, start by drawing 2 containers and 5 counters, then add 1
counter to each container until you have 11 counters altogether.
Students can solve equations by guessing, checking, and revising,

and then verify their answers by drawing a model. Students should
draw their models so that the items inside the bags (e.g., counters, apples)
are clearly visible.
process Assessment Extension

[7m1, PS] Find as many solutions as you can with x and y whole numbers:
10x + 4y = 74.
HINT: Use guessing and checking.
ANSWER: (x, y) = (7, 1), (5, 6), (3, 11), (1, 16)
process Assessment Bonus Find solutions that are not whole numbers.
[7m6, V], Sample ANSWER: (0, 18.5), (2, 13.5), (4, 8.5), (6, 3.5), (0.5, 17.25)
Workbook Question 4
[7m2, 7m7, R, C],
Workbook Question 5
21
PA7-8 Solving Equations—Preserving Equality
Page xxxx
Curriculum Goals
Expectations
Ontario: 7m1, 7m6, 7m69 Students will “undo” many operations to get back where they started
WNCP: 7PA3, 7PA6, when starting with a number, and will “undo” one operation when starting
7PA7, [R] with a variable.
Knows that multiplication and division undo each other

Vocabulary Knows that addition and subtraction undo each other
variable Can substitute numbers for variables
Undoing one operation. Have students pair up. Player 1 chooses a secret
number. Player 2 gives Player 1 an operation—either multiplication or
addition—to do to the secret number (EXAMPLE: multiply by 3, or add 7).
Player 1 carries out the operation and tells Player 2 the answer. Player 2 has
to find the secret number. Partners can trade roles and repeat.
Discuss how students “undid” operations to find—or get back to—the

numbers their partners started with. For example, ASK: How did you get
back to the original number if your partner multiplied the number by 3?
(divided the answer by 3) How did you get back to the original number if
you instructed your partner to add 7? (subtracted 7 from the answer)
Have students do Questions 1–4 on the worksheet.
Undoing more than one operation. EXAMPLE: If I start with 16, and
my partner tells me to add 6 then multiply by 3, I will tell my partner the
answer is 66. Now my partner has to undo both adding and multiplying!
Have students discuss whether they should undo the adding first or the
multiplying. Then discuss ways to check if they got the right answer
without getting confirmation from you. For example, if they try to undo
“add 6 then multiply by 3” by subtracting 6 then dividing by 3, they will get:
60 ÷ 3 = 20. They can check this answer by starting with 20, adding 6 (26),
and multiplying by 3. This gives 78 when the answer is supposed to be 66,
so 20 is incorrect; you undo “add 6 then multiply by 3” by dividing by 3 then
subtracting 6. Write out the steps as on the worksheet:
Start with 16 16
Add 6 22 Subtract 6 16
Multiply by 3 66 Divide by 3 22
Tell students that you started with a number, added 4, divided by 3,

process Assessment multiplied by 2, and then subtracted 1. You ended up with 9. Challenge
[7m1, R] students to determine your original number. (11)
Have students make game cards for a partner. On the front of the card,
students write a sequence of operations and the final answer obtained.
Each sequence should include all four operations, and nowhere along
the way should a decimal number be obtained (e.g., don’t start with 7 and
22
divide by 2). On the back of the card, students write the original number.
Partners trade cards and undo the operations on the front of the card to find
the original number. EXAMPLE:
Front of Card Back of Card

Start with ?. ? = 7
Multiply by 2.
Subtract 1.
Add 5.
Divide by 3.
Get 6.
An analogy. Remind students that when they put on their socks and shoes,
they put their socks on first and then their shoes. ASK: How do you undo
these two operations - which do you do first? (Undo the operations in
reverse order - take off your shoes first, then your socks.) This is how we
undo operations in math too. If you add first and then multiply, you undo
multiplying first and then undo adding.
Treating variables like numbers. Tell students that to add 3 to 4, you

would write 4 + 3. ASK: What would you write to add 3 to x? (x + 3)
Continue with other operations, as on the worksheet.
Writing in words what was done to the variable. See Question 8.
Undoing operations done to variables. You undo operations done to

variables in the same way you undo operations done to numbers. See
Questions 1, 2, 3, and 9.
Preserving equality. Give students equations with one operation. Have

students describe what was done to the variable, x, and how to undo that
operation to find x. EXAMPLES:
a) 3x = 12 b) x + 3 = 12 c) x ÷ 3 = 5 d) x – 3 = 5
ANSWERS:
a) x was multiplied by 3 to get 12, so divide 12 by 3 to get x (x = 12 ÷ 3 = 4)
b) 3 was added to x to get 12, so subtract 3 from 12 to get x (x = 12 – 3 = 9)
c) x was divided by 3 to get 5, so multiply 5 by 3 to get x (x = 5 × 3 = 15)
d) 3 was subtracted from x to get 5, so add 5 to 3 to get x (x = 5 + 3 = 8)
When students are comfortable describing how to undo operations to

find x, show them how to do it with the equation:
3x = 12
3x ÷ 3 = 12 ÷ 3 (if 3x and 12 are the same number, then dividing
them both by 3 will still result in the same number)
x = 4
process Assessment Explain that you divided both sides by 3 because you wanted to undo the
[7m6, R] multiplying by 3 and get back to where you started.
Workbook Question 10.
23
PA7-9 Solving Equations—Two Operations
Page xxxx
Curriculum Goals
Expectations
Ontario: 7m1, 7m2, 7m6, Students will “undo” many operations to get back where they started
7m69 when starting with a variable.
WNCP: 7PA3, 7PA6, 7PA7,
[R, PS, C] PRIOR KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED
Knows that multiplication and division undo each other

