Problem Solving in Elementary Mathematics

 As we dive into the school year, we have been doing a lot of problem solving in 2-5 math. We will typically focus on deeply exploring just one or two rich word problems in a class period rather than doing lengthy worksheets/workbook pages of drill-type problems. When someone quickly solves the problem, that student is prompted to think more deeply about their approach and elaborate in their communication of their reasoning to clearly prove their answer. Students are encouraged to use a variety of tools and strategies. They present their thinking to their classmates and ask questions to understand each other's strategies. We build off of what they intuitively understand to develop a variety of approaches to problem solving and work to develop flexibility in the types of strategies we use based on the unique numbers and problem context. 

We have also been playing a wide variety of math games to get extra practice on basic operations and rounding in an engaging way that involves discussion with peers. Parents can follow this link to find many of the games we'll be using throughout the year to reinforce our math facts. These games would be great to play at home to practice math facts with your child; as you play the key thing is to discuss the strategies you use to solve problems. Play with a focus on using efficient strategies rather than speed or rote memorization. For example, if a student tries to solve 7+5 by counting by 1s from 7 to 12, maybe they could try adding 3 to 7 to get to 10 and then adding 2 more. Feel free to reach out to Elizabeth if you would like recommendations as to which specific games and groups of facts would be most beneficial for your child to practice (or more details about strategies you can help them develop)!