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Last week, sixth grade students in Mr. Fatigante’s classes at Coal City Middle School started learning how to solve one-step equations. The lessons began with the use of counter chips to represent positive and negative numbers. After two days working with these visual aids, students moved on to solving equations algebraically.
The approach was designed to help students visualize the process of solving an equation before applying it in a more abstract way. According to Mr. Fatigante, “Students did an excellent job connecting the counter chip representations to the process of solving one-step equations,” adding, “As students progress through middle school, they will encounter more complex equations. This work served as a strong foundation for their future understanding of equation solving.”
The instructional strategy aims to build foundational skills that will support students as they encounter increasingly challenging math concepts throughout their education.