Knows that addition and subtraction undo each other
Can substitute numbers for variables
Vocabulary
variable
substitute Writing the expression that shows what was done to the variable. Have
solve for students write the expression that results from each series of operations:
a) Start with x. Multiply by 3. Add 4 3x + 4
b) Start with x. Multiply by 4. Add 3. 4x + 3
c) Start with x. Multiply by 5. Subtract 2 5x – 2
Writing the equation when you know the final result of the operations.
Tell students that the final result, after doing the operations above, was
always 43. Write the equation for each question above.
ANSWERS: a) 3x + 4 = 43 b) 4x + 3 = 43 c) 5x – 2 = 43 d) 5x – 7 = 43
Undoing each operation in turn to find x. Now hav e students undo the
operations in backwards order to find x. ANSWER for a):
3x + 4 = 43
3x + 4 – 4 = 43 – 4 Undo adding 4 by subtracting 4.
process expectation 3x = 39 Write the new equation.
Working backwards 3x ÷ 3 = 39 ÷ 3 Undo multiplying by 3 by dividing by 3.
x = 13 Write the new equation.
Start with an expression and have students say what operations were done,
and in what order. EXAMPLE: 3x + 4 has multiplying by 3 and adding 4,
but which was done first—multiplying by 3 or adding 4? (multiplying by 3)
What would starting with x, adding 4, and then multiplying by 3 look like?
ANSWER: 3(x + 4).
Have students write what was done to x to get each answer and then undo
those operations in backwards order to solve for x:
a) 3x + 7 = 31 b) 2x – 1 = 11 c) 5x – 2 = 48 d) 7x – 1 = 48
ANSWER for a):
Start with x. Multiply by 3. Then add 7. Get 31 3x + 7 = 31.
Undo adding 7 by subtracting 7: 3x + 7 – 7 = 31 – 7
Write the new equation: 3x = 24
Undo multiplying by 3 by dividing by 3: 3x ÷ 3 = 24 ÷ 3
Write the new equation: x = 8
Checking your answer. Encourage students to verify their answers by

substituting them into the original equations.
ANSWER for a): 3(8) + 7 = 24 + 7 = 31. It works!

More word problems.
1. a) A grocery store charges 5¢ for each grocery bag. Write an expression
for the cost of buying n grocery bags. (5n¢)
b) Substitute for n to find out how much it costs to buy
i) 3 bags ii) 5 bags iii) 10 bags
ANSWERS: i) 5(3) = 15¢ ii) 5(5) = 25¢ iii) 5(10) = 50¢
2. a) A telephone company charges 25¢ per minute. Write an expression for

talking on the phone for m minutes. (25m¢)
b) Substitute for m to find out how much it costs to talk for
ANSWERS:
i) 3 minutes 25(3) = 75¢
ii) 10 minutes 25(10) = 250¢ or $2.50
iii) 13 minutes 25(13) = 325¢ = $3.25 (or just add the
costs for 3 minutes and 10 minutes)
Bonus How much would it cost to talk for 1 hour?
(25¢ × 60 minutes = 1500¢ = $15)
c) Sara paid $1.50 = 150¢ to talk on the phone. Write an equation and
solve for m to determine how long she talked for.
3. It costs $8 to rent a pair of skis and $4 an hour to use the ski hill.
a) Write an expression for how much it costs to rent a pair of skis and use
the ski hill for h hours.
b) How much will it cost to rent the skis for 5 hours?
c) How long can you ski for if you have $36?
d) For which question—b) or c)—did you need to solve for h? For which
question did you need to substitute for h?
4. Another ski hill charges $20 to rent a pair of skis but only $2 an hour to
use the ski hill.
a) Sara wants to ski for 5 hours. Which ski hill is a better choice for
her—this one or the one from Question 3?
process assessment b) Bob wants to ski for 7 hours. Which ski hill is a better choice for him?
[7m1, 7m6, PS, C] Bonus Jeff calculates that the two ski hills will charge him the
same amount. How long does he plan to ski for? Justify your
answer. (ANSWER: 6, since 5 hours are better with the ski
hill from Question 3, and 7 hours are better with this ski hill.
Students can check directly that it costs $32 to ski for 6 hours
on each hill.)
Extensions
1. Kyle paid $22 for a taxi ride. The initial charge was $2 and he rode for 5
minutes. What was the charge per minute? (2 + 5x = 22 so 5x = 20,
so x = 4)
process assessment
[7m2, R] 2. See More word problems, Question 2 (above). How much would
Workbook Question 6 it cost to talk for 24 seconds? (10¢; either solve the ratio
25¢ : 60 sec = ? : 24 sec or multiply 25¢ per min × 24/60 min.)
25
PA7-10 Modelling Equations—Advanced
Page xxxx
Curriculum Goals
Expectations
Ontario: 7m1, 7m6, 7m69 Students will use a balance model to model the process of solving
WNCP: 7PA3, 7PA6, 7PA7, equations of the form ax + b = c.
[V, PS]
Can solve equations of the form ax + b = c by working backwards
Vocabulary
none Using mass to model equations. Draw a triangle and two circles.
Tell students that each circle has mass 1 kg but you don’t know the mass
NOTE: The pan balances of the triangle. Let’s call its mass x, an unknown, because we don’t know
pictured here and on the what it is.
worksheet are called scales
Balancing any combination of 1 triangle and circles (corresponds to
throughout.
equations with addition only). Show a situation where 1 triangle and 2
process expectation circles balance 7 circles. ASK: How can we determine the mass of the
Modelling triangle? (find out how many circles balance the triangle)
x+2=7
Remove all the circles from the left-hand

side and an equivalent number of circles
from the right-hand side.
x+2–2=7–2
The triangle has the same mass as

5 circles.
x=5
Have students show the equation each scale represents.
a) b)
Then have students solve the equations. ANSWERS: a) x = 7, b) x = 3.
Have students draw the scale for each of these equations.

