Exploratory Challenge: Expenses on Your Family Vacation

This Instructional Activity is a part of the Lesson 17, Unit 2, Grade 7. Review how to set up a tape diagram when given the parts and total. Divide students into seven groups. Each group is responsible for one of the seven specific expense scenarios. Provide each student in the group with a copy of the group's assigned scenario, which is found at the end of this lesson. In these groups, students write algebraic equations and solve by modeling the problem using a tape diagram. Then have groups collaborate to arrive at the sequence of operations used to find the solution.