Missouri Department of Elementary
Color Your Destiny
Class groups bring feeling words alive by creating a poster that illustrates with images and colors, but not words, the feeling conjured by the word. The posters are then combined into a mural for the classroom wall.
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Unit 1, Worksheet 3, Note Taking in Mathematics
In this taking notes worksheet, students write notes on specified topics such as combining like terms, identifying number patterns, basic mathematical operations of integers, and the guess and check strategy. This two-page worksheet...
Forest Foundation
Forest Health
Young foresters examine the strategies, like prescribed burns and thinning, that are employed to ensure healthy forests.
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Not So Snappy 2
In this math worksheet, students learn to use problem solving strategies such as making a list, guess and check, working backwards and drawing a diagram. Students read and solve 6 sentences.
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The Trash We Pass
Where does our garbage go? What is the difference between a recyclable and non-recyclable item? Pose these important, but often overlooked, questions to your class and invite them to consider the lasting and damaging effects of the...
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More Pizzas and Things
Students are introduced to the problem by playing a guessing game of "I am a number, which is half of 6 and 6, what am I?" They explain their answers and see if anyone else had an alternate solution checking for reasonableness.
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To Be Or Not To Be: Reading With Expression
Students observe and demonstrate a variety of strategies for reading with expression. They listen to the teacher read "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carrol with and without expression, and discuss the differences. In small groups they...
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Fraction Problem Solving Process
Help your charges solve a variety of fraction and skip counting problems using a problem solving process. As a class they work through a fraction problem step-by-step, and discuss a real-life connection to the problem. Students then play...
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Systems of Linear Equations
Introduce the inverse matrix method to solve systems of linear equations both algebraically and graphically. Using given data, your class checks their answers with graphing calculators. Handouts are included in this well-thought out lesson.
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What's In Your Bag?
Guess what is in the bag! Use this lesson at the beginning of the year to discuss appropriate items for 4th grade students to have in school. Each group develops a list of appropriate items as well as inappropriate items, and discusses...
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Using Guess, Check and Revise
Students answer coin related math questions using the guess, check and revise process for problem solving.
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Grandpa's Chocolates
It's fun playing a game of "Guess What's in the Jacket Pocket?" Students read the question using the concept of doubles using mental math. They then share their solutions with the class.
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What Is It?
You have to love lessons that foster problem solving strategies. This one has upper graders devise and employ their own strategy to solve given problems after they have used classics like guess/check, substitution, make a table, and look...
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My Life in Math Class
Students reflect on their past experiences in mathematics classes - both good and bad. They identify what methods, knowledge and strategies have been helpful to them and write about them in a journal to be shared with the current teacher.
Inside Mathematics
Number Towers
Number towers use addition or multiplication to ensure each level is equal. While this is common in factoring, it is often not used with algebraic equations. Solving these six questions relies on problem solving skills and being able to...
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Punch Patterns
Fifth graders duplicate patterns, guess pattern results and identify the symmetries created. They are given an instructional handout, 5th graders replicate the patterns demonstrated by folding the paper and punching the appropriate...
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Estimation Contest
Students explore the concept of estimation. In this estimation lesson, students estimate the number of Cheerios in their cup. Students then determine the number of Cheerios in the entire box using what they know about their cup.
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Word Problem Solving Strategies Cookies
In this story problem activity, students read about Ralph and Sandra splitting up the cookies they baked. Students use division and multiplication to figure out how many cookies Ralph and Sandra started with. This activity contains 10...
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The Tiled Courtyard
Fifth graders use the guess and check technique to solve a problem involving transformations. They work with a grid and criteria provided by the teacher to solve a sequence with black and white rows.
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Block It Game
Learners use problem solving strategies such as guess and check and visualization to play the game. They use mental mathematics to decide on the placement of pattern blocks and look for patterns.
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Robots
Fourth graders devise and use problem solving strategies to explore situations mathematically (guess and check, make a drawing, use equipment). The use of logical reasoning is a focus of this lesson.
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A Fishy Problem
Students survey the problems involved in finding a solution to a practical problem using a mathematical process. Students make sensible estimates and check the reasonableness of their answers. Students report the results of their...
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Problem Solving Process: One-To-One Correspondence
First graders observe and demonstrate a variety of problem solving strategies to solve problems involving one-to-one correspondence and whole numbers to 100. They discuss the steps of the problem solving process, and solve a word...
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Vocabulary Dictionary Drill
Investigate vocabulary terms related to communities. First your class generates a list of vocabulary terms related to the study of communities. Working in small groups, they compete in a dictionary drill to discover the meaning of the...