Description
Looking for a way to build deep math thinking with your intermediate students and need better problem solving tasks for your addition and subtraction instruction? Do you want your students to be challenged in new and interesting ways—and be easily able to differentiate for all learners?
The goal of this resource:
To provide teachers and students with sets of quality math problems that not only get students thinking deeply and “doing” math—but talking about it as well. Geared for grades 3-5. Perfect for differentiation as well—not all students need to do all three parts!
Each task can be done as a whole class math warm up or with a smaller group. They are meant to last from 10-30 minutes but can be extended even more if the students are encouraged to talk and push their thinking. Do just the first part—or work through all three steps.
How can I use this resource?
- Use as a “bell ringer” or warm up task. The goal of this should not be getting a correct answer (there are MANY), but the actual WORK of doing the problem solving! Each question has a starting point that can be used whole-class (you choose how much modeling/help) and then parts 2 and 3 can be used for everyone—or just for students who are ready!
- The colored slides are perfect to project from your computer…you can click to the advance to the next slides to show parts 2 and 3…but if students aren’t ready, no big deal! The original problem appears on every slide! That means some of your students can work on part 1 while others move on. Perfect!
- Another option? Print and laminate and use as task cards at a problem solving station. These half-page cards are low ink and are perfect for math rotations, math workshop, guided math, or for fast finishers.
- Or–how about use as a reproducible problem-solving journal? Each problem is presented in a journal format with a full page of work space for the first part of the problem with parts 2 and 3 copied on the next page. Copying the entire journal only takes 12 pieces of paper (without the cover) and is full of all 36 tasks. These can be used in so many ways—and even flexibly within a given classroom.
- Looking for an enrichment opportunity for students needing just a bit more? Perfect! Maybe you don’t want to use this with your entire class, but instead just a group of students needing a challenge.
- Or else? GET CREATIVE!
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Like many of my resources, this set of problems is certainly not meant to be a time filler! It is meant to be a rich and meaningful problem solving experience for you to use with your students. HOW you use it is up to you! There are some suggestions listed on the next page, but get creative—and let me know what you try! I’d love to hear…
This set of 12 problems is really 36 problems—because each of the 12 “foundation” tasks has 2 follow up components. Use just the original task or extend it with the “Moving on” or “Even more” slides either for your entire class or for those needing the challenge.
If you feel you need to more explicitly teach on the first step, then do it. If you want the students to tackle it alone—that’s great too! I highly recommend you download the preview to see exactly what you get!
When I use tasks like this with MY students, there are a few things I like to make very clear and I think really contribute to building a culture for problem solving.
Want to check out my blog post with more detail? Here you go!
(NOTE: The number of pages is approximate. There are 87 pages in the product, but you would pick and choose the ones that work for you. No answer key is included because many problems have many solutions.)
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Looking for some other quality math resources? Try THESE!
Project Based Learning “Thinker Task” Bundle (More differentiated math!)
Math Sort Bundle (SUCH a powerful way to get students thinking and talking!)
Complete Fraction Unit–Concept Based! (This best selling unit can help YOU be a better teacher!)
All rights reserved by ©The Teacher Studio. Purchase of this resource entitles the purchaser the right to reproduce the pages in limited quantities for single classroom use only. Duplication for an entire school, an entire school system, or commercial purposes is strictly forbidden without written permission from the author at fourthgradestudio@gmail.com. Additional licenses are available at a reduced price.
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