New strategies can ignite teachers' imagination to create new lessons or adapt lessons created by others. In this article, the authors present the experience of an algebra teacher and his students solving linear and literal equations and explain how the use of ideas found in past NCTM journals helped bring this lesson to life. The authors' approach combines strategies from several articles published in "Mathematics Teacher" and "Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School." They developed and tested this approach in practice through their professional development work with preservice and in-service teachers. They also closely observed how one teacher refined this teaching strategy and assessed the students' skills to solve linear equations. Throughout the article, they discuss the core mathematical ideas behind this approach and point out connections to the Common Core Standards for Mathematics and the Standards for Mathematical Practice (SMPs). The hope is that this work can be helpful for teachers and coaches interested in finding new ways to teach traditional mathematics topics that are well aligned with the Common Core.