6-D-2: Applets

Applet: Pan Balance – Numbers

 

I really enjoyed the Pan Balance – Numbers applet.  It was an activity in which students create balanced equations using numbers.  When numbers are entered on one side, they must be balanced out on the other.  When a balanced equation is achieved, the equation is listed for the student.  Students should have ample time to play with this using all operations.  This applet was actually located in the Grades 3-5 activities and is a great visual to reinforce the concept of equivalence and also operations. 

 

However, the concepts that I would like to explore with this applet are the Properties of Equality.  Once students have created balanced equations, they would be directed by the teacher to add (subtract, multiply, divide) one side by a number and then do the same to the other side.  Students could then record the results of those operations.  The result, obviously, would be another balanced equation.  They could visually see that when something is done to only one side, an unbalanced equation occurs.  (This is the common mistake when students are learning procedural rules for solving equations.)  

 

After trying this many times, students will be able to discover the properties of equality rather than being told the vocabulary term and then its application.  They would truly see the properties in action and how they work.  This reminds me of the Countryman article that we read regarding problem solving and vocabulary needing to be experienced before noting specific mathematical terminology.  

 

To access this applet: http://illuminations.nctm.org/ActivityDetail.aspx?ID=26