Algebra Readiness Made Easy Grade 5

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ABC Code Crackers

Overview

Presented with a grid of letters that represent numbers, students use the column sums

to figure out the value of each letter.

Algebra

Solve equations with two or three unknowns • Replace unknowns with their values

Recognize that same symbols have the same value • Understand that taking away an

addend changes the sum by the same amount

Problem-Solving Strategies

Reason deductively • Test cases

Related Math Skills

Compute with whole numbers

Math Language

Replace • Symbol • Value

Introducing the Problem Set

Make photocopies of “Solve the Problem: ABC Code Crackers” (page 55) and distrib-

ute to students. Have students work in pairs, encouraging them to discuss strategies

they might use to solve the problem. You may want to walk around and listen in on

some of their discussions. After a few minutes, display the problem on the board (or

on the overhead if you made a transparency) and use the following questions to guide

a whole-class discussion on how to solve the problem:

Look at the columns. How are they alike? (They all have numbers at the top of the columns.

There are three letters or numbers in each column. All of the columns contain at least one A.)

What are the numbers at the tops of the columns? (Sums of the numbers and the values

of the letters in the columns.)

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