Math Manipulatives

Math word problems are almost always the type of problems that require an out of the box learning strategy. Some of the most newest on the market manipulative's are great to use such as geoboards to for geometry to CD ROM activity game to walk you through steps of Pre Calculus. And as always you can always use a good pen and paper and write the problem out step by step. These techniques help the student focus visually. Most students qualify under this category of visual learner. This means that the recall and input of information is is pout into a visual concept. When I was in the classroom I always found the one subject that worked best was with manipulative's was math. Even if it didn't seem needed, it always seem to register better in long term memory when i did use them.

Here is a great example of using write it out stratagy.

Question:
Juan has a cell phone that costs $12.95 per month plus $0.25 per minute for each call.
Tiff has a phone that costs $14.95 per month plus $.15 per minute for each call.

For what number of MINUTES do the two plans cost the same?

You can get a feel for this problem by diagramming it out on graph paper. The money is on the left, and the minutes run along the bottom.

Start Juan's diagram at $12.95, and continue slanting it upwards at the rate of $0.25 for each minute.
Start Tiff's diagram at $14.95, and continue slanting it upwards at the rate of $0.15 for each minute.

Where the lines cross is the answer to the problem.

There is an algebraic solution too that I will show you but writing it out would work great if you didnt know the algebraic equation to use.

x = number of minutes

Juan cost = 12.95 + 0.25x

Tiff cost = 14.95 + 0.15x

to cost the same, set the two equations equal to each other

12.95 + 0.25x = 14.95 + 0.15x

combine like terms

0.25x - 0.15x = 14.95 - 12.95

.10x = 2

x = 2/.1

x = 20 minutes