Activity: Algebra Sandwich

Need to practice some algebra? Need to remember to show your work? Not a problem, lets create an Algebra Sandwich.

(I credit this idea to something similar in The Creative Teacher. One of the best books for classroom creativity.)

What you will need:

different color paper
scissors
markers
stapler

The Contents

Lets think about what goes on a sandwich. For this we will use

bread(2 pieces)
mustard
tomatoes
mayonnaise
ham
cheese
lettuce

Making the Contents

Using your colored paper and scissors cut out each of the items above, like so:

The Equation

Next, use the following equation to solve for x

2x + 3 + 6x - (-1) = 20

Each piece of your sandwich represents one step of your algebra problem

2x + 3 + 6x - (-1) = 20 (Bread)
(2x + 6x) + (3 + 1) = 20 (Mustard)
8x + 4 = 20 (Tomatos)
8x + 4 - 4 = 20 - 4 (Mayo)
8x = 16 (Cheese)
8x/8 = 16/8 (Ham)
x = 2 (Lettuce)
Showing Work (Bread)

Enjoy!

Finally, staple everything together and eat your algebra sandwich

Activity courtesy of Hands On Math