Grade 2 · Number
Symbolic Equality and Inequality
Grade 2 strengthens the relational understanding of equality that was introduced in Grade 1. Students now work with larger numbers and more complex expressions, and the relational thinking approach becomes more powerful: 47 + 13 = 48 + ? can be solved in one step by noticing that 48 is 1 more than 47, so the ? must be 1 less than 13: 12. This kind of reasoning is algebraic and far more sophisticated than computing both sides independently.
LESSON VIDEO
▶
Lesson video
A short walkthrough to play in class or assign for flipped/at-home viewing.
WHAT STUDENTS WILL LEARN
✓Record equalities and inequalities symbolically using =, and not-equal-to
✓Evaluate whether a number sentence is true or false
✓Use relational thinking to find unknown values without computing both sides
✓Represent and justify equality using concrete and pictorial models
✓Connect the equals sign to the balance model: both sides have the same value