Maryland Math 8.AT.A.1.a

Math8th GradeAlgebraic Thinking

The Standard

Graph proportional relationships and interpret the unit rate as the slope of the graph.

Maryland College and Career Ready Standards for Mathematics (2025) · USE PROPORTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS TO REPRESENT AND REASON ABOUT LINEAR EQUATIONS.

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students graph a relationship where one amount increases at a steady rate with another. They use the graph to find how much the vertical value changes when the horizontal value increases by one.
What Mastery Looks Like: Given a trip of 3 miles per hour, a student plots (0,0), (1,3), and (2,6), then draws a straight line through them. They identify the slope and unit rate as 3 miles per hour.
Common Misconceptions: Students may plot (3,1) instead of (1,3), or mistake the unit rate for the y-intercept. Some draw a line that misses (0,0) or divide the change in x by the change in y.
How to Assess It: Exit ticket: A bike travels 6 miles in 2 hours at a steady speed. Graph distance against time from 0 to 4 hours, then give the unit rate and slope with units.

Lesson moves

Give pairs grid paper and counters to mark (0,0), (1,3), and (2,6), then draw the line through the points.
Show graphs of y = 2x and y = 4x; ask, "Which grows faster, and what happens when x increases by one?"
Play slope match with cards showing graphs, tables, and unit rates of 2, 3, and 1/2.
Use a $4-per-pound apple sign; graph cost against pounds and label the slope in dollars per pound.

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