Problem Solving Process

Mathematical Process Standards: (1B) The student is

expected to use a problem solving model that
incorporates, analyzing given information, formulating
a plan or strategy, determining a solution, justifying
the solution, and evaluating the problem solving
process and the reasonableness of the solution
Changes in State Assessment with increased rigor
on STAAR

Increase Student Thinking and Understanding of

Math Vocabulary
Usd Marzanos Work on Classroom Strategies to
Develop Process
Research on Summarizing & Note taking
Research on Feedback
Research on Non-linguistic Representations
Research on Advance Organizers

Why Unit Bars?

Texas curriculum has increased in
difficulty. It requires:
Application of concepts
Deep understanding of concepts
Knowledge of academic language

Why Unit Bars?

What does increased difficulty look like?
Use of concepts in worded problems
Use of multiple concepts in worded problems
Connection among different representations of
concepts
Use of mathematics vocabulary
Explanation and descriptions of mathematics in
words

Why Unit Bars?

No successful strategy for helping students
solve multi-operation problems
Connected words in the story to actions:

put-together,
take away,
compare, and
missing part

Students often only identified one operation

Students matched the operations to the incorrect
numbers; ie., 12 5 + 3

Model Drawing Procedure

Developed in Singapore
Visual representation of details with
actions which assists children with
problem solving
Helps children logically think using
visual models to determine the
computations

Model Drawing Procedure

Teaches the importance of language
within math problems

Supports all ability levels within the

classroom
Provides for differentiated instruction

Points to Remember
Some problems have extra information.
Some problems may not have both Who
and What.
Main idea often helps with the who and
what.

Research Says
Summarizing and Note Taking
increases student achievement
by 34 percentile points.

Providing Feedback to students

results in a 29 percentile point
gain.
Classroom Instruction That Works
Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock

Research Says
Using Non-linguistic Representations
can increase student achievement by
27 percentile points

Using Advance Organizers results in a

22 percent increase in student
achievement.
Classroom Instruction That Works
Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock

Four-Step Process
Step 1
Main Idea of Question
Does the student know
what they are trying to
find?
Frequently, errors in
reading comprehension
are identified here.

Step 3
Strategy
Can the student identify the
strategy to solve the problem
and show their work?

Step 2
Details/Known
What information is given to me
that I need to solve the problem?
What do I know as a student to
help me solve the problem?
Use Model Drawing when needed

Step 4
How/Justify
Can the student not only find the
answer to the problembut
explain or justify what was done?

1.

2.

3.
4.

Four-Step Process

Main Idea

Read the problem.

Summarize in a few words what you are trying to find.
(Find . . .)

Details/Known

Re-read the problem to

Identify the details related to the main idea in the question.

Record the details.
Connect and record prior knowledge

Strategy

Select a strategy and solve the problem.

How/Why

Describe/justify how the problem was solved.

1. Which of the following has 2 more

edges than vertices?
E - 12
12
V-8
-8
4
6
E-6
-4
V-4
2

Step 1
Find shape with 2
more edges than
vertices

9
-6
3

E-9
V-6

E- 8
V-5

8
-5
4

Step 2
edges lines

vertices -

Step 3
(shown above)

Step 4
-Labeled edges and vertices
-Subtracted vertices from
edges to find 2 more
-I counted up from 4 to 6.

Sally watched TV from 4:45 P.M. until 7:00 P.M. How long
did Sally spend watching TV?
Step 1

Step 2

Find how long

watched TV?

Start 4:45
End 7:00

Step 3
S

E
?

E
Found elapsed time
using a time line

6:55

6:50

6:45

5:45

4:45

Step 4

7:00

Used a time line to

find how long

ACTIONS vs Clue Words

Put together
Take Away
Compare
Missing part

In all
Each
Spent
How many more

Action cards are visual clues to help students

become proficient in identifying the action in word
problems.
Actions stress conceptual development rather
than the memorization of key/clue words.
Clue words fail to teach for understanding.

EIGHT ACTIONS
Put Together
Take Away
Comparing
Missing part
Put Together Equal Sets
Arrange in Rows and Columns
Share a Set Equally
Take Away Equal Sets

Put Together

Addition

Take Away

Subtraction

Compare

Subtraction

Missing Part

Subtraction

Putting Together Equal Sets

Multiplication

Arrange in Rows or Columns

Multiplication

Taking Away Equal Sets

?
Division

Share a Set Equally

Division

MODEL DRAWING
Improves comprehension through visualization of math
concepts
Read a sentence, adjust, and label the model

Builds the foundation for algebra

Reference is made in the new process TEKS: 1B, 1C, 1D,
1E, 1F

IMPROVING MATH
COMPREHENSION
Helps all students
Improves student pass rates
Improves student advanced
rates

CHARACTERISTICS OF
MODEL DRAWING
Identifies Who and/or What
Uses a specific type of picture: unit bar

Uses a ? on the unit bar

Read one sentence, adjust, and label the
unit bars (Speed bumps can be a helpful
tool.)

