Help students understand what the equals sign really means with these equals sign teaching slides. Rather than treating the equals sign as a signal to "find the answer," this resource builds the concept of equality as both sides of a number sentence balancing to the same amount.
Slides introduce equal as meaning "the same amount as," before moving into number sentences and balance scale visuals. Students see how addition can appear on one or both sides of an equation (for example, 4 + 3 = 7, or 12 + 3 = 11 + 4) and explore how a balance scale tips or stays level depending on whether both sides match.
What's included:
Introductory slides explaining what "equal" means and how the equals sign represents balance
Worked examples showing addition equations read aloud in number sentence form and in words
15 practice slides covering balance scale equations, "Are they equal?" true or false checks, and open-ended balancing challenges where students find their own number combination to balance the scale
Hive members also have access to the Balance Scale app, which lets students build and compare totals digitally, with the option to hide totals or add mystery blocks for an extra challenge.