a) n + 2 = 8 b) n + 3 = 10 c) n + 5 = 9
Ask students to write equations for the following scales using the letter n as
the unknown.
a) b)
26
ASK: What do you notice about the operations in all of the equations we
have seen so far? (there is only addition) What do you notice about all of
the scales we have seen so far? (there is only one triangle)
Balancing any combination of triangles only (corresponds to equations

with multiplication only). Have students write the equations represented
by these scales.
a) b)
(3x = 12) (2x = 12)
c)

(4x = 12)
Draw a scale where 1 triangle balances 3 circles. ASK: How many circles
will 2 triangles balance? 3 triangles? 4 triangles? 5 triangles? Display the
pictures and corresponding equations for each situation.
Tell students that you know that 5 triangles balance 10 circles. ASK: How
many circles will 1 triangle balance? How do you know? Explain that if a
certain number of triangles balances another number of circles, and you
divide both sets into the same number of groups, then each single group
of triangles will balance a single group of circles. For example, if 5 triangles
balance 10 circles, then 1/5 of the triangles will balance 1/5 of the circles, so
1 triangle balances 2 circles. If 3 triangles balance 12 circles, then 1/3 of the
triangles balance 1/3 of the circles, so 1 triangle balances 4 circles. Illustrate
how this affects the equations:
5x = 10 ?????
x=2
Tell students that you asked three students what equation to write for the
middle scale and they gave you three different answers:
A: 5x – 4 = 10 – 8 B: 5x – 4x = 10 – 8 C: 5x ÷ 5 = 10 ÷ 5
ASK: Is Student A’s equation correct? Does Student A get the correct
answer if he solves his equation? (5x – 4 = 2, so 5x = 6, so x = 6/5 = 1.2.
This is not correct, since the last scale clearly shows that x = 2.) What went
wrong? First, if 5x = 10, then subtracting 4 from 5x cannot possibly give the
same result as subtracting 8 from 10. Also, subtracting 4 triangles is not the
same as subtracting 4; we are subtracting 4x from the left-hand side, not 4!
Student B took this into account and wrote 5x – 4x = 10 – 8, which gives
x = 2. This is the correct answer. However, it is not at first clear that
subtracting 4x is the same as subtracting 8. It is only because you are
27
taking away the same fraction of each side that this is true.
Student C also got the right answer. She divided each side into 5 equal
groups and kept one of the groups. So one fifth of each side still balances.
This equation is particularly convenient because it is clear that you are
doing the same thing to both sides.
Write equations for models that include both addition and

multiplication, and solve for x.
Step 1: Write the equation that represents the model.
Step 2: Remove all circles from the side that has the triangle(s) and remove
the same number of circles from the other side. Write the new equation.
Step 3: Divide the circles into the number of groups given by the number
of triangles. Keep only one group of circles and one triangle. Write the new
equation. This will be the solution!
Extra Practice:
Draw the scales for each equation below (don’t show students the
equations) and have students do Steps 1, 2, and 3 to solve for x.
a) 3x + 4 = 16 b) 2x + 5 = 11 c) 5x + 3 = 18 d) 4x + 7 = 23
ACTIVITY
In the magic trick below, the magician can predict the result of the
sequence of operations performed on any number. Try the trick with
students: ask them to pick a number but not tell you what it is, have them
perform the operations in sequence, then tell them the answer, 3. No
matter what mystery number students choose, after performing the
operations in the trick, they will always get the number 3. Encourage
students to figure out how the trick works by drawing a model (and give
them lots of hints!).
The trick A model for the algebra
Pick any number Use a square to represent the
mystery number.
Add 4 Use 4 circles to represent the
4 ones that were added.
Multiply by 2 Create 2 sets of shapes to show
the doubling.
Subtract 2 Take away 2 circles to show

the subtraction.
Divide by 2 Remove one set of shapes to

show the division.
Subtract the Remove the square.
mystery number
process assessment The answer is 3!

[7m1, PS] Encourage students to make up their own similar trick.
28
Extensions
1. Scale A is balanced. Draw the number of circles needed to balance
Scale B.
a)
A B
b)
A B
c)
A B
d)
A B
e)
A B
f)
A B
2. Which part of Extension 1 shows that 2x + 1 = 7 is solved by x = 3?

(Part e))
process assessment 3. Scales A and B are balanced. Draw the number of circles needed to
balance Scale C. Explain how you know.
[7m1, 7m6, 7m7, PS, V, C]
a)
A B
process assessment b)
[7m6, V]
Workbook Question 5
A B
29
PA7-11 Solving Equations—Advanced
Page xxxx
Curriculum Goals
Expectations
Ontario: 7m1, 7m2 Students will group like terms and cancel opposite terms to simplify and
WNCP: [PS, R] solve equations.
Can solve equations of the form ax + b = c

Vocabulary Can substitute for the variable
cancel
simplify
group like terms Multiplication as a short form for addition. Remind students that the
expression 3 × 5 is short for repeated addition: 3 × 5 = 5 + 5 + 5. Similarly,
3x is short for x + x + x.
Have students write the following expressions as repeated addition.

a) 5n (n + n + n + n + n) b) 4x (x + x + x + x)
c) 7y (y + y + y + y + y + y + y)
Have students write each sum as a product.

a) x + x + x + x + x (5x) b) n + n + n (3n)
c) m + m + m + m + m + m (6m)
Grouping x’s to simplify an expression. Challenge students to write