USE MODEL DRAWING IN THE

FOUR-STEP PROCESS
Step 1: Main Idea
Main Idea of Question
What are we trying to
find?
Summarize in a few
words

Step 3: Strategy
Look at the model drawing to
determine the action.
Work the computation

Step 2: Details/Known

Who What Unit Bars

Read one sentence at a
time to adjust unit bars.
Place ?

Step 4: How/Why
Can the student not only find the
answer to the problembut explain or
justify what was done?

MODEL DRAWING: TWO

CHUNKS

1. Who, What, Unit

Bar
2. Read, Adjust, Label

Record the Main Idea and Details/Known

Mrs. Sloan
baked 18
cookies, 5 pies,
and 17 cakes.
How many
cakes and
cookies did
Mrs. Sloan
bake?

Cookies and
cakes M S bake

Mrs. S Co
ca

Record the Main Idea and Details

Corey bought a box of
15 pens. He took 3 of
them to school and
put 4 in a desk at
home. He left the
rest of the pens in
the box. How many
pens are in Coreys
box?

pens
in box

Corey pens

Record the Main Idea and Details

Michael was reading a
265 page book. The
first day of vacation he
read 88 pages, the
second day he read 102
pages, and on the third
day he finished the book.
How many pages did
Michael read on the
third day?

pages read 3rd

day

bk pages

John wanted to buy a bicycle that cost $285 and a helmet that cost $39. He
was able to get $19 taken off the price of the bicycle because he used a
coupon from the newspaper. With the coupon, how much did the bicycle cost
John not including tax?
Step 1
Bicycle cost

Step 2
John bicycle money

Characteristics of Model Drawing

Chunk One:
Identifies Who and/or What
Uses a specific type of picture: unit bar
Chunk Two:

Read one sentence, label, and adjust

the unit bars
Uses a ? on the unit bar

Read, Adjust and Label

24

Label the unit bar

24

Show a smaller quantity(#)

Show a larger quantity (#)
24
15
15

?
?

Label the question with a ? on

the model

Read, Adjust and Label

24
15

24

15

Putting together 24 and 15

Read, Adjust and Label

Take away 8 from 24

24

24

16

Compare 24 and 16

Read, Adjust and Label

8

8
1

Total in Multiplication

?
?

6 6 6
Bag Bag Bag
1

Bag
16

Multiplying Large
Number of Groups

Chunk Two: Read, Adjust, and Label

Mrs. Sloan baked 18

cookies, 5 pies,
and 17 cakes.
How many cakes
and cookies did
Mrs. Sloan bake?

Co and ca M S
bake

Ms S Co
ca

18
17

Chunk Two: Read, Adjust, and Label

Corey bought a box of
15 pens. He took 3 of
them to school and
put 4 in a desk at
home. He left the
rest of the pens in
the box. How many
pens are in Coreys
box?

pens
in box

Corey pens

Chunk Two: Read, Adjust, and Label

Michael was reading
a 265 page book. The
first day of vacation he
read 88 pages, the
second day he read 102
pages, and on the third
day he finished the
book.
How many pages does
Michael need to read on
the third day to finish
the book?

265

pages read 3rd M bk pages

day

88 102

D1

D3

D2

Points to Remember
Read, adjust and label-one sentence at a time.
Break long sentences into partsand or commas help with
places to break.
If there is more than one number given in a sentence, adjust the
model one number at a time.
To show take away, mark off the appropriate units and draw .
Dont get distracted with extra information. Focus on what the
question is asking.
Placing the ? on the model, keeps students from answering the
wrong question.
In the drawing, list the variables (who, what, unit bar) in the order
that each appears in the story.
The computation is the differentiated part of the lesson. The
model looks similar for all students, but the way they achieve
success with computation is differentiated.

Benefits of Model Drawing

Fosters quantitative reasoning (number
sense).
Empowers students to think
systematically.
Deepens students understanding of
difficult concepts.
Makes multi-step and multi-concept
problems easy to work.

Benefits of Model Drawing

Improves comprehension through
visualization of math concepts
Read a sentence, label, and adjust the model

Builds the foundation for algebra

Proven procedure with documented
success

Benefits of Model Drawing

Provides a record of student thinking which
