The Ultimate Guide to Basic Algebra Problems with Math Slide Decks

If you are a math teacher, you likely have a love-hate relationship with your presentation slides.

You know that projecting problems on the board is essential for Direct Instruction. But let’s be honest about what building those slide decks actually looks like: You spend an hour on a Sunday night opening up old PDFs, using the Windows Snipping Tool to screenshot a problem, pasting it into Google Slides, resizing it so it isn't blurry, and repeating that process 15 times.

And the worst part? If you get to class on Monday, teach the examples, and your students stare at you with blank, confused faces.

If you are tired of screenshotting and running out of practice problems, it is time to change how you use your projector. Let's talk about the Infinite Slide Strategy.

What is the Infinite Slide Strategy?

Instead of building a static, 20 page Google Slide deck, you use a dynamic projection tool that generates one perfect math problem at a time. It completely replaces the traditional "sit and get" lecture with a high-paced, interactive loop.

I can’t even tell you the number of times I got through the “examples” in my curriculum, but my kids were still completely confused. I knew they needed more practice with me and I have to scramble to make it happen. It was stressful. 

How to use Infinite Slides

There are a number of ways to powerfully use infinite slides for your direct instruction and practice portions of your lessons. First I’ll detail my favorite instructional routine, The Math Wars Method®, and then we’ll talk about ways to use infinite slides to reinforce and practice the math you just taught. 

Slides Use #1: The Math Wars Method®

I created the Math Wars Method® to survive teaching high school math intervention. I knew my students could learn, but the traditional 20 minutes of “I do” (lecture), 20 minutes of “we do” (worksheet), and 20 minutes of “you do” (start your homework) was NOT working for my kids. So I stuck with Gradual Release of Responsibility (I do, we do, you do), but I made a small tweak. You can learn more about The Math Wars Method® in chapter 5 of my book, Teaching 6-12 Math Intervention, or in my free Math Intervention Masterclass. Here is a quick breakdown:

• Round 1: The Model (I Do). Start by projecting just one problem on the board using the slide generator. Have your students take out a piece of paper to copy it down while you model exactly how to solve it.
• Round 2: The Cold Call (We Do). You don't need a pre-made second slide. Just hit "Generate" to instantly put a very similar, fresh problem on the board. For this round, use cold calling to get some responses back and check for understanding.
• Round 3: Math Wars (You Do). Now it's time to crank up the energy. Hit "Generate" one more time for a third variation and tell the class, "Work with your teams on this one." Set a timer for a couple of minutes. When time is up, ask a random team for their final answer to provide accountability, and then turn to the rest of the class and ask, "Do you agree or disagree?" The Reward: If a team gets the correct answer and can defend it, give them points or a classroom token (in my class, we used "Tapper Treasure"!). It turns standard direct instruction into a highly engaging, team-based competition.
• Round 4: Another Math Wars (You Do). Follow that same protocol above one more time to make sure students have got it.

The magic of the Math Wars Method® loop is that you aren't locked into a static presentation. You can read the room and be entirely flexible.

If your students are absolutely jamming through the basic problems, don't keep boring them. Simply adjust the settings to make the math harder—like adding fractional coefficients and constants—and hit generate. You can instantly model the new, harder variation, and start the cold-call and team competition loop all over again. If you finish early, you can even jump to a completely new topic, put one final problem on the board, and use it as an instant Exit Ticket before the bell rings.

You can make your own slides instantly - and for free - by using the Math Activity Accelerator.

Slides Use #2: Mini-Whiteboards to Check For Understanding

There’s something magical about white boards. Once you’ve taught a lesson, but students need more practice, pass out those mini whiteboards and turn on your slides. Go one problem at a time allowing students time to work out the problems on their boards and talk with team members before you ask for boards up. Then you’re able to quickly look out and check for understanding. Do all of your students have the same answer? Great! Move on to something else. Are answers all over the place? Great! They need more practice and maybe even more instruction on the topic. At least you’re catching it now, in the moment, instead of weeks later on an assessment.

You can make your own slides to use for mini-whiteboards instantly - and for free - by using the Math Activity Accelerator.

Slides Use #3: Math Task Cards

Math task cards are a very popular and powerful tool for small groups in middle school and high school. But always having to buy a new deck of math task cards on teacher websites gets expensive. With the slides feature inside Math Activity Accelerator you can print 4 slides to a page and 🪄 poof, instant task cards! You can keep them all similar content or you can use the Mixed Activity Generator to pull in all different topics and make math task cards in a pinch!

Slides Use #4: Extra Time or Exit Slip

Another way you can use infinite slides is as a "Panic Button" or Exit Slip. We all have those days where a lesson finishes 10 minutes early and the kids start packing up their backpacks. Don't let them check out. Throw one final, challenging problem on your slides and let them work together to solve. Or you can regenerate a slide and ask students to complete it independently as an exit ticket to more formally check for understanding.

The Ultimate Tool: The Math Activity Accelerator

The only way to teach like this is to have an infinite supply of math problems at your fingertips. You cannot do this with Google Slides.

That is exactly why my husband and I built the Math Activity Accelerator. It is a digital projection tool that puts perfectly formatted math problems on your board instantly.

• The Regenerate Loop: Did you model a problem, but they are still staring at you blankly? Don't panic. Just hit Regenerate. You get a brand new problem (same skill, different numbers) to try again. No snipping tool required.
• 100% AI-Free Math: You can trust the math on the board. We don't use AI that hallucinates impossible answers. Every problem is built with coded math logic.
• Seasonal Themes: Want to make a Tuesday in October a little more fun? Toggle your slide theme from Standard to Halloween instantly. No need to buy a separate holiday activity.

Slide Deck for Basic Algebra Problems FAQ

Q: How do you keep kids from drawing on their mini-whiteboards during a lesson?

A: This is a real thing. Even in my high school math classes. One way is to pass out the white-boards and set a timer for 1 minute. Tell students they can doodle and create their own border on their white-board in that minute, but once the minute is up, the expectation is that we’re using the boards only for math.

Q: What is the best way to manage dry erase markers and erasers so they don't dry out or get lost?

I used a rolling drawer cart like this to keep boards, markers, and erasers for each group. Eraser pro tip: Buy a few packs of black socks at the dollar store and put one sock in each drawer. When it’s the start of white-board time, each group sends one person to grab the whole bin out of the cart and bring it to their group. Before the bell rings, make sure all groups have returned their bins to the cart. I quickly check to make sure all the markers, boards, and socks have returned before I let the class leave. It also allows me to make sure the lids are all put back on completely. 

Q: How long should Direct Instruction last in a middle school or high school math block?

A: When teachers use The Math Wars Method® I outlined here, the lecture (“I do”) portion shouldn’t take longer than 6-8 minutes. You will do the lecture portion once per chunk, but it should never be longer than 6-8 minutes of you lecturing at a time.

More Activity Types

Read about all of the different activity types, download resources, and get tips with each of our Ultimate Guides:

• Scavenger Hunts
• Matching (Cut and Paste) Activities
• Slides
• Worksheets
• Mixed Activities