2x + 3x as a single term.
ANSWER: 2x + 3x = x+x + x+x+x = 5x
2x 3x

Explain that we can do this because each x represents the same number.
Show students how to verify that 2x + 3x and 5x are equal for various
values of x.
x = 1 2(1) + 3(1) = 2 + 3 = 5 and 5(1) = 5 so 2x + 3x = 5x for x = 1
x = 2 2(2) + 3(2) = 4 + 6 = 10 and 5(2) = 10 so 2x + 3x = 5x for x = 2
x = 3 2(3) + 3(3) = 6 + 9 = 15 and 5(3) = 15 so 2x + 3x = 5x for x = 3
x = 4 2(4) + 3(4) = 8 + 12 = 20 and 5(4) = 20 so 2x + 3x = 5x for x = 4
Have students substitute x = 5 and x = 6 into the two expressions to

verify equality. Explain that this works simply because 2 anythings plus 3
anythings is 5 anythings:
process EXPECTATION 2 ones + 3 ones = 5 ones 2 twos + 3 twos = 5 twos
2 threes + 3 threes = 5 threes 2 x’s + 3 x’s = 5 x’s
Looking for a pattern
ASK: How many x’s are there in 3x + 4x? (7) So 3x + 4x = 7x. Explain
that grouping all the x’s together is called simplifying. Then have students
simplify these expressions:
ANSWERS:
a) 8x + 2x 10x
b) 9x + 4x + 3x 16x
c) 3x + 3x + 4x 10x
Bonus x + 2x + 3x + 4x + 5x + 6x 21x

Grouping with word problems. Tell students that pizza costs $5 per
student and drinks cost $2 per student. Have students write an
expression for:
a) the cost of x students buying pizza (5x)
b) the cost of x students buying drinks (2x)
c) the total cost of x students buying pizza and drinks (5x + 2x or 7x)
Explain the two ways of getting the answers in part c): 5x + 2x is the sum of
the two separate costs; 5 + 2 is the cost per student, so the total cost to all
students will be (5 + 2)x = 7x.
Cancelling. Explain as on the worksheet. See Question 5.

a) 8x – 4x b) 3x – 2x c) 6x – 3x
d) 9x – 5x e) 7x – 2x f) 8x – 6x
Have students subtract the variables and then the numbers, and compare
the answers.
a) 7x – 2x = and 7 – 2 =
b) 3x – x = and 3 – 1 =
c) 6x – 4x = and 6 – 4 =
d) 8x – 2x = and 8 – 2 =
e) 6x – x = and 6 – 1 =
f) 8x – 2x + 3x = and 8 – 2 + 3 =
g) 7x + 3x – 4x – 2x = and 7 + 3 – 4 – 2 =
What do students notice?

a) 10 – 3 = so 10x – 3x =
b) 8 – 5 = so 8x – 5x =
c) 7 – 4 = so 7x – 4x =
d) 9 – 4 = so 9x – 4x =
e) 6 – 2 = so 6x – 2x =
f) 5 – 3 = so 5x – 3x =
g) 8 – 3 + 1 = so 8x – 3x + x =
h) 7 – 4 + 2 – 3 = so 7x – 4x + 2x – 3x =
process assessment Write each expression so that there is only one x.

[7m2, R] a) 6x – 5x b) 6x – 4x c) 6x – 3x d) 6x – 2x
Workbook Question 8 e) 6x – x f) 8x – 3x + 2x g) 9x – 2x + 3x h) 7x – 2x + 4x
SAMPLE ANSWER: g) 9x – 2x + 3x = 10x because 9 – 2 + 3 = 10
process assessment Bonus 9x – 8x + 7x – 6x + 5x – 4x + 3x – 2x + x (Students might notice

that each pair of consecutive terms (9x – 8x, 7x – 6x, etc.) makes
[7m1, PS]
x, so the answer is x + x + x + x + x = 5x.)

PA7-12 Equations and Expressions
Page xxxx
Curriculum Goals
Expectations
Ontario: not for evaluation Students will explain the difference between an expression and an
WNCP: 7PA4, 7PA7, [C] equation. Students will identify variables, coefficients, and constant terms
in word problems.
Vocabulary Can model and solve equations of the form ax + b = c

expression
equation
coefficient Differences and similarities between equations and expressions. See
variable Questions 1–5. Equations and expressions both contain numbers, symbols,
constant term and variables. Equations have equal signs that separate two expressions
Coefficients and constant terms. Define coefficient and constant term as

on the worksheet. Have students complete the table.
Expression Variable(s) Coefficient(s) Constant Term(s)

3x + 5 – 4y + 1 x, y 3, – 4 5, 1
0.2x + 4.2
6 + 2x + y
2+3–5
2x + 3
Variables, coefficients, and constant terms in word problems. Ask

students to identify coefficients and variables in context. EXAMPLE: When
she is running, Sara’s heart beats at a rate of 120 beats per minute. Have
students write an expression for the number of beats if Sara runs for m
minutes. (120m) ASK: What is the coefficient? (120) What information does
the coefficient provide? (the number of beats per minute while running)
What does the variable represent? (the number of minutes Sara runs for)
Repeat with a word problem that includes a constant term. EXAMPLE:

A phone company charges a flat fee of $10 plus $3 per hour of phone
conversation. Have students write the expression for the total cost of
talking on the phone for h hours. ASK: What is the coefficient? What does
the coefficient represent? (the coefficient is 3 and it represents the hourly
rate) What does the constant term represent? (the flat fee) What does the
process Assessment variable represent? (the number of hours)
[7m7, C]
Workbook Questions 2 and 3

PA7-13 Dividing by a Constant
Page xxxx
Curriculum Goals
Expectations
Ontario: not for evaluation Students will solve problems that can be represented by equations of
WNCP: 7PA7, [R, V] the form x = b, where a is not zero.
a
PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
REQUIRED Materials
Vocabulary
none Can solve equations of the form metre stick
ax = b and ax + b = c by rulers
working backwards pieces of string (see below
for lengths)
Review using fractional notation for division. See Question 1.

