kindergarten problem solving videos

Series Mathematical Modeling with Three-Act Tasks: Three-Act Tasks: Modeling Addition

Common core State Standards

• Math:  Math
• Practice:  Mathematical Practice Standards
• MP1:  Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. Mathematically proficient students start by explaining to themselves the meaning of a problem and looking for entry points to its solution. They analyze givens, constraints, relationships, and goals. They make conjectures about the form and meaning of the solution and plan a solution pathway rather than simply jumping into a solution attempt. They consider analogous problems, and try special cases and simpler forms of the original problem in order to gain insight into its solution. They monitor and evaluate their progress and change course if necessary. Older students might, depending on the context of the problem, transform algebraic expressions or change the viewing window on their graphing calculator to get the information they need. Mathematically proficient students can explain correspondences between equations, verbal descriptions, tables, and graphs or draw diagrams of important features and relationships, graph data, and search for regularity or trends. Younger students might rely on using concrete objects or pictures to help conceptualize and solve a problem. Mathematically proficient students check their answers to problems using a different method, and they continually ask themselves, \"Does this make sense?\" They can understand the approaches of others to solving complex problems and identify correspondences between different approaches.

Download Common Core State Standards (PDF 1.2 MB)

• MP4:  Model with mathematics. Mathematically proficient students can apply the mathematics they know to solve problems arising in everyday life, society, and the workplace. In early grades, this might be as simple as writing an addition equation to describe a situation. In middle grades, a student might apply proportional reasoning to plan a school event or analyze a problem in the community. By high school, a student might use geometry to solve a design problem or use a function to describe how one quantity of interest depends on another. Mathematically proficient students who can apply what they know are comfortable making assumptions and approximations to simplify a complicated situation, realizing that these may need revision later. They are able to identify important quantities in a practical situation and map their relationships using such tools as diagrams, two-way tables, graphs, flowcharts and formulas. They can analyze those relationships mathematically to draw conclusions. They routinely interpret their mathematical results in the context of the situation and reflect on whether the results make sense, possibly improving the model if it has not served its purpose.
• K:  Kindergarten
• OA:  Operations & Algebraic Thinking
• A:  Understand addition, and understand subtraction
• 1:  Represent addition and subtraction with objects, fingers, mental images, drawings, sounds (e.g., claps), acting out situations, verbal explanations, expressions, or equations. Drawings need not show details, but should show the mathematics in the problem. (This applies wherever drawings are mentioned in the Standards.)
• 2:  Solve addition and subtraction word problems, and add and subtract within 10, e.g., by using objects or drawings to represent the problem. Drawings need not show details, but should show the mathematics in the problem. (This applies wherever drawings are mentioned in the Standards.)
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Three-Act Tasks: Modeling Addition

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Discussion and Supporting Materials

• Supporting Materials

Thought starters

• What is the purpose of Act 1?
• In Act 2, how do you see students approaching the problem? How are their strategies similar and different?
• How does Ms. Alfonzo reflect on her students' learning?

20 Comments

Lori Alford Feb 19, 2019 8:00pm

Where can teachers access the birthday party video?

Lee Weaver Jan 13, 2019 6:01pm

Do we access to the video you used for the birthday cake?  Would love to do this with my kindergarten students.

Kathleen Bailey Aug 26, 2019 8:09pm

Did you get an answer for this?  I would love the birthday cake video to utilise with my kindergarten class.

Meghan Ohumukini Mar 22, 2018 12:14pm

Bonnie Makovec Aug 10, 2017 1:25pm

Rhonda Richmond Jun 23, 2017 9:49pm

Lesson Plans

• Lesson Plan: Modeling Addition.PDF
• Three-Act Tasks: Modeling Addition Transcript
• Presentation: Act 3 Candles.PDF
• Presentation: Slide 1.PDF
• Presentation: Slide 2.PDF
• Presentation: Slide 3.PDF
• Presentation: Slide 4.PDF

Transcripts

Three-Act Tasks: Modeling Addition Transcript GFX: Tch TeachingChannel

+++ 00:00:04 +++ Sophia: One, two, three, four, five, six-- Student: I wrote the letter six and then there’s nine. Kristen Alfonzo: The thing I enjoy most about three-act tasks is it makes them interested in something right away and makes them personally invested in thinking about math in the real world. Card: Three-Act Tasks: Modeling Addition - Kindergarten

+++ 00:00:26 +++ Kristen Alfonzo: We are gonna do a three-act task today like we have done before. And we know in three-act tasks, Satchel, that we start with watching a video. Our video today is about a birthday party. Card: Kristen Alfonzo Kindergarten Teacher South Shore PK-8, Seattle, WA

+++ 00:00:36 +++ Kristen Alfonzo: We start off with a video or a picture, an image, something that the kids can get interested in and then we ask them what do they notice about the video, what do they wonder about the video. In kindergarten I usually try and remind them that we are thinking about math. Card: Act One The class discusses a high interest video or picture of a real-world situation. Kristen Alfonzo: Are your eyes on the screen? Student: Yeah! Kristen Alfonzo: Here we go. Children: Happy birthday to you, happy birthday, dear Abby [ph?], happy birthday to you!

