Equal Shmequal

Author: Virginia Kroll

Publisher/Date: Charlesbridge Publishing Inc, 2005

ISBN: 1-57091-891-0

Grade Levels Recommended for Use: 6-8

Brief Summary: A field mouse designs a game of tug of war with a bear, wolf, rabbit, turtle, and deer, dividing the teams equally by using a seesaw to balance them according to weight.

Topics: weight; balance; algebra equations; statistical mean

Suggested Activities:

Have the class weigh each other on a bathroom scale and divide themselves into fair teams for tug of war. Weights could also be used on scales to balance it, by giving the students a cluster of paper weights and asking them to equalize a balance.

This activity can lead into the idea of balance for algebra equations. Use an algebra equation balance to set up and solve several simple equations with one unknown.

The idea of balance is also used in statistics for the mean or average. This number represents the "balance" point for the data.