1. Write these division statements as fractions.
a) 8 ÷ 2 (ANSWER: 8 ) b) 18 ÷ 6 c) 20 ÷ 10
2
2. Write these fractions as division statements.
a) 20 (ANSWER: 20 ÷ 4) b) 16 c) 21
4 8 3
process EXPECTATION Solve for n by using a chart. Have students copy and complete the chart
Organizing data below in their notebooks.
n 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
nn
0 1 2
5
Then have students use the chart to solve for n.
a) n = 4 b) n = 7 c) n = 10 d) n = 8 e) n = 6 f) n = 2
5 5 5 5 5 5
n= n= n= n= n= n=
process EXPECTATION Solve for n by guessing and checking.

Guessing checking and EXAMPLE: n/5 = 6. Try n = 10, get 10/5 = 2, which is less than 6, so try a
revising larger number, say n = 20. This gets 20/5 = 4, which is still too small. Try a
larger number, say n = 30. This works.
process EXPECTATION Solve for x by using a model. Show students a piece of string that is
Modelling 120 cm long and tell students that you want them to measure it using only
a metre stick and taking only one measurement. Have students brainstorm
possible answers. If necessary, explain that the string is too long to be
measured by the metre stick, but half of the string wouldn’t be too long.
ASK: How can you measure half of the string with only one measurement?
(fold it in half and measure it along the metre stick) How long is half the

string? (60 cm) How long is the whole string? (120 cm) Show this as a
series of equations: x/2 = 60 so x = 120.
Now tell students that they have only a ruler instead of a metre stick. How
could they measure the string now, again using only one measurement?
(fold the string in half twice) ASK: What fraction of the string’s original
length is the folded string? (one quarter—to ensure students understand
this, have them mark where the folds are and then open the string; they
should see four equal parts) Have a volunteer show the corresponding
equations on the board: x/4 = 30 so x = 120.
Give each student a piece of string and a ruler. Have students find the
length of the string by finding the length of a fraction of the string, as above.
Restrict the string lengths to numbers that can be divided by 2, 4, or 8 to
make a length less than the length of a standard ruler (30 cm). SAMPLE
string lengths:
224 cm (x/8 = 28 cm) 100 cm (x/4 = 25) 52 cm (x/2 = 26 cm)
54 cm (x/2 = 27 cm) 68 cm (x/4 = 17) 176 cm (x/8 = 22 cm)
Now tell students that a string is divided into 3 equal pieces:
ASK: If x is the length of the string, what is the length of each piece? (x/3)
Tell students that the length of each piece is 4 m. ASK: What equation
can we write? (x/3 = 4) Show students how to model each piece being
4 m long:
process Assessment So the whole string is 4 × 3 m long, which means x = 12. Have students
[7m6, V] draw a model to solve these equations:
a) x = 5 b) x = 5 c) x = 4 d) x = 10 e) x = 3
2 3 5 3 10
process EXPECTATION Solve for x by working backwards. See Questions 3 and 4.
Working backwards Extra Practice for Question 3:

a) x = 10 (x = 10(2) = 20) e) x = 7 (x = 7(6) = 42)
2 6
b) x = 8 (x = 8(7) = 56) f) x = 6 (x = 6(8) = 48)
7 9
c) x = 5 (x = 5(9) = 45) g) x = 6 (x = 6(9) = 54)
9 9
d) x = 7 (x = 7(7) = 49) Bonus
7 x/12 = 17 (x = 17(12) = 204)

Extensions
1. Write as many multiplication and division statements as you can that are
equivalent to the given statement. (NOTE: Capital letters can be used as
variables to represent numbers just like lower case letters)
a) 12 ÷ 3 = 4 b) AB = C c) X = Z
Y
process Assessment 2. Multiply both sides by x and solve the new equation. Explain your
[7m1, 7m7, PS, R, C] strategy and check your answer.
a) 8 = 2 b) 12 = 3 c) 20 = 4 d) 24 = 8
x x x x
8÷x=2
8 ÷ x × x = 2x
process Assessment 8 = 2x

[7m1, R]
Workbook Question 4 x= 8
2

x=4

PA7-14
Word Problems
Page xxxx
Curriculum Goals
Expectations
Ontario: 7m1, 7m2, 7m3, Students will solve problems involving equations by translating phrases
7m4, 7m5, 7m7, and sentences into expressions and equations.
7m66, 7m69
WNCP: 7PA7, [C, CN, PS, R] PRIOR KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED
solving equations
Vocabulary Associating phrases with operations. Write the phrases from the box at
expression the top of the worksheet (increased by, product, decreased by, etc.) on the
equation board. Have students decide which operation each phrase makes them
consecutive think of. Students can then create a chart with the headings Add, Subtract,
odd Multiply, and Divide, and sort each phrase under the correct heading.
even
Translating phrases into expressions. See Questions 1 and 2.
perimeter
area Extra Practice for Questions 1 and 2:
Translate each phrase into an expression.
a) 5 more than a number (x + 5)
b) 5 less than a number (x – 5)
c) 5 times a number (5x)
d) the product of a number and 5 (5x)
e) a number reduced by 5 (x – 5)
f) a number divided by 5 (x/5)
g) 5 divided into a number (x/5)
h) 5 divided by a number (5/x)
i) a number divided into 5 (5/x)
j) a number decreased by 5 (x – 5)
k) a number increased by 5 (x + 5)
l) the sum of a number and 5 (x + 5)
m) the product of 5 and a number (5x)
n) 5 fewer than a number (x – 5)
Bonus a number multiplied by 3 then increased by 5 (3x + 5)
Translating sentences into equations. Once students can reliably translate

phrases into expressions, it is easy to translate sentences into equations:
simply replace the word is with an equal sign (=) and replace the two
phrases separated by is with the appropriate expressions. Give students
some sentences to translate, but use sentences where one of the phrases is
just a number. EXAMPLE: Three times a number is 12.
Bonus Use sentences in which neither phrase is just a number. EXAMPLE:
Three times a number is the number increased by 8. (3x = x + 8)
Have students translate sentences into equations and then solve the equations.
Use sentences where only one side of the resulting equation includes a
variable. EXAMPLE: 3x + 5 = 20 not 3x + 5 = 2x + 9.
Solving word problems. Show students how to translate word problems
into equations.
EXAMPLE: Carl has 7 stickers. He has 2 more stickers than John. How
many stickers does John have?
SOLUTION: Let n stand for the number of stickers that John has, since
that is the unknown that we want to find. Let’s try to find two ways of writing
how many stickers Carl has so that we can write an equation of this form:
(number of stickers Carl has) = (number of stickers Carl has).
Carl has 2 more stickers than the number John has.