+++ 00:01:15 +++ Kristen Alfonzo: Okay, give us a private thumb if you think you have something you notice, something you’re wondering about the video? I want you to quickly turn knee to knee, tell your partner what do you notice or wonder about this video. Student: There’s so many candles. I wonder how many are candles. How many stuff are in the bag? Kristen Alfonzo: Modeling’s important because that’s how we use math in the real world. It’s in life. They’re not gonna be able to reason with their partner at the grocery store in the future how much their budget can afford if they don’t know how to explain their thinking.

+++ 00:01:49 +++ Kristen Alfonzo: Amira, what did you notice? Amira: I wonder how many candles.

Kristen Alfonzo: How many candles are there? If you are also wondering how many candles are there, would you do this? Say, “Me, too. I was thinking the same thing.” Solaiya, what’s your notice or wonder about the video? Solaiya: I wonder who’s gonna blow the candle off the fire. Kristen Alfonzo: Who will blow the candles out? Solaiya: Yeah. Kristen Alfonzo: Sophia, what were you noticing? Sophia: How many napkins? Kristen Alfonzo: How many napkins? Orelio [ph?], what were you wondering? Orelio: How many birthday bags? Student: There are five.

+++ 00:02:22 +++ Kristen Alfonzo: How many birthday bags. There are so many things to notice about this birthday.

+++ 00:02:26 +++ Kristen Alfonzo: The math can be anything the kids truly want to solve. So, tomorrow, if my kids say, “You know, I was really wondering how many cups there were,” we can go back and say, “Well, what information do we need? How can we find that information and solve it from there?” So it’s taking, like, a real-world scenario and helping them notice where the math is and then not only being able to find an answer, but also having to model their thinking, how they solved it. Card: COMMON CORE STATE STANDARD Math Practice 4: Modeling with Mathematics. Students apply the mathematics they know to solve problems in contextual situations.

+++ 00:02:50 +++ Kristen Alfonzo: We are all wondering how many are there of all of those things. I was really wondering about the candles. It’s kind of hard to tell exactly how many candles there are. I see some people counting. You have some guesses? I tried counting, but it was hard for me to see. Student: Twelve. Twelve. Twelve. Kristen Alfonzo: How many candles do you think there were? Minyette? Minyette: Twelve. Kristen Alfonzo: Minyette believes there were twelve candles. Do you have a different number you want to ask? Russo [ph?], what do you think? What’s your guess? Russo: Thirteen. Kristen Alfonzo: Thirteen candles. Card: Act Two The class identifies the information needed to answer a mathematical question about the situation

+++ 00:03:26 +++ Kristen Alfonzo: Should we find out exactly accurately how many candles there really are? Student: Yeah. Kristen Alfonzo: Okay, so we have some information to help you with that. Everyone say out loud, how many blue candles are there? Children: Six! Kristen Alfonzo: There are six blue candles? Can we find out exactly how many candles there are now? What other information do we need to find out? How many candles all together? Rose? Rose: Twelve-- yellow.

+++ 00:03:51 +++ Kristen Alfonzo: How many yellow candles? Do you agree with Rose? We need to know how many yellow? Solaiya agrees, Louie agrees, okay. How many yellow candles are there? Can you say it with me all together? How many yellow candles are there? Children: Nine! Kristen Alfonzo: Nine. Okay, we know there are six blue candles and nine yellow candles. Do you have the information to find out exactly how many candles there are on the cake now? Card: COMMON CORE STATE STANDARD Represent addition and solve word problems. Student: Yeah.

+++ 00:04:19 +++ Kristen Alfonzo: The three-act tasks engage every single kid, not just by having a video, but also, especially I think for my English language learning students, they’re able to have a constant visual up there and something to attach it to, so they’re not trying to puzzle through the language and the words I’m giving them. Kristen Alfonzo: Think you can find out? We have our guesses, but we have so many different numbers. We want to find out exactly how many. Are you ready to go to your tables and find out? Children: Yes. Kristen Alfonzo: Then they go off to their desks and solve the problem or model the math thinking that they’ve been doing. Sometimes they work on their own, sometimes they work with a partner.

