Many students struggle with solving equations. Many struggle with simplifying expressions. Putting these together becomes an algebraic version or Orthrus (brother to the more famous 3-headed dog, Cerberus). This post shares a scaffolded handout to guide students through the process while making sense of each step.
Explanation of Handout
The first two are mental steps. By addressing them explicitly with students providing a written evidence of their thinking, the mental steps can be observed and assessed. The operations are circle to be proactive in addressing common misconceptions. This can invoke a discussion on the meaning of the operations negative and subtraction. Once the expression is simplified, prior knowledge of 2-step equations kicks in. Here is a link to a previous handout.
Link to Handout
The handout link.