So Carl has 2 more stickers than n.
So Carl has n + 2 stickers.
But Carl has 7 stickers.
So n + 2 = 7.
Extra Practice:
a) Katie has 10 stickers. She has 3 fewer stickers than Laura. How many
stickers does Laura have?
SOLUTION: Let n be the number of stickers that Laura has, the
unknown we are looking for.
Katie has 3 fewer stickers than the number Laura has, so Katie has
n – 3 stickers.
But Katie has 10 stickers. So n – 3 = 10.
b) Katie has 12 stickers. She has 3 times as many stickers as Laura.
How many stickers does Laura have?
c) Katie has 12 stickers. She has 3 more stickers than Laura. How many
stickers does Laura have?
d) Katie has 12 stickers. She has half as many stickers as Laura. How
many stickers does Laura have.
process EXPECTATION Introducing new contexts to word problems. Have students solve the
Connecting three questions below and then discuss how they are similar and how they
are different.
a) Bilal has 20 stickers. He has 5 times as many stickers as Ron. How many
stickers does Ron have?
b) Bilal is 20 years old. He is 5 times older than Ron. How old is Ron?
c) Bilal walked 20 km. He walked 5 times further than Ron. How far did
Ron walk?
Challenge students to make up their own contexts for the same numbers.
Extra Practice with word problems:

a) Bilal runs 600 m each day. He runs 3 laps each day.
How long is each lap?
b) Bilal runs 800 m each day. He runs 40 m more than Ahmed.
How far does Ahmed run?
Review consecutive numbers. See Questions 4 and 5.

process EXPECTATION Word problems involving consecutive numbers. Challenge students
Problem-Solving to solve this problem using algebra: The sum of two consecutive numbers
is 27. What are the two numbers?

HINT: Choose one of the unknown numbers to be x, then write an
expression for the other number. For example, if you let the smaller number
be x, the larger number is x + 1; if you let the larger number be x, the
smaller number is x – 1.
ANSWER: If the smaller number is x, the equation becomes 2x + 1 = 27,

which gives x = 13, so the two numbers are 13 and 14. If the larger number
is x, the equation becomes 2x – 1 = 27, which gives x = 14. Again, the two
numbers are 13 and 14.
process EXPECTATION Now encourage students to solve the same problem using T-tables, as
Reflecting on other ways to on the worksheet, and discuss the two methods. (T-tables are a lot more
solve a problem. work—algebra saves time and effort!)
process EXPECTATION In the following problems, there is more than one unknown. Students will
Selecting tools and see that while you can let the variable represent any of the unknowns, some
strategies choices are better than others. In the first two problems, the middle number
is the best choice because it makes the equation easier to work with.
1. The sum of three consecutive numbers is 36. What are the three numbers?
a) Let the smallest number be x and solve the problem.
(x + x + 1 + x + 2 = 3x + 3 = 36 so x = 11)
b) Let the middle number be x and solve the problem.
(x – 1 + x + x + 1 = 3x = 36 so x = 12)
c) Let the greatest number be x and solve the problem.
(x – 2 + x – 1 + x = 3x – 3 = 36 so x = 13)
d) Did you get the same answer all three ways?
(Yes, the numbers are always 11, 12, and 13.)
e) Which way was easiest? Explain your choice.
(part b because the equation only involved multiplication. This
happened because the added and subtracted numbers cancelled)
2. The sum of five consecutive even numbers is 80.

What are the five numbers?
a) Let the smallest number be x and solve the problem.
(5x + 20 = 80, so x = 12; the numbers are 12, 14, 16, 18, and 20)
b) Let the middle number be x and solve the problem.
(5x = 80, so x = 16; the numbers are 12, 14, 16, 18, and 20)
c) Which way was easiest? Explain your choice. (part b) was easiest
because the equation only involved multiplication, again because
of cancelling)
Here is more practice in a new context:

process Assessment 3. Jane has $3 in dimes and quarters. She has 21 coins in all.
[7m1, 7m2, PS, R] How many of each coin does she have?
Steps for students who need guidance:
a) Let the number of quarters be x.
b) Write an expression for the number of dimes. (21 – x)
c) Write an expression for the value of the quarters, in cents. (25x)
d) Write an expression for the value of the dimes, in cents. (10(21 – x))
e) Explain why your answer to d) is the same as 10 × 21 – 10x.

(This is the distributive law)
f) We are given the total value of the coins: $3, or 300¢. Use the
expressions in c) and e) to write another expression for the total value
of the coins, in cents. (25x + 10 × 21 – 10x = 15x + 210)
g) Write an equation by using the expression for the total value of the
coins from f) and the given information. (15x + 210 = 300) Use 300
instead of 3 because the left side is in cents, not dollars)
h) Solve your equation. How many quarters does Jane have? How many
dimes does she have?(15x = 90, so x = 90/15 = 6; Jane has 6
quarters and 21 – 6 = 15 dimes)
online guide
i) Verify your answer by totalling the value of the coins from h).
Web link for more word (6 quarters = $1.50 and 15 dimes = $1.50, so altogether we have $3
problems and 6 + 15 = 21 coins)
process Assessment Extension

[7m3, 7m4, R, C] Write an equation to find the length of the missing side(s).
Workbook Questions 7 and 8
a) b)
2m Area = 24 m2 4 A = 16 m2
x x
c) d)
x Perimeter = 48 cm x P = 72 cm
x + 4 2x