+++ 00:04:51 +++ Kristen Alfonzo: So how many all together? Student: Eleven? Kristen Alfonzo: You don’t sound sure. How could you be sure? Kristen Alfonzo: Use cubes. Kristen Alfonzo: Cubes. Okay, how about if I come back. He’s showing you six. What is that from the video? What is that number six? Orelio: Six and nine. I think I’ll need four hands. Kristen Alfonzo: You need four hands. Orelio: ‘Cause Minga has four hands. I mean, Minga has two and I have-- Kristen Alfonzo: So you have four hands to use. So Orelio, you said you were showing six blue. What do you need your partner to show for your idea?

+++ 00:05:23 +++ Orelio: Nine. Kristen Alfonzo: The nine yellow. How can we find out now how many candles all together? Orelio: One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen. Kristen Alfonzo: So you think there are how many candles all together?

+++ 00:05:39 +++ Orelio: Fifteen. Kristen Alfonzo: Fifteen. Kristen Alfonzo: I noticed that because we chose numbers higher than ten they couldn’t be successful with just their fingers alone. Two students got creative and used each other’s fingers, which was an excellent strategy. But I also saw that kids went directly to direct modelling. So they either used a drawing or tally marks or cubes to show exactly how many candles there were. Student: I put six here and I put nine right here. Kristen Alfonzo: And how does that match the video again? Six blue candles, right? Where was the nine in the video?

+++ 00:06:17 +++ Student: Is yellow! Kristen Alfonzo: Nine yellow candles. You have-- Student: Nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen. Card: COMMON CORE STATE STANDARD Math Practice 1: Make sense and persevere in solving them. Kristen Alfonzo: Fifteen. Fifteen candles on the cake. Card: Act Three The problem is resolved and students share solutions strategies.

+++ 00:06:33 +++ Kristen Alfonzo: Right now is our time for us to be sharing out the strategies we use to find out how many candles are on the cake and it’s also time for us, Lily, to hear and listen to how other people did it. That’s how we learn new ways of doing math and new ways of thinking is by hearing other people’s strategies. So Amira offered to share her good thinking with us. Will you come on up, Amira? She’s gonna teach us how she solved the problem. Can you tell us a little but about your first drawing? Amira: I used six blue candles. Kristen Alfonzo: Where are those? Can you show us the six blue in your drawing? Amira: And there’s nine yellow candles.

+++ 00:07:12 +++ Kristen Alfonzo: So how did you find out how many candles were on the whole cake? Amira: Because I looked on the screen.

+++ 00:07:19 +++ Kristen Alfonzo: How did-- did you use your picture to help you? How did you use your picture? Did you count them all? One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve-- will you count with me? Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen. If you also came up with fifteen candles, please touch your head. But just like Amira, many of you had a different number to start with. Amira, can we share what happened with +++ 00:07:52 +++ you? At the beginning didn’t you guess there were ten? And I see you wrote “ten” and I also saw other people do this. Did anyone else look and say, “Well, I guess there were eleven or fourteen. And so there has to be that many!”

+++ 00:08:04 +++ Kristen Alfonzo: Kids were thrown off by their estimate. We had never done an estimate in my class before. So at the beginning of the task they all said, “Oh, let’s-- when we find out how many candles there are,” they immediately, of course, started counting and then they really took ownership of that number that they really thought they saw on the screen.

+++ 00:08:21 +++ Kristen Alfonzo: So Amira drew the ten that she knew she thought there were, but then she thought, “Wait a minute. That doesn’t actually match the video.” So she revised her thinking, did a different picture and found out the number fifteen. And that’s okay. It’s okay if our first guess isn’t the correct one. Kristen Alfonzo: So I think my next step is to talk a little bit about estimation and why it’s okay to revise thinking if our first guesses aren’t correct in math.

+++ 00:08:49 +++ Kristen Alfonzo: Satchel, would you be willing to share your strategy with us? Satchel used cubes. How did you use cubes? First you had six. How did that match the video? Satchel: Six blue. Kristen Alfonzo: Six blue candles. And then--? Satchel: Nine yellow. Kristen Alfonzo: Okay, then what? Satchel: I counted them. Kristen Alfonzo: How many candles did you decide were on the cake? Satchel: Fifteen. Kristen Alfonzo: Fifteen all together.

