Algebra, Friday 1/22

Today I tried to share a webquest on linear algebra with students but too many of them talked through it so I stopped.
for those who were interested in exploring this, the address is
http://questgarden.com/69/59/5/090818223853/ Quite a few students are still building their basic skills in this area and a webquest is a great way to work on this.
We did make some progress on solving systems of equations by elimination. we reviewed the first three on our handout from yesterday (G6.3) and identified the following steps:
(1) look at the equations and make sure x's, y's, ='s, and #'s are lined up.
(2) see which variable will be eliminated by checking the coefficients: the numbers must match but the signs must be opposite
(3) add the two equations -- this will result in an equation with only one variable
(4) solve it -- this gives you 1/2 of the answer
(5) take this answer and substitute it into one of the original equations (your choice)
(6) solve for the other variable -- now you have both parts of your answer
(7) write down your solution in (x,y) form
(8) you can check it by putting these numbers into the other original equation to make sure it works.
We worked through these steps for the next three problems and students have AN ASSIGNMENT of COMPLETING ITEMS 7,8,9 on their own before class starts on Monday.