Put the Coffee Pot on the Table!

The coffee pot on the table story, that I tell every year to help kids with solving algebraic equations, is one that my 8th grade algebra teacher told when I was a student in her class. Patricia Bassett was my teacher, and though I don't remember a lot of what went on way back then, I remember her telling this story. So I have used the same approach in teaching solving equations and it has been very successful.

First I teach simple equations like 4x = 20 or n/4=3. I explain the basic principles of solving by using the opposite operation on both sides of the equal sign. After a practice worksheet or two, I tell this story when the class is ready to move on to more complex equations. I usually write the complex equation on the board--something like: 4x +7 =27 Then I tell the class the coffee pot on the table story which I refer back to numerous times throughout the algebra course. I am relatively proficient at storytelling and I can embellish it to enhance student enjoyment.

The Coffee Pot on the Table Story


Once upon a time there was a man who was new to this country. There wasn't much he could do to earn a living, but he got a job at a factory as a "gofer". His supervisor told him that one of his tasks would be to make the coffee for coffee break. He stressed that this was an important part of the day for the workers. The man was a bit nervous about this and told his boss that he had never made coffee before and didn't know how.

The supervisor replied "Oh it's easy to make coffee. I'll show you how." The supervisor then proceeded to show him the steps to follow when making coffee. He explained that first you take the coffee pot off the table and go over to the sink and put water in it up to the line. Then take it to the coffee machine where you put the coffee in the filter, pour the water in the back, put the pot on the burner and turn the machine on. And lo and behold the coffee drips into the coffeepot!

The next day the man came to the break room to make the coffe. He followed the steps exactly: he took the coffee pot off the table, went to the sink and filled it to the line with water, took it to the coffee machine and put the coffee in the filter, poured the water in the back, put the pot on the burner and turned the machine on. and sure enough, the coffee was made.

So every day the man would make the coffee for the factory's coffee break. (When telling this story, I usually manage to repeat the coffee-making steps several times until the kids' eyes start to roll! It's just fun!)

Well things were going pretty well for the man. He was settling in to his job and performed his duties faithfully. The workers appreciated that the coffee was always made on time and available in the breakroom. But then it happened--the day came that the man's worst nightmare came true.

It was a challenge to this poor man's ability. On that fateful day, the man walked into the breakroom and the coffee pot was not on the table! What was he going to do? The workers all depended on him, and now he was afraid he would let them down. He decided not to panic and run screaming out of the factory. He took a deep breath and tried to think.

And then an optimistic expression came accross his face--he had an idea! Holding his head up and his shoulders back, he looked around the room. He saw the coffee pot on the counter by the sink. He boldly walked over to the sink, picked up the coffee pot, carried it back to the table and placed it on the table. Then he turned around and walked out of the room.

A few minutes later, the man walked into the breakroom. The coffee pot was on the table and there were no problems. Now the man could make the coffee! He picked up the coffee pot from the table, went to the sink and filled it to the line, took it to the coffee maker where he put the coffee in the filter, poured the water in the back, put the pot on the burner and turned on the machine. Everything was alright!

And do you know what the moral of the story is? The moral of the story is: If there is something you don't know how to do, change it to something you do know how to do.

That is a principle that is used over and over again in algebra and other branches of mathematics as well. Now that students know how to solve simple equations, I teach them to solve more complex equations by changing it to a simple equation. This is something they already know how to do. To change the equation, they follow the algebra rule that what you do on one side of the equal sign, you must do to the other side.

So they learn to change 4x +7 =27 to 4x =20. That is something they know how to do--they have mastered simple equations and they change complex equations to simple equations. And they do! In addition to that, they go home and tell their families the corny story that Mrs. B told during math class!