Let me start by saying that relays are not an original idea..maybe you have been doing them for years…but they are new to me, (and i love them) so I figured I’d share in case anyone else has never tried relays with their class.
How they work:
Take a problem that requires multiple steps to solve, and break it up into however many steps you need to solve the problem. Then break your class up into groups that are the same size as the number of steps in a problem.
For example: Multi-Step Equations
I came up with the following 5 steps:
- distribute to clear any parentheses in the problem
- combine like terms within each side of the equation
- add/subtract to isolate variable terms from constant terms
- multiply/divide to solve for the variable
- check by substituting answer in for variable
Since it is a 5 step process, I need to break the class up into groups of 5. (If your class size doesn’t divide evenly by 5, you can make some groups of 4).
Give the class a problem, assign each student in a group a step of the process. Student 1 completes the first step and passes it to student 2. Student 2 checks student 1’s work and then does step 2, etc. until each student has completed a step and the problem has been solved (and checked.). For a group of 4, student 1 will also complete step 5.
Repeat this process 5 times with 5 different problems, each time shifting which student starts the problem, so that by the end every student has had a turn completing each step.
I love this activity because
- The students work cooperatively, but individually
- The students are checking each others’ work
- Relays really emphasize each step in a process
Make it a race if your class is competitive. If you want to see who completed each part you can have them write in different colors. Either have them sit in a circle if you want them to be able to help each other complete their steps or have them sit in a row if you want it to be a silent activity.
Do you use relays in your class? If you have any tips, suggestions, or other ideas for them please share in the comments below!
If you don’t want to make your own relay and are looking for a pre-made one, I have one on writing and graphing linear equations (using point-slope and slope-intercept form) available for sale in my TpT store, which you can get to by clicking the image below. I am planning to make several others on different topics in the near future, as well.
Thanks for reading,
Christina
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