Equal or Not?

In math class yesterday we studied equalities and inequalities.  I used the analogy of a balance to show them that equalities must be equal on each side. We drew pictures of balance scales, like the one below, and practiced equations that were equal and not equal. 

When I felt like they had a good understanding, we played a game. I made this game using using super cute dog clip art from Ashley Hughes.   I gave each student a piece of paper that had equal and not equal signs on it. (see photo below)  The symbols were made out of dog bones and the students thought it was the best!

Next, I displayed a problem on the SmartBoard using the document camera.  The students would do the work on their whiteboards. On my count, they would hold up either their equal or not equal sign.   Then one of them would come up and use smaller versions of the dog bones to make the equations equal or not equal.

To really test their knowledge and understanding, we ended the lesson with a fun craftivity.  The students were each given a large dog bone to cut out. They were asked to write an equality and an inquality on the inside of the dog bone.  (see photo below)  They used dog bones in bowls like the photo above to show whether their equations were equal or not.  

When they were all finished, I put together a super cute bulletin board to display their excellent work!

If you would like to do this game and craftivity in your classroom, it is available in my  

 Teachers Pay Teachers Store!

What strategies do you use to teach equalities and inequalities?