+++ 00:09:15 +++ Kristen Alfonzo: I love that three-act tasks are usually just difficult enough that even if kids can figure out really quickly on the carpet, they still have to go back to their tables and show us and be able to prove their thinking to us.

+++ 00:09:27 +++ Kristen Alfonzo: You worked hard today to watch a video, notice what was happening in it, think about the math you saw happening at that birthday party, and then you solved a problem. You made a model with a picture or with your fingers or with cubes to show how many candles were on the birthday cake.

+++ 00:09:47 +++ Kristen Alfonzo: They did an amazing job of solving the number story correctly, first of all, and also of showing their ways of thinking. Kristen Alfonzo: Everybody give yourself a pat of the back. That was a lot of great thinking today. GFX: Tch TeachingChannel

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Introducing Math Videos! Our educational videos are designed to give children in Kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 2, and Grade 3 a fun introduction to the world of mathematics. Our engaging and interactive videos will help kids gain a strong foundation in math concepts, as well as exploring ideas in greater depth. With these Math Videos, lessons become fun and educational for every student. Enjoy watching as children learn about numbers, problem solving and more! With our Math Videos, kids can dive into math and have plenty of fun learning!

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How to Teach Problem Solving in Kindergarten

Teaching kids to be independent thinkers is a huge part of education.  We want students to be able to solve their own “problems” without relying on adults for help.  While many kindergarteners aren't ready for complex problem solving, we can teach them how to address their own challenges on a smaller scale.  Keep reading for some tips on how to teach problem solving in kindergarten.

Tips for Teaching Problem Solving in Kindergarten

Learning how to problem solve is an advanced skill that people work on throughout their lives.  We definitely shouldn't expect children to be perfect in this skill!  However, your students can definitely start to understand that they can solve some of their small problems without adult intervention. Here are a few tips for how to teach problem solving in kindergarten.

1. Focus on Common Kindergarten Problems

When people think of solving problems in kindergarten, they often focus on conflict resolution between students.  However, in kindergarten, there can be a wide range of challenges that students experience during the day. For young students, this often means turning to an adult for help.

Procedural – Kindergartners are very routine-oriented.  When there is a small bump in the daily routines and procedures, the default is to ask the teacher what to do. These problems could include school supply issues or misplaced items.

Personal – Whether it’s untied shoes or complicated emotions, there are a variety of personal challenges that students experience throughout the school day.  These could include personal injury, self-care challenges, and emotional regulation difficulties.

Interpersonal – Kindergarten can be a challenging time for students who are learning to interact with their peers!  Students might experience problems related to turn-taking, making shared decisions, and working in groups. These are often the small problems that result in tattling.

2. Identify Your Preferred Solutions

Before teaching problem-solving skills to your students, take some time to identify the solutions that would be preferable in your classroom.  For example, when a child finds a lost school supply on the ground, would you prefer that they try to find the correct location for it, put it in your classroom Lost and Found bucket, or set it on your desk?

Since many of the challenges kindergartners experience can be procedural, it’s helpful to teach them appropriate solution options that fit within your classroom management system . For interpersonal problems, you might want to identify solutions that fit within your school’s conflict resolution procedures.

3. Teach the Steps of Problem Solving

Once you’ve identified the problems and solutions you’d like to discuss with your students, it’s time for the instruction!  Teach your students the three easy steps of solving a problem:

First, they need to stop what they are doing.  This helps them focus on the challenge they are facing.

Next, they need to think about the problem and possible solutions. Problems and solutions at school can often be different than those at home or other places.

Finally, they need to choose the best solution for their problem. They should consider how their solutions impact those around them.

These simple steps are easy for students to remember so they are more likely to use them!  It's a good idea to keep these reminders posted as visual support in the classroom so students can reference them throughout the school year.

4. Practice with Real-Life Scenarios

Now that you’ve introduced the steps to problem-solving, it’s time to practice using real-life examples and scenarios!  Introduce a common problem that your students might experience in the classroom, on the playground, or even in the lunchroom.  Discuss the problem so that all students can understand the challenge that needs to be addressed.  

Once your students can identify the problem that needs to be solved, you can discuss possible solutions.  It’s helpful for students to learn that there can be different ways to solve a problem.  Sometimes students are hesitant to address challenges without adult intervention because they want to know what the “right” thing is to do.

Finally, it’s time for the students to choose the best solution.  Students should think about how their solution will impact those around them and find the best option. You can discuss why this particular choice is the best option for the scenario.  

