A COMPREHENSIVE MANIPULATIVE PROGRAM FOR ALGEBRA I‘THE ALGEBRA LAB’ High School This book is dedicated to Mary Laycock, one of the great teachers of our time, who has done so much to promote the concrete approach to the learning of mathematics. Cover design by JoAnne Hammer Edited by Linda Charles Acknowledgements The Algebra Lab was created and tested at the Urban School of San Francisco. The author would like to acknowledge the administration of the Urban Schoo! for its consistent support of the innovative programs of our math department; the students in Scott Nelson's, Anita Wah’s, and his own Algebra 1 classes, for being the first to try the Lab Gear; and student Kai Haley, for test-solving and creating many of the exercises in this book. Very special thanks to Urban School teacher Anita Wah. She provided not only inspiration, vision, and encouragement, but also many ideas, insights, and suggestions © Some rights reserved: | grant you permission to download and duplicate any of this book for your non-commercial use, as long as you credit me as the author. --Henri Picciotto See www.picciotto.org/math-ed/rights. html for the details and small print of this license, including guidelines for derivative works, Algebra Lab and Lab Gear are trademarks of Creative Publications. Printed in U.S.A. ISBN; 0-88488-964-5 12845678910.9543210Table of Contents Notes to the Teacher. Notes to the Student The Algebra Lab Gear™ Chapter 1 Meeting the Algebra Lab Gear™ Notes to the Teacher.. . Lesson 1 The Blocks... Lesson 2 Sketching the Lab Gear Lesson 3 Variables... Lesson 4 Like Terms. Lesson 5 Minus........ Exploration 1 Positive or Negative? Lesson 6 Minus with the Lab Gear. Lesson 7 Opposites. : Lesson 8 More on Minus. Exploration 2 Minus Puzzle: Chapter 2 Computing with Signed Numbers Notes to the Teacher. Lesson 1 Addition. Lesson 2 Subtractio: Lesson 3 Multiplication : Lesson 4 Squaring Numbers. Exploration 1 Positive or Negative? Lesson 5 Generalizing Lesson 6 Division . : Exploration 2 Area and Perimeter . Exploration 3 Volume and Surface Area Chapter 3 Getting to Know the Lab Gear Notes to the Teacher. Lesson 1 Substituting... Lesson 2 Using the Corner Piece... Exploration 1 Make a Rectangle. Lesson 3 Multiplication Lesson 4 Division : Lesson 5 Simplifying. Exploration 2 Area and Perimeter . Lesson 6 Which is Greater? Lesson 7 Parentheses ..... Exploration 3 Volume and Surface Area Lesson 8 How Much More? How Many Times as Much? Exploration 4 Always, Sometimes. or Never?