PA7-15 Investigating Equations
Page xxxx
Curriculum Goals
Expectations
Ontario: 6m63, 7m1 Students will understand that variables represent a changing quantity
WNCP: 6PA3, [R] and will represent generalizations arising from number relationships
using algebraic equations.
Vocabulary Knows that division by zero is not possible

variable Knows that addition commutes (a + b = b + a)
Knows that multiplication commutes (a × b = b × a) and that
multiplication distributes over addition and subtraction
(e.g., a × (b – c) = a × b – a × c)
Variables as changing quantities. Show the equations from the top

of the worksheet. Emphasize that the variable a is not representing an
unknown number, but instead a changing number. The equation
2 × a = a + a is always true, no matter what we substitute for a, as long
as we substitute the same number for all three a’s. This is very different
from an equation like 3a + 1 = 13, where a represents an unknown number
and we have to find the number that makes the equation true.
More equations in one variable. Show the following equations:

8 + 1 – 1 = 8 8 + 2 – 2 = 8 8+3–3=8
8 + 17 – 17 = 8 8 + 134 – 134 = 8
ASK: What numbers are changing? Have volunteers replace these numbers
with a variable, such as a: 8 + a – a = 8. Explain that it doesn’t matter what
we add and subtract—as long as we add and subtract the same number,
we will always end up with 8.
Have students try to come up with more examples of equations in one

variable that are always true, no matter what you substitute for the variable.
EXAMPLES:
a + 4 – 4 = a 3 × a = a + a + a a×1=a
a × 0 = 0 a+0=a
Equations that are almost always true. Write the following equations on
the board:
1 ÷ 1 = 1 2 ÷ 2 = 1 3 ÷ 3 = 1 4 ÷ 4 = 1 5÷5=1
Have a volunteer replace the changing number with a variable: a ÷ a = 1.

ASK: Can we substitute any value for a and make the equation true? As a
prompt, ASK: Is there a number that you are not allowed to divide by? (0)
Explain that 0 ÷ 0 has no answer, so the equation a ÷ a = 1 is true as long
as a doesn’t equal 0.
Equations in two variables. Remind students that a + 4 – 4 = a is true for

any value of a, as long as we substitute the same number for both a’s. Now,
write these equations:

a + 1 – 1 = a a + 2 – 2 = a a+3–3=a
a + 4 – 4 = a a+5–5=a
Have students create more equations that follow the same pattern. ASK:
What number is changing in these equations? Have a volunteer come and
replace the changing number with a variable. Then write on the board:
a + a – a = a. ASK: Does this equation show the pattern here? Why not?
Emphasize that the equation a + a – a = a tells you what happens when
you substitute the same number for all four variables; for example,
5 + 5 – 5 = 5 and 6 + 6 – 6 = 6. But for our pattern, we need two different
variables, so we need the more general a + b – b = a, which tells you that
as long as both occurrences of a are replaced with the same number and
both occurrences of b are replaced by the same number, the equation
is true. The first equation, a + a – a = a, is a special case of the second
equation (the case where a = b).
The statements “a and b are both not zero” and “a and b are not
both zero”. Assign different values, including 0, to a and b and have
students decide when these statements are true.
EXAMPLE: a = 3 and b = 0 a = 0 and b = 0
a = 5 and b = 2 a = 0 and b = 7
The statement “a and b are both not zero” is only true for a = 5 and b = 2;
“a and b are not both zero” is true for the first, third and fourth examples.
Have students finish this sentence: The equation (a ÷ b) × (b ÷ a) = 1 is
true provided that . ANSWER: a and b are both not zero.
Substituting for the variables. Have students substitute a = 3 and b = 5

into various equations.
a) a + b − b = a (3 + 5 − 5 = 3)
b) a + b = b + a (3 + 5 = 5 + 3)
c) a × b = b × a (3 × 5 = 5 × 3)
d) 2(b − a) = 2b − 2a (2(5 − 3) = 2(5) − 2(3))
e) 5(a + b) = 5a + 5b (5(3 + 5) = 5(3) + 5(5))
Verifying equations. Review with students how to verify that an equation

is true for given values of the variable: calculate both sides and make sure
they both equal the same number. See Workbook p.50 Question 6.
Extra practice for Question 6.

Verify that each equation is true for a = 4 and b = 7.
a) a × b = b × a
b) 3(a + b) = 3a + 3b
c) (a ÷ 2) × (b × 2) = a × b
d) a + 3 + b – 3 = a + b
e) (b + 3) – (a + 3) = b – a
Equations in two variables that are sometimes true. Tell students that two
of these equations are true for all values of a and b.
(1) a × b + b = (a + 1) × b
(2) a × b + b = a × (b + 1)
(3) a × b + a = a × (b + 1)

Have students predict which two equations are true for all a and b. Then
have students substitute values to determine which of the equations are
true for:
i) a = 3 and b = 4 ii) a = 2 and b = 6 iii) a = 4 and b = 4
Have students use their answers to decide which two equations are
always true. (Equations 1 and 3) Which equation is only sometimes true?
(Equation 2)
Explain that because Equation 2 worked for a = 4 and b = 4, you

wonder if it will always be true when a = b. Have students check directly
for a = 10 and b = 10, and then choose and check their own (equal)
values for a and b.
Then show students another way to check if the equation is true when
a = b: Substitute a for b into both sides. If you do this in Equation 2,
a × b + b becomes a × a + a, and a × (b + 1) becomes a × (a + 1),
so the equation becomes a × a + a = a × (a + 1), an equation in one
variable that is true for any value of a. EXAMPLE: 7 × 7 + 7 = 7 × 8
Equations in three variables. Show students the following equations in

two variables.
a+b+2=2+a+b
a+b+3=3+a+b
a+b+4=4+a+b
Explain that all these equations are true, no matter what you substitute for a
and b. Have students replace the changing number with a different variable
(i.e., not a or b). (EXAMPLE: a + b + c = c + a + b) Explain that this is an
equation in three variables. Have students verify these equations in three
variables for a = 2, b = 5, and c = 4:
a) 3(a + b + c) = 3a + 3b + 3c
b) 3(a + b – c) = 3a + 3b – 3c
c) a × (b + c) = a × b + a × c
d) a × (b – c) = a × b – a × c
e) (a + b) × c = a × c + b × c
f) (c – a) × b = c × b – a × b

