Equal and not equal

Students explored equations in a variety of ways making proof drawings to see if the equations are true or false.  They all started saying "Mrs. Walter is crazy, that is wrong."  Students spent 4 minutes trying to make a drawing to prove their thinking about this.  I then lead a conversation type discussion where students just spoke and responded to each other to agree or disagree with each others thinking.  This was a fun learning experience on how to have a conversation and how to explain our thinking.  

Seeing equations in a non standard format was a challenge for this group, however, many students revised their initial thinking and used their drawings as proof of their new thinking.  I can't wait to see how their thinking shifts as we move through this math unit and continue to use a representation to prove our thinking!