Problem Solving Strategies

What strategy is best?

TaskAs we go through the strategies you are going to write the name of the strategy down, and if you want to an illustration to help you remember.

There are 12 Problem Solving Strategies that can help us solve a problem!

When you are given a problem, it is handy to have a variety of strategies to help you work it out. You will already be using some of them without knowing.

Problem Solving Strategies

○ Draw a Picture○ Make a Table○ Write a Number Sentence○ Guess and Check○ Look for a Pattern○ Use Materials

○ Make a Model○ Act it out○ Explore Possibilities○ Make a List○ Work Backwards○ Solve a Simpler

Problem

Reminders

● For each question:o Write the strategy downo Work out the answer on your own whiteboard/papero Hold it up when you get an answer

● Remember, word problems have full sentence answers - not just numbers

1. Draw a Picture

Emme and Makayla are making pizzas. If one pizza has 6 whole mushrooms on it, how many mushrooms they need to make 6 pizzas?

Work:

2. Make a Table

Dad gives you $50 for doing your chores a month. how much will you have at the end of the year?

Work

Month Allowance

January $50

February $100

March $150

April $200

3. Write a Number Sentence

A) Nathan has three times as many skateboards as his sister. his sister has 3 skateboards.

B) Nathan’s mom takes four skateboards away and then buys him a new one. How many skateboards does Nathan have?

Work:

A- 3 X S = N, S= 33 x 3 = 9, N = 9

B- N - 4 + 1 = ?9 - 4 + 1 = 5 +1 = 6

4. Guess and Check

Mrs. Moore decided to take all her children to see a movie. The tickets cost $5 for children and $12 for adults. She spent $124. How many children and how many adults went to

the movies?

Work:

Children ($5) Adults($12) Total Cost

10 x 5 = $50 1 x 12 = $12 $50+$12 = $62

30 x 5 = $150 1 x 12 = $12 150 + 12 = $162

5. Look for a Pattern

You arrange tennis balls in triangular shapes as shown. How many balls will there be in a triangle that has five rows. * Can you find a rule to explain the pattern?

Work:

# of Rows # of Balls

1 1

2 3

3 6

4

5

6. Use Materials

Mrs. Guillory has four squares of yellow cardboard. She asked her class to join them all so they are connected by at least one edge. How many different ways can you do this?

Work:

7. Make a Model

Jake has 21 bricks to build a wall in a pattern of 1, 2, 3, 4 … bricks high. How many bricks long can he make the wall?

Work:

8. Act it out

Four students measured their heights. Nick was taller than Julie, but not as tall as Luke. Ashlynn was taller than Luke. Write down their names in order of their heights, from shortest to tallest.

Work:

9. Explore Possibilities

Susie the snake has up to 20 eggs. She counted her eggs in fours. She had three left over. She counted them in fives. She had 4 left over. How many eggs has Susie got?

Work:Group of 5 4 leftover

Groups of 4 3 leftover

10. Make a List

The letters ABC, can be put into different order. How many different combinations of the letters ABC can you make?

Work:ABCACBBCABACCBACAB

11. Working Backwards

Shane got on the school bus. At that stop after Shane’s, 7 students got on. Five students got on the bus at the next stop. At the last stop before school, 9 students got on. When the bus arrived at school, 38 students got off. How many students when already on the bus when Shane got on?

Work:

Got off : 38 StudentsGot on : 1+7+5+9 = 22 students

Before Shane : 38-22 = 16 students

12. Solve a Simpler Problem

A problem may seem very difficult. It may contain large numbers or appear to require many steps to solve. Instead of solving the given problem, solve a similar but simpler problem. Look for lesser numbers, patterns, and relationships. Then use what you’ve learned to solve the original problem.

The houses on Main Street are numbered consecutively from 1-100. How many house numbers contain at least one digit 7?

Work: Change to a simpler problem - Work out for houses 1-50.

1-10 > 711 - 20 > 1721- 30 > 27

NOW WE CAN SOLVE ANY PROBLEM.