Extensions
1. If 4 3 = (4 × 3) + (4 + 3)
and 2 5 = (2 × 5) + (2 + 5)
calculate 7 9
process Assessment ANSWER: 7 9 = (7 × 9) + (7 + 9) = 63 + 16 = 79
[7m1, 7m2, 7m3, PS, R] 2. The numbers greater than 1 are arranged in the following array. The
columns are numbered 1 to 5.

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
2 3 4 5
9 8 7 6
10 11 12 13
17 16 15 14
18 19 20 21
25 24 23 22
a) Describe the pattern in each column. Which columns were easier to

describe? Why?
ANSWER: (1) Start at 9 and add 8 each time.
(2) Start at 2. Add 6 then 2, and repeat.
This column could also be separated into the odd terms and the
even terms:
Odd terms: Start at 2 and add 8 each time.

Even terms: Start at 8 and add 8 each time.
(3) Start at 3 and add 4 each time.
(4) Start at 4. Add 2 then 6, and repeat. OR:
Odd terms: Start at 4 and add 8 each time.

Even terms: Start at 6 and add 8 each time.
(5) Start at 5 and add 8 each time.
The patterns in columns (1), (3), and (5) are easy to describe because
you only have to add the same number each time, whereas in
columns (2) and (4), you have to add different numbers.
b) In which column does the number 584 appear? ANSWER: Look at

the pattern in the whole array. The numbers are placed in sequence
across the first row (in columns 2, 3, 4, 5) and then backwards across
the second row (in columns 4, 3, 2, 1). The pattern repeats after each
8 terms. Since the (a + 8)th term will always be in the same column
as the ath term, all the terms that are divisible by 8 (8, 16, 24, …) will
be in the same column. Since 584 ÷ 8 = 73 (no remainders), 584 is in
the same column as 8, 16, 24, etc., which is Column (2).
c) A number leaves a remainder of 4 when divided by 8. In which column

does it appear? ANSWER: Column (4) has all the numbers that have a
remainder of 4 when divided by 8: 4, 12, 20, etc.
process Assessment d) In which row does the number 584 appear? ANSWER: There are 4
[7m1, R] numbers in each row, so every 4th number is in a row one higher.
Workbook Question 9 Notice that 584 is divisible by 4 and that the numbers 4, 8, 12, 16,…
are in rows 1, 2, 3, 4, …, and, in general, 4n is in row n. So since
584 ÷ 4 = 146, we must have that 584 is in row 146.

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Patterns and Algebra Part 1 − Introduction

Before students can create or recognize a pattern in a sequence of

Here is a foolproof method for identifying the gaps between numbers:

EXAMPLE: How far apart are 8 and 11?

Patterns and Algebra 7-Introduction 1

Show students why this works with a picture:

2 Teacher’s Guide for Workbook 7

Can add, subtract, and count up 5 strips of paper (see details

Extending sequences that were made by adding or subtracting the

Step 1: Identify the gap between successive pairs of numbers in the

Step 3: Repeat Step 2. Continue adding terms to extend the sequence.

Extra Practice for Question 1: Extend the pattern.

Patterns and Algebra 7-1 3

Extra practice for Question 3: Extend the pattern.

process Expectation ACTIVITIES 1-2

Have students do the same. Have students put a finger somewhere

4 Teacher’s Guide for Workbook 7

Explain that the surface students made before cutting it in half is

Patterns and Algebra 7-1 5

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED

Can add, subtract, multiply, and divide

Extra Practice for Question 2:

a) 17, 16, 14, 12, 11 (D)

Identify terms in patterns. Write these three patterns:

Explain that each thing in a pattern—whether it’s a number, a colour, a

Patterns and Algebra 7-2 7

Extra Practice for Questions 4 and 5:

Introduce rules of the form “Start at ___, add/subtract/multiply by/

Extra Practice for Question 6:

2. Use the description of each sequence to find the 4th term of

Write rules for repeating patterns. See Question 8.

3. Match each pattern to its description.

8 Teacher’s Guide for Workbook 7

Can find the gaps between numbers

Double T-charts. Draw this pattern on the board:

Make a double T-chart—a T-chart with 3 columns—with headings Number

a) How much fuel will be left in the airplane after 25 minutes?

Patterns and Algebra 7-3 9

Extra Practice with Word Problems:

process expectation 3. Carol’s plant is 3 cm high and grows 5 cm per week.

4. Rita made an ornament using a hexagon (dark grey), pentagons

6. a) How many triangles would Ann need to make a figure with 10

10 Teacher’s Guide for Workbook 7

2. Magic Squares. Show students the 3 × 3 array of numbers in the margin.

a) By pairing numbers that add to 10, find 1 + 2 + ... + 8 + 9. (45)

g) Now make a magic square with the numbers 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10.

Numbers Used in the Magic Square Magic Sum

Patterns and Algebra 7-3 11

Can extend patterns

Now have students extend this pattern: 2, 4, 8, 16, ….

process Expectation Pascal’s triangle. See Question 3.

Estimating and thinking before solving a problem. Before assigning the

12 Teacher’s Guide for Workbook 7

Patterns and Algebra 7- 13

14 Teacher’s Guide for Workbook 7

process ASSESSMENT 3. Look at Pascal’s triangle.

c) Extend Pascal’s triangle to 15 rows and shade the even numbers.