How to Create a Problem Solving Classroom

Cathy Nguyen & Nicole MoscosoLawndale Elementary School District

Math Funny

Topic Agenda

▪Simple routines to get students ready for Mathematical Problem Solving

▪Understanding the important parts of a Problem Solving block

▪Creating meaningful story problems

▪Materials & Supplies

▪Management Tips

Common Components of a CGI Classroom

▪ Problem solving is the focus of instruction

▪ Teachers guide student learning through questioning

▪ Student discourse out-weighs teacher talk

▪ Teacher accepts a wide range of student derived strategies to solve problems

▪ Teachers understand children’s problem solving strategies and use that knowledge to plan instruction

What Should You Be Seeing in a CGI Classroom?

▪ Students are expected to be making sense of the math (teachers are not showing or telling them how to do it)

▪ Students are being encouraged to share their strategies and make connections to other students’ strategies

▪ Teachers are asking higher level questions that encourage students to make sense of the math and help them to make connections

▪ Students are explaining their thinking to partners, the whole class, and the teachers.

▪ Students and teachers are using the language of mathematics

What Should You Be Seeing in a CGI Classroom? (cont.)

▪ Students should be solving math problems in context on a regular basis

▪ Students are encouraged to use sense-making strategies to solve problems.

▪ Manipulatives are readily available to students so that they can use them to make sense of the math if that is a strategy that they choose.

Problem Solving Block

▪Warm-up

▪ Unpacking the problem (video)

▪ Solving (independent, pairs)

▪ Teacher conferencing (video)/ Strategy Group

▪ Mid-workshop (as needed)

▪ Share-out (video)

What are Warm-Ups/Number Sense Routines?

▪Warm-ups are quick activities used as an introduction to a lesson.

▪Warm-ups target skills, or highlight strategies.

▪ Students see warm-ups as “playing games”

▪Warm-ups encourage mathematical discourse.

▪ Take up very little time (10-15 min.)

Number Sense Routines/ Warm-Ups

Different Ways to Represent

(primary)

Different Ways to Represent

(upper)

Number Sense Routines/Warm-Ups (cont.)

Choral Counting (1st grade)

Choral Counting (4th grade)

Number Sense Routines/ Warm-Ups

Open Number LinesKinder sample

Number Grid

1,009-968

Let’s give one of these a try…

Show as many ways as you can to represent:

116

Counting Collections

Formative Assessment

Builds number sense

Encourages partnerships

1-1 and Grouping

Representations of counting

Counting Collections in Primary Grades

Counting Collections in Upper Grade

Transition to Packaged Items

What Counting Collections Look Like

Creating Story Problems

▪Make connections to your students

▪Use student names

▪ Choose purposeful numbers (friendly numbers, doubles, doubles and 1, etc..)

▪Mix-up the problem types regularly

Sample Story Problem

Bailey had ____ Legos. Her parents gave her _____ more Legos for her birthday. How many Legos does Bailey have now?

(9, 5) (3, 12) (14, 6) (17, 6)

Samples of Different Problem Solving Formats

Materials and Supplies

▪Math notebooks/ Problem Solving Sheet

▪ Tools/Manipulatives

▪ Strategy charts

▪Document camera

▪ Language Frames

Supporting Discourse & Language Learners

Why Unpack a Problem?

▪ To give all students an entry point into the story problem.

▪ To support language learners with unfamiliar vocabulary.

▪ To model key questions to ask when approaching a story problem (e.g.. What information do I know? What else do I know? What do I need to solve for?).

▪ To allow for flexible thinking.

Bet Lines

Bet lines are a strategy for unpacking a story problem.

Why Bet Lines?

▪ Bet lines help support impulsive kids who jump to solving without planning a strategy.

▪ Bet lines help students learn how to revise their thinking.

▪ Bet lines engage students and help them visualize the story.

▪ Bet lines support ELD students by breaking information down into chunks.

Bet Lines

How?

▪ Reveal and read a story problem one line at a time.

▪ Pause to allow for think time and partner talk. “I bet…”

▪ Allow time for share-outs.

▪ Reveal next line of the problem. Pause and allow for revision and student talk. (continue as needed until all lines of the story have been revealed)

Bet Lines

Johnny had 509 balloons.

He gave away 123 balloons at the park.

Then he gave away 201 balloons at the zoo.

How many more balloons did Johnny give away at the zoo than at the park?

Teacher Conferencing

Student Share-Out

Management Tips

▪ Teach kids tools vs. toys

▪ Start with minimal tools (or no tools)- introduce gradually

▪ Teach students how to have math discourse- provide sentence starters

▪ Display student strategy charts- celebrate the student who came up with the strategy

▪ Teach respectful behaviors during share-out

▪ Pair up students to share strategies

Now you try!

Bailey had ____ Legos. Her parents gave her _____ more Legos for her birthday. How many Legos does Bailey have now?

(9,5) (3,12) (14,6) (17,6)

Let Us Know What You Thought…

Evaluation Poll Code: 13215

Please contact us:

Cathy_Nguyen@lawndalesd.net

Nicole_Moscoso@lawndalesd.net