## Reflection: Rigor A More Complicated Border: Day 1 of 2 - Section 4: Closing

What about an even sized square? If I have time in class today I ask students if their method will work on an even sided square.  I encourage students to start by looking at a 6 x 6 square and seeing how they would shade the border tiles.  We have a discussion about how the math will work with a 6 x 6 square (their algebraic expressions will still hold), but the design of the cafeteria floor doesn't really hold.  We talk about what this means and if the math problem should have been written this way.  Ultimately, I ask them if it's fair to students to include an even by even sided square in this problem? There is no real "right" answer to this question, and I let students weigh in with their own opinions.  This year, students reported that the even by even square only really serves to confuse students.  We talked about how we could restrict the problem by looking at it as a function and determining that the domain of the square should be to have odd sides.

Critiquing the math problem
Rigor: Critiquing the math problem

# A More Complicated Border: Day 1 of 2

Unit 2: Multiple Representations: Situations, Tables, Graphs, and Equations
Lesson 2 of 17

## Big Idea: Even more shaded tiles? Students look at more complex checkerboard border and write algebraic expressions for a general checkerboard.

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Standards:
60 minutes

### Amanda Hathaway

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