After discussing this real-life scenario together as a class, you can also encourage students to practice independently. Invite your students to complete an independent practice worksheet to show how they would solve the problem.  

5. Repeat and Remind

It’s an ongoing process to teach students how to be more independent thinkers and problem solvers.  This process of discussing real-life situations will be ongoing in your classroom.  Take opportunities to repeat your instruction whenever you can!  

Consider modeling for your students when there is a problem that you need to solve as a teacher.  This helps them see that you go through the same three steps of problem solving! If a challenge arises that involves the whole class, you might also decide to discuss this together.

If you created an anchor chart during your class discussion of scenarios, you can keep those on display in your classroom.  Problem solving posters can serve as a helpful reminder to your students when they find themselves in a challenging situation.

Problem Solving Printables for Kindergarten

Would you like to help your students become more independent in addressing their own challenges?  I have created a resource to make it easy to teach problem solving in kindergarten.  

These posters and worksheets will help your students practice problem solving with engaging and relevant scenarios.  Every classroom is different and each teacher sets specific classroom expectations. This resource is editable so that you can customize the problem solving scenarios to fit the needs of your classroom.  

Would you like to take a closer look at everything included in this resource?  You can find it in the Teaching Exceptional Kinders shop or on Teachers Pay Teachers .

Save These Kindergarten Problem-Solving Ideas

Would you like to come back to this post later?  Be sure to add this pin to your favorite teaching board on Pinterest.  You’ll be able to quickly find these tips and resources whenever you need them!

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Solving Word Problems in Kindergarten

Apr 23, 2020

From real objects in the physical world , to quantitative pictures , to story mats and acting out problems , each step in the developmental journey takes our littles closer to confidence in the word problem solving process. Each step is important so that we help them arrive in the proper way instead of trying to force application of word problem skills too soon.

To help students take the next step of their word problem solving, we’ve created the My Math Word Problem Journal , which is developmentally appropriate for Kindergarten students at the end of the first semester or the beginning of the second semester.

Buy it now for just $5.99!

This journal contains 75 days worth of journal experiences that reinforce concrete, pictorial, and abstract means and helps students slow down through the various types of word problems. We begin with part-whole addition problems, move into subtraction, and finally missing addend problems. It helps students turn the corner in their early childhood experience to prepare them for what word problems will start to look like as they get older.

Setting the Stage

In the corner of each journal page is an image that will relate to the story problem. This helps students hold a concrete image in their head as they work with all the other abstract things (writing and number sentences) on the journal page that might not be as familiar to them. Additionally, we are still building oral language, so if students aren’t as familiar with one of the objects, they can use the story they’re reading to help them picture what might be happening. 

Read the Problem

Begin by reading the problem out loud – all of it, without stopping. After this, most students will want to jump right in and fill in the number bond, or start acting it out with concrete objects. They’ll grab the two numbers in the problem and, because we’re adding this week, they’ll add them. Or subtract them, or whatever we’re working on. However, we don’t want kids to look at story problems as things to be dissected –  “circle the numbers” and “underline the important words,” etc. because that really in the end isn’t always going to work for students at this age.

We really want them to slow down and engage with the problem using something called chunking. Chunking has students put a line or highlight or underline a section in the story problem that is bringing in some new information. Even though kindergarten students might not be able to read the word problem themselves, we do want them to get into the habit of “reading” the problem, interacting with the words in the story, and repeating back different parts of the problem. It slows them down enough to really comprehend and visualize what the problem is asking, just like we do in reading. The same process we use for reading a book and trying to understand the author’s message holds true for reading story problems. 

Let’s take this problem:

We could chunk our example by saying, “John made a paperclip chain.” And then the students repeat that back. Now you say chunk because there’s a new piece of information within that story problem that we just read. The next part says he put on five paper clips. chunk The kids repeat that section back. He added on three more paper clips chunk . How long is John’s paper clip chain now? chunk  

The hard part about doing story problems in a slow, methodical, repetitive way, even though we know it helps build kids’ skills, is that students really want a quick and easy way to solve the problem. Spending a lot of time really looking at that story problem and getting that frame of reference using our template will be really helpful to our littles in kindergarten. 

Sentence Form

The second step in our step-by-step visual model process is to create a sentence form. In the kindergarten journal, we provide the sentence form since we felt that putting the question and a complete answer might be a little bit too difficult for some

In Kindergarten, it’s really important to make a note of this sentence form because, as students get into 1st grade, they’re going to start to do more closed sentences with more blanks that require students to supply names and other information. By the time a child gets to 2nd grade, they should be able to read a story problem and be able to repeat back in a complete sentence exactly the way the problem is asking. 

