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Weekly Math Poll – Fish Tank

This week, we are focusing on how to use features in Woot Math to offer support to students who might be struggling on a given task. This week’s WootPoll uses the context of a fish tank to have students model a linear equation, find the x- and y-intercepts and construct a graph. This poll is quicker than previous weekly WootPolls and can be used as an exit ticket or warm up.

Task #1
The first task presents a word problem with two data points, one where the tank has a full 10 gallons and one where it has 8 gallons a month later. 

Fish Tank problem statement

Some students will see the rate of -2 gallons per month and be able to translate that to the term -2x. Other students may struggle with how to get started. We encourage you to suggest they use the scratch pad to create a table of values for months and gallons. Then students can extrapolate what would happen after 2 months, 3 months, ect. If you think most students will need this support, you can go to scratchpad settings and add the table into the scratchpad so it will show up in every students’ scratch pad.

empty table
The custom legend for this task will also help you identify, among the students who did not get the question right, who is getting the correct slope, the correct intercept or forgetting the negative for the slope. This can help you give rapid feedback and recognize trends in your students’ errors.

Task #2
The second task asks students to fill in the blanks for the intercepts of y=-2x+10. If students are struggling to compute the intercepts analytically, you can have them use the scratch pad to create a table of values. When there is an expression on the right side header of the table, the table will auto compute the value of that expression. You can create a table that is placed in every student’s scratch pad so they can test points to see what -2x-10 equals for different values of x. In the example below, the values of -2x+10 are automatically computed based on the values of x that are entered.
Table with formula

Students can also use the scratch pad to write out how they compute the x and y intercepts analytically. This can be a great reminder for students about showing their work.

Show work with the Expression Editor

If students need more support, you can save the expression, written out with a header for y-intercept and x-intercept, directly on to their scratchpad. This can be a helpful reminder for your students and will help them keep their work organized.

Task #3
The final task asks the students to draw a line using the x- and y-intercepts. This task has an option enabled that displays the equation of the students’ graph as they manipulate the line. Students can see when they have the line matched up to the equation y=-2x+10.

We encourage you to modify these tasks and content to align them with your instructional goals. Copy the poll, modify or delete any task, or add new tasks. Please reach out with any questions or comments, we’re here to support you!

Get started by previewing the WootPoll right now, or login to wootmath.com and search for the Fish Tank poll in the Shared Gallery.

Preview the Poll
Visit our page on Formative Assessment for more information on implementing these strategies in your classroom. Stay tuned for next week’s poll!

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