c. Solve real-world and mathematical problems leading to two linear equations in two variables. For example, given coordinates for two pairs of points, determine whether the line through the first pair of points intersects the line through the second pair.

One of the many gripes that your students might have with school is the idea that they will never need to use the stuff they learn in school ever outside of school.

For instance, if they want to be English professors, they might never ever have to balance a chemical equation outside of high school chemistry class. If they become professional athletes, naming all the lakes of the Midwest might not be high on their list of priorities.

But math is a different story! The equations your students learn to solve can help them when real-life problems come crashing down. Now, we're not going to pretend that they'll have these exact problems, but that doesn't mean the concepts and critical thinking skills involved in solving them aren't useful.

Students should know how to analyze mathematical and word problems properly to identify those that lead to a system of linear equations. This means being able to determine the linear equation when given the appropriate information or data and knowing what to do with the linear equations.