Some people ask why we would bother putting the sentence form in a Kindergarten journal. It all goes back to wanting to really slow the students down and keep them from jumping right into numbers and operations. Having students work with the sentence form encourages good decoding and reading skills as well, and guides students in their understanding of what the problem is asking. Also, I’ve seen many students solve story problems, but then forget to write in the sentence form, so a sentence form is a really great way to help train students’ brains so that when we get that final answer, it is going into the blank, which will complete the thought. 

Math Mat & Quick Draw

Whether you use our horizontal or vertical math work mat, maybe a dry erase board or a purple piece of construction paper, this step is all about concrete tools. The student can go to the Math Salad Bar and choose manipulatives they can use to act out our story problem. They might get five of something, then show three and then count them all together to show how many paper clips John had.

Eventually, students will work more in the Quick Draw Box. We’ve made this section a little bit smaller in this journal because we want students to truly make it a “quick” draw using Xs or dots or something else small to represent the quantities in the problem. In our case, the students might do five large Xs, three small Xs, and then count them all together. ’ 

Number Bond

We’ve given lots of thought to each part of the journal page so far, and this algorithm should be no exception. It would be easy to just grab the numbers out of the problem and plug them into the slots and call it good. But let’s start with that first box. In our word problem, we started with the 5 large paper clips and now we need to change that number in some way, whether we add or subtract. In our example, I’m going to be counting up the chain, so I know we need to put a plus sign in the circle. I write the 3 in the other square, because I’m changing the original number by that many. The equal sign is in another box to the right, and finally there is a place to write the total.

Every journal page takes students through this entire process, so by the end of 75 days, it should be ingrained in their brains! This will help our Kindergarten littles as they head into 1st grade, where they’ll continue to build on higher levels of understanding. 

Types of Problems

We have three different videos to help you to see the different types of problems that can be solved. We also use a coding system on all of our journals to help teachers understand the different types of problems that we’re using. For this journal, we have PWA (Part-Whole Addition), PWS (Part-Whole Subtraction), and PWMA (Part-Whole Missing Addend).

[yotuwp type=”playlist” id=”PL76vNL0J-a4037qQHz2DIrIBKdJs-oPYd” ]

Download the PWA Example

Download the PWS Example

Download the PWMA Example

Why do we code problems for students this young? To a parent or teacher, or even a student, It might feel like there are endless types of story problems. But in fact, we actually have families of story problems, like we have genres of books. Coding the story problems compartmentalizes these different types of story problems. If we are very clear on the type of story problems, we can help students understand the characteristics of the types of problems they will encounter so that problem solving isn’t so scary.

Part-whole problems are the first genre of story problems, and K-1 graders spend a large majority of time working in this group. However, there are lots of different types of part-whole problems – part-whole addition, part-whole subtraction, part-whole missing addend, etc. The next family of problems are the additive-comparison problems, which students will get to later in 1st grade.

In the bottom right-hand corner of each page, there is a number, up through 75. You can download the PDF, print it (or have it printed), and staple it together to make a journal for an individual student. They write their name on the front and it becomes something they work on every day, four or five days a week. Of course, we still do our number talks in the classroom, but this way we make sure we’re bringing our numbers into words and words into numbers on a daily basis as well. 

It’s a really important skill for a child to be able to construct a story problem based on an algorithm or even a missing addend. Let’s take:  4 + ? = 7  If I gave a student that problem, could they think of a story that goes with that? Maybe there were 7 sheep on the farm, but only 4 of them were in the barn. How many were outside? This type of thinking really works on Math Practice 2, which is to which is reason abstractly and quantitatively, to help bring numbers and words together. 

Join us next week to find out what problem solving should be looking at with a child after the Kindergarten year. We’ll be working on taking our quick draw into a proportional visual model, and then into a non-proportional visual model.

*Addition , *Subtraction , *Word Problems , Audience - Lower Elementary (K-2) , Series - Math4Littles | 0 comments

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Kindergarten Problem Solving Skills! (Freebies!)

07.16.2013 by Jessica Kings //

The “Problem of the Day” is probably one of my favorite routines for the classroom!  I ended up starting this routine as prep work for the story problems that are on the Kindergarten IOWA test… and my kids just love it!  It’s the perfect introduction to mental math for little Kinder minds!

