Proportional reasoning, perhaps the most important concept in middle school mathematics, helps build the foundational concepts that students will use to understand linear functions and algebraic reasoning. It also plays a part in helping students understand issues of fairness and whether an outcome is disproportionate or expected. "Social Justice and Proportional Reasoning" describes three contexts in which students can use proportional reasoning to explore complex, real-life issues of social justice.

The Illuminations Algebra Tiles tool, which has been optimized to run on both computers and tablets (Chromebooks, iPads, etc.), supports using algebra tiles to make sense of a variety of tasks in algebra. Students can use algebra tiles to model substitution, solve equations, expand expressions involving the distributive property, and factor linear and quadratic polynomials. Students can use these virtual manipulatives, a great complement to physical manipulatives, when doing homework. If algebra tiles are not available at your school, consider using this interactive to introduce them to students virtually.