The purpose of this Warm-up is to introduce positive and negative numbers in the new context of money and inventory. The table shown here will also be used in a following activity. While students may notice and wonder many things about this table, interpreting the meaning of positive and negative numbers in this context is the important discussion point.
When students articulate what they notice and wonder, they have an opportunity to attend to precision in the language they use to describe what they see (MP6). They might first propose less formal or imprecise language and then restate their observation with more precise language in order to communicate more clearly.
Arrange students in groups of 2. Display the table for all to see. Ask students to think of at least one thing they notice and at least one thing they wonder. Give students 1 minute of quiet think time and then 1 minute to discuss with their partner the things they notice and wonder.
| item | quantity | value in dollars |
|---|---|---|
| hammer | -12 | 85.14 |
| washer | 300 | -15.00 |
| bolt | -25 | 10.54 |
| nail | 500 | -22.50 |
| wrench | -4 | 51.88 |
| flashlight | -18 | 123.23 |
Students may notice:
Students may wonder:
Ask students to share the things they noticed and wondered. Record and display their responses without editing or commentary. If possible, record the relevant reasoning on or near the table. Next, ask students, “Is there anything on this list that you are wondering about now?” Encourage students to observe what is on display and respectfully ask for clarification, point out contradicting information, or voice any disagreement.
If the idea that a negative quantity means that an item was sold and resulted in a positive amount of money does not come up during the conversation, ask students to discuss this idea.
All skills for this lesson
No KCs tagged for this lesson
The purpose of this Warm-up is to introduce positive and negative numbers in the new context of money and inventory. The table shown here will also be used in a following activity. While students may notice and wonder many things about this table, interpreting the meaning of positive and negative numbers in this context is the important discussion point.
When students articulate what they notice and wonder, they have an opportunity to attend to precision in the language they use to describe what they see (MP6). They might first propose less formal or imprecise language and then restate their observation with more precise language in order to communicate more clearly.
Arrange students in groups of 2. Display the table for all to see. Ask students to think of at least one thing they notice and at least one thing they wonder. Give students 1 minute of quiet think time and then 1 minute to discuss with their partner the things they notice and wonder.
| item | quantity | value in dollars |
|---|---|---|
| hammer | -12 | 85.14 |
| washer | 300 | -15.00 |
| bolt | -25 | 10.54 |
| nail | 500 | -22.50 |
| wrench | -4 | 51.88 |
| flashlight | -18 | 123.23 |
Students may notice:
Students may wonder:
Ask students to share the things they noticed and wondered. Record and display their responses without editing or commentary. If possible, record the relevant reasoning on or near the table. Next, ask students, “Is there anything on this list that you are wondering about now?” Encourage students to observe what is on display and respectfully ask for clarification, point out contradicting information, or voice any disagreement.
If the idea that a negative quantity means that an item was sold and resulted in a positive amount of money does not come up during the conversation, ask students to discuss this idea.