I know a lot of teachers do math journals with their kids, which is somewhat similar.  I have thought about doing those, but unfortunately the IOWA Test doesn’t allow for students to use scrap paper to solve their math problems, so I use my problem of the day to focus on counting with our fingers.

(Obviously when I teach my addition and subtraction units, we do many more hands on activities, but this is a quick five minute review… or introduction!  I actually use the problem of the day with my class long before I teach my addition and subtraction units!)

Anyway… back to this quick routine!   (I promise, it takes way longer to explain than it actually takes to do!)

I pick a student to be in the problem, and replace the name in the story with their name.

Then, I have the students turn to their partner for a turn and talk (I have assigned partners in the classroom which change monthly.)  I tell the class this little poem:

(This helps avoid the students all saying “I don’t have a partner!” when someone is absent or on the computer.)  I tell them to be sure that both their knees are touching – this also helps to make sure that they’re looking at their partner and focused!

Then, I’ll pick a partner to go first (perhaps the partner with longer/shorter hair).  That student has to tell their partner the answer and explain their reasoning for it.  For example, “I know the answer is two because I started with five fingers up, then put three fingers back down.”

It really interesting to hear the kids reasoning behind their answer.  After giving them enough time to discuss, I count backwards from five so the students finish up their answer.

Next: it’s time to see who was listening!  I call on students to explain their partner’s answer to me!  This really improves their listening skills!  I then repeat visa-versa and have the other partner explain their answer.

The kids just love this routine… they really love hearing their names in the story and sharing their answers/explanations with their partner.  And the best part… it really improved their listening and math skills and it made a major difference in my IOWA Test scores!!

Here’s a quick preview of how cute the questions look… and they’re super easy to cut as well!

Print them, laminate, and cut the paper into fourths.   I keep my problems organized by hole punching the corner of each card and using a binder ring to hold them together.

Then, each day I just turn one page and read the next problem.

To see the bundle for the whole year, click on this picture:

To see each individual month, click the pictures below!  Scroll down to April to grab a free month!!!

Share this:

July 16, 2013 at 12:49 am

Looks great! [email protected]

July 16, 2013 at 1:57 am

This will be great for my JK students who aren't ready for math journals!

July 16, 2013 at 1:59 pm

OH so happy for these! I just added them to my cart! They look awesome! Thank you!!! Carolyn Kindergarten: Holding Hands and Sticking Together

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KINDERGARTEN MATH PROBLEM SOLVING

Organize your routines to promote plenty of kindergarten math problem solving.

It’ll help children make sense of math concepts as they solve problems using real life objects and everyday situations that they can relate to.

When children learn to recognize a problem, try a few problem solving strategies, suggest a variety of solutions to solve the problem, and finally, test their ideas. They will gain confidence and have a chance to use skills that they have learned previously.

Keep Math Problem Solving Activities Simple

• Jars from pasta sauce and other products work well also.
• Ask parents to save clean jar lids that are large enough to hold 3 one-inch blocks. Check there are no sharp edges.
• Cups are too deep for the following activities as the children cannot easily see how many counters they have put into each cup.

Literature based problem solving games…

Game – Birthday party across the river

Set up the problem by reading a book such as Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present.

After reading it, talk about:

• What was the little girl’s problem?
• What did she do to solve it?
• How did Mr. Rabbit help?
• How did they solve the problem?

Boats and River Game

• Boats – One jar lid per child (such as the ones that pasta sauce comes in) that hold 3 one-inch Unifix™ cubes. The lids represent the boats.
• Presents – Ten one-inch Unifix™ cubes for each student. These represent the presents. Vary the number of blocks, depending on the children’s abilities.
• 1/2 sheet of blue construction paper cut lengthwise – this is the river
• Recording sheet and pencils
• Introduce the problem – Tell your students that you are pretending that all ten of Mr. Rabbit’s  presents (cubes) have to get across the river for a birthday party. The presents will have to go in the boats (jar lids) but can not be stacked on top of each other or they will fall in the water. Only 3 presents can fit into a boat but all the presents have to get to the party.
• How many trips across the river does your boat need to take?
• Each child loads their boat with 3 cubes and take them across the river then unloads their boat
• Children record each trip with a tally line.
• Vary the number of blocks with each game

Sharing type problem solving …

• Counters, blocks or crackers
• Small paper plates – 4 per child
• Lids and blocks as above

Focus on different ways of solving the problems. Vary the games and materials each time:

• Game #1 – Say to the children – “You have 4 plates, one for each friend, and 12 crackers. How can you make sure that all your friends get the same number of crackers?”
• Game #2 – Each child gets 4 lids and 12 blocks. “How you can put the blocks into the lids so all the lids have the same number of blocks?”
• Game #3 – Each child gets 2 plates. Goldfish type crackers are in bowls near the children. “How can we figure out how many crackers we will need if each plate has 10 crackers?”

