Stuck? Start here. Read the steps, try the problem, then check your answer.
I can…
I can describe my problem-solving process, name strategies for getting unstuck, and identify the behaviors that make our class a community of math thinkers.
Key words
make sense of a problem — To figure out what a problem is asking — what you know, and what you don't know yet.
representation — A way of showing a problem — a drawing, table, equation, or model — that helps you see it.
strategy — A plan of attack for a problem — and something you can switch when you get stuck.
critique — To examine an idea and say what is convincing or not — about the idea, never about the person.
community agreement — A rule the whole class agrees to so that everyone can learn together.
Steps
First I make sense of it: one rack holds 8 bikes, each bike has 2 wheels, so this rack has 8 × 2 = 16 wheels. The other rack has 6 times as many wheels — that is what I don't know yet.
I choose a representation: 6 equal groups of 16. Then I make a plan: multiply.
16 × 6 = 96, so the other rack has about 96 wheels. I check my progress: 96 is 6 groups of 16, and 16 × 6 = 96, so my answer matches my plan.
Try it
Which statement best captures what this lesson means by 'Math is Ours'?
Check your answer
We are a community of math thinkers and doers — we work together and on our own, showing respect for our classmates, our community, ourselves, and our math ideas
The summary says it directly: we are a community of math thinkers and doers; we often work together, sometimes work on our own, and show respect and consideration for our classmates, our community, ourselves, and our math ideas.
Sentence starter
I know ___ because ___.
Goal: I can talk about problem solving using the phrases make sense of, get stuck, try a strategy, and work together.