Word Problems use to be one of my least
favorite things to do in math. That
train going from one city to another and everyone one wanting to know when it
would pass by another train headed in the opposite direction….
My lesson today was on word problems. I was excited when a colleague let me borrow
a workbook on word problems. It had a
four step process for solving word problems that was great:
1.
Read it2. Make a plan
3. Solve it
4. Check your work
We added highlighting the question and looked for function
words that clue us in on whether to add, subtract, multiply or divide.
The lesson seemed to go well. But, of course, I made one big
mistake! When the students came up to draw pictures that went with the word
problem we were working on, we were one car short. Did I notice it? I did not.
It sneaked right by me. I’ll have
to be sure to be more observant next time.
(at least we were not drawing my old nemesis, the train.) J
It is good to learn from our mistakes and strive to do
better. I’ll be watching next time. J The students did very well in the lesson –
answering questions and being good. I am
looking forward to helping them improve in their math skills.
I liked the poster of the steps you put up. That let students refer back to it when needed. I also liked the chart with the function words. Having this posted will help students who need to look at that word cue until they can do the problems without it. Good lesson!
ReplyDeleteCathy you are an awesome teacher! Can I be a student in your class?
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed watching your lesson on Monday. Our students really need to work on this type of problem. I think giving them the steps to go through helped them. I worked with some of them in trying to get them to use those steps this morning.
ReplyDeleteWord problems are sooooo important to understand!!! They are vital for test-taking skills. I'm sure you're doing a great job, especially since you're incorporating visual aids!
ReplyDeleteEven though you forgot one little car, I bet you did a wonderful job staying composed and completing the lesson. It is easy for things to squeak by teachers from time to time. You are a great teacher and your students are lucky to have you!
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