Seating & PE equipment type kindergarten problem solving …

One group of children watches while the other group acts out the problem.

Prompt with suggestions as necessary. E.G. How could we figure that out? All the children can contribute ideas to solve these types of problems.

#1 – Four children can sit around each table. We have 12 children. How can we figure out how many tables we need so everybody can sit down?

#2 – We have 6 balls and 12 children. How can we share the balls so all the children get to play with the same number of balls?

#3 – This group has 4 children. If each child jumps 3 times, how can we keep track of how many jumps will they jump all together?

Tip – Save these types of problems for after the children have had plenty of activity and are ready to sit and rest for a while.

Spatial type problem solving

• Pattern blocks

Ask questions such as the ones below.

1. How many ways can you make a bird (or flower or star…) using only 5 pattern blocks? Children spend 5 minutes making birds. Have them count the number of pattern blocks in each bird as they sometimes get carried away and end up making a bird with many more blocks!

2. Show me how you can make 3 different stars can with your pattern blocks?

Recording problem solving activities

Prompt students to record the results of most activities, even if they are only able to make a simple picture.

Many opportunities for math problem solving will arise in a regular preschool or kindergarten day.

• Keep problem solving simple and age appropriate
• Focus on problems that have open-ended results
• If children get frustrated, give them the option of leaving the problem and coming back to it later

Kindergarten

Problem solving and innovating, kindergarten program overview.

In Ontario, the Kindergarten program is made up of four “frames”, or broad areas of learning. This frame captures children’s learning and development with respect to:

• exploring the world through natural curiosity, in ways that engage the mind, the senses and the body;
• making meaning of their world by asking questions, testing theories, solving problems and engaging in creative and analytical thinking;
• the innovative ways of thinking about and doing things that arise naturally with an active curiosity, and applying those ideas in relationships with others, with materials and with the environment.

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TVO Learn is designed to meet each child where they are on their learning journey. Learning Activities are comprehensive and require guided instruction from an adult. Interested in learning more? Explore the Ontario Kindergarten Program .

On this page:

Learning activities, resources for learning, apply the learning.

Learning Activities provide opportunities for deeper exploration of each frame of the Kindergarten program. A trusted adult should serve as a guide for each.

Please note: To access the learning activities, visit this page with a computer or tablet.

Looking for a Different Frame?

Choose from the options below to explore a different frame

Chosen by TVO educators, these resources support the curriculum outlined above. Review the below list of options along with the activities. Then, read, watch, listen or play to build understanding and knowledge.

Please be aware by accessing the resources below you will be leaving TVO Learn and entering other TVO domains that are subject to different privacy policies and terms of use.

Complete the suggested activities using these resources and other TVO resources.

Choose from the following to consolidate learning across all curriculum frames.

Choose an object around your home and compare its length to other objects. For example is the length of a pencil longer than a cereal box?

Create sentences with 10 of the words in the vocabulary list. Count the number of steps from your bed to the front door.

• Count the number of steps from your bed to the front door.
• Arrange objects in order of least to greatest mass.
• Imagine reading a story, where a boy said to his friend, “You broke my airplane!” What helps you understand how he might be feeling? What do you think the boy might do next?
• Think of a story you recently read or someone read to you. “Who was your favourite character and why?” “How did the ending of the story make you feel?”
• Make a poster to explain how showing care and respect for all living things helps to maintain a healthy environment
• Design and construct a device that uses energy to perform a task (for example, a kite that uses wind, an instrument that uses human energy to make sounds).
• How would you describe the park nearby? What in your opinion makes a park a good one? Are there things that all parks have? Why are parks considered to be important for communities to have? What role might they play?
• Draw a flower with a repeating pattern.
• Walk around your neighbourhood with a family member or guardian, spot up to 50 items that you see in nature. For example, can you find 10 leaves? Can you make these leaves into groups of 2s, 5s and 10s?
• Think about your favourite fairy tale. Role-play or dramatize the story using puppets or props by retelling the fairy tale including the main idea and important events. Make sure you do this in the right order.

Review this list of vocabulary associated with the curriculum. Practice spelling, research definitions, and find these vocabulary words when engaging with the TVO resources or completing learning activities.

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