I've been blogging about my attempts to add more meaningful problem solving practice into our daily routines. On Tuesday I blogged about the whole group problem solving practice we do each day. Today I'll be showing you how I incorporate independent problem solving practice into our math workshop block.
I love the whole group practice we get each day because it allows for some great modeling and math talk as we work through various word problems. However, I wanted a more individualized way to assess where kids are. I wanted to see how each student was progressing as we tackled more complex word problems throughout the year. I wanted to see what each child's strengths and weaknesses were related to problem solving and I wasn't sure I was getting a true sense of their abilities during the whole group time.
So I decided to create some problem solving printables that I could use at the end of each workshop block to see how my kids were doing. I saw how motivated the kids were by word problems that included their names and interests so I knew I needed to incorporate that some how.
Knowing I wanted to put these printables on TPT I knew using the names of my kiddos might not be that meaningful to others so I decided that I could incorporate themes and scenarios any first grader could relate to and would be by motivated by. I began looking through my clip art collections and came up with some different themes I thought could work as problem solving printables.
Thanks to the wonderfully talented artists on TPT I was able to create these printables that my kiddos have enjoyed using at the end of our math block. The kids know to grab an office and find a place to work independently to solve a word problem each day.
. Typically I have the kids solve on problem per day. I check the word problem right away and I like the instant feedback... I can send kids back to their seats to make corrections right away or I can pull some kids to the side if they need some extra help. If we need to finish the other side the next day I'll save the worksheet for the the following day.
The same steps are used as they work through these problem independently... they read the problem twice, circling what they know and underlining what they need to solve for. This strategy has really worked for them this ear.
Each printable has a question as well as a work space box, number sentence box, and an answer box. Some of the printables have either a number bond or part-part-whole model. I have also included some word problems without a model to allow my kids to choose the model they want to use. They know that if there isn't a model they need to draw one and fill it out correctly.
In each problem solving pack I have included a table of contents indicating which pages include the different kinds of word problems... result unknown, part unknown, or start unknown. I have found this helpful because it is easy to print and copy exactly the pages my kiddos need practice with.
While I typically print out the black and white versions of the word problems and then copy them back to back, there are other ways to use these printables aside from end of workshop block mini-assessments/practice.
The colored version of these printables could be printed and laminated or put in page protectors. Then the pages can be put in a tub for math tub time. The colored version can also be displayed on the Promethean board for whole group problem solving practice. There are many different ways to utilize these printables.
Some of the themes currently in my TPT store include Construction, Pet Shop, and Rainy Day. I have a ton of ideas for new problem solving printables that I'm hoping to get to over the summer!
If you are interested in these printables and would like to try them, I have two freebies available in my TPT store. The Rainy Day Printables as well as a small Construction Pack are available in my store to try.
Happy Problem Solving!!
I love the whole group practice we get each day because it allows for some great modeling and math talk as we work through various word problems. However, I wanted a more individualized way to assess where kids are. I wanted to see how each student was progressing as we tackled more complex word problems throughout the year. I wanted to see what each child's strengths and weaknesses were related to problem solving and I wasn't sure I was getting a true sense of their abilities during the whole group time.
So I decided to create some problem solving printables that I could use at the end of each workshop block to see how my kids were doing. I saw how motivated the kids were by word problems that included their names and interests so I knew I needed to incorporate that some how.
Knowing I wanted to put these printables on TPT I knew using the names of my kiddos might not be that meaningful to others so I decided that I could incorporate themes and scenarios any first grader could relate to and would be by motivated by. I began looking through my clip art collections and came up with some different themes I thought could work as problem solving printables.
Thanks to the wonderfully talented artists on TPT I was able to create these printables that my kiddos have enjoyed using at the end of our math block. The kids know to grab an office and find a place to work independently to solve a word problem each day.
. Typically I have the kids solve on problem per day. I check the word problem right away and I like the instant feedback... I can send kids back to their seats to make corrections right away or I can pull some kids to the side if they need some extra help. If we need to finish the other side the next day I'll save the worksheet for the the following day.
The same steps are used as they work through these problem independently... they read the problem twice, circling what they know and underlining what they need to solve for. This strategy has really worked for them this ear.
In each problem solving pack I have included a table of contents indicating which pages include the different kinds of word problems... result unknown, part unknown, or start unknown. I have found this helpful because it is easy to print and copy exactly the pages my kiddos need practice with.
While I typically print out the black and white versions of the word problems and then copy them back to back, there are other ways to use these printables aside from end of workshop block mini-assessments/practice.
The colored version of these printables could be printed and laminated or put in page protectors. Then the pages can be put in a tub for math tub time. The colored version can also be displayed on the Promethean board for whole group problem solving practice. There are many different ways to utilize these printables.
Some of the themes currently in my TPT store include Construction, Pet Shop, and Rainy Day. I have a ton of ideas for new problem solving printables that I'm hoping to get to over the summer!
If you are interested in these printables and would like to try them, I have two freebies available in my TPT store. The Rainy Day Printables as well as a small Construction Pack are available in my store to try.
Happy Problem Solving!!
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