Kaitlin Blundy

Lesson #2: Solving systems of linear equations by elimination (multiplication)

Lesson Date and Time: Monday, Day six of unit
Number of Students: 32
Length of Lesson: 50 minutes
Materials: Playing cards, mini white boards, white board markers, paper towel (erasers),
calculators, attached guided notes
Lesson Objective/Goals: My eighth grade mathematics students will learn to solve systems of
linear equations by elimination (multiplication) through a warm-up, exploration of a real-world
problem, class discussion/summary, and (possible) homework.
Standards Addressed: CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.8.EE.C.7-8
Teacher Action

Teacher Talk

LAUNCH (about 15 min.)

LAUNCH (about 15 min.)

Preparations: Setting out 32

white boards and markers,
giving each student a playing
card as they walk in the door,
having calculators set out, have
notes sheets set out.

Please pick up a white board,

marker, and calculator on the
way in. (Written on the board
and verbal reminders)

Warm-Up Activity (about 10

minutes): Review solving by
elimination (addition and
subtraction)
Use elimination to solve each
system of equations.
1.
2.

After allowing the students to

work for about 5 minutes:
Please write your solutions on
your white boards, and raise
them up! (formative
assessment)
Javira, could you please write
out and explain how you got
your solution to problem 1 on
the left side of the board?
Keegan, could you do the same
for problem 2 on the right side
of the board?

After viewing student

responses, ask two students to
come to the front to share their
solutions with the rest of the
class.
Ok, I would like everyone to
look at the playing card they
Break students up into groups
drew at the beginning of the
based on the card they drew
hour. 7s sit here, 8s here, etc.
upon walking into the
I need someone from each
classroom. There will be 8
group to pick up a notes sheet
groups of 4. Give students
for all four members.
guided notes.

Expected Response
LAUNCH (about 15 min.)

1. m=5, n=1 or (5,1)

Other solutions may be
the result of algebraic
error
2. a=2, b= -3/2 or (2, -3/2)
Other solutions may be
the result of algebraic
error

Kaitlin Blundy

Give students the Taco Bell

question from
http://www.algebraclass.com/solving-systems-ofequations.html

Ok groups, we have a very

pressing issue that we need to
figure out
I went to Taco Bell with a friend
the other day. I got three soft
tacos and three burritos for
$11.25, and my friend got four
soft tacos and two burritos for
$10. Im going back in a few
days and need to budget my
money, but I dont know how
much the soft tacos and
burritos cost individually!! Oh
no!! I think we need to create a
system of linear equations
problem to solve this!
In each group, select a
recorder, an explainer, a
materials and task master, and
a team leader (who makes sure
everything gets done and
everyone understands).
With your groups, please come
up with a system of equations
to represent this situation, and
record it in the appropriate
spot on your notes sheet.
When you have finished, please
raise your hand for me to check
what you have come up with.

EXPLORE (about 20 min.)

EXPLORE (about 20 min.)

While students work in groups, After coming up with the

walk around from table to table system of equations, use your
listening to discussion.
guided notes sheet to explore
how to solve this type of
See what solutions students
elimination problem.
come up with, and use
questions to stimulate/clarify

Different variables could be

used, but students should come
up with this correlation.

EXPLORE (about 20 min.)

Kaitlin Blundy

thinking.

(While walking around to

different groups, a possible
How do we use elimination for
conversation)
this problem?
What do we need to have in
order to use elimination? Or
what do we need our equations
to look like?
We need variables to cancel
So we need to change the
equations?
How can we change what an
equation looks like?

We have to do the same thing

to both sides of the equation.

Right. What can we do? What

do you want to cancel?
The y-terms
Ok, how could we make the yterms opposite so that they
cancel?
Multiply 3y by 2 and 2y by -3!
Try it!
If a group comes up with the
solution, give them other
problems to practice on:

SUMMARIZE (about 15 min.)

SUMMARIZE (about 15 min.)

SUMMARIZE (about 15 min.)

Each group will present a

portion of their exploration. I
will strategically choose groups
to bring something specific to
the conversation.

Will the explainer from the

kings group please come to the
board and set up the system of
equations please?

x is for tacos, and y is for

burritos.

Will the explainer from the 7s

group please come show us
how your group solved the

We solved both equations for y

and typed them into the
function bar on the graph.

Kaitlin Blundy

problem using graphing?

Once they were graphed, we

analyzed the intersection point
on the graph and found (1.25,
2.5)

Will the explainer from the 10s

group please show us how you
used the linear equations
application on the calculator to
solve the system?

On our calculator, we went to

menu, Algebra, Solve System of
Equations, and then Solve
System of Linear Equations.
From there, we typed in the
equations, hit enter, and got
(1.25, 2.5).

Will the explainer from the

jacks group show us how you
all solved by substitution?

We solved the second equation

for y and plugged it into the
first equation. We used that to
find x and then plugged that
value back into the first
equation to find y. So we got
x=$1.25 tacos and y=$2.5
burritos

Will the explainer from the

queens group show us how you
manipulated the system and
solved by elimination?

We had to multiply both

equations by something to
make one of the terms cancel
out. We chose to multiply 3y
(and the rest of that equation)
by 2 and the 2y equation by -3.
Then we cancelled the y terms
to solve for x. We plugged
x=1.25 back into the first
equation and found y to be 2.5.

Will the explainer from the aces

groups please show us how you
manipulated the system and
solved by elimination?

We multiplied the first

equation by 4 and the second
equation by -3. That let us
cancel out the x terms to solve
for y. We got y=2.5 and plugged
that into the first equation to
find x=1.25.

So Ethan, does it matter how

you manipulate the equation?

No, as long as one of the terms

cancels out.

Kaitlin Blundy

And Ally, how do you do that?

You have to multiply the

equations to get opposite
numbers, like 4x and -4x. It
doesnt matter what number
you make it as long as the
numbers terms cancel.

Will the explainer from the 9s

group tell us what you came up
with for the general rule of
solving these types of problems
by elimination?

We said that the general rule is

to multiply both equations by
something to get a number in
common, but you have to make
sure one equation is negative
to make one term cancel. Then
you can solve like normal.

And will the 8s group do the

same?

We said to create a
cancellation using
multiplication and then solve
like normal.

Thank you all for those

spectacular explanations. Lets
all write a common general rule
so that we can reference it in
class. On your paper, please
write Use multiplication so
that the coefficients of one of
the terms are additive inverses
(add to zero or cancel). Then,
solve for the variable that did
not cancel, and plug that value
into one equation to solve for
the other variable.
Assign homework!

If you did not have time to do

these three problems during
the exploration, they will be
homework for tomorrow.

Kaitlin Blundy

We will correct them in class

tomorrow!

Kaitlin Blundy

Name __________________________

Solving Systems of Linear Equations by Elimination: Day 2

1. I went to Taco Bell with a friend the other day. I got three soft tacos and three burritos
for $11.25, and my friend got four soft tacos and two burritos for $10. Im going back in
a few days and need to budget my money, but I dont know how much the soft tacos
and burritos cost individually!! Please create a system of linear equations to represent
this situation.

2. Use a method you already know to solve this problem (graphing, substitution, solve
system of equations on TI-Nspire, etc.), and check the answer.

3. We can use elimination to solve this system, but it looks different from the problems we
have done before. How could we manipulate this equation to allow for elimination?

4. Can you generalize a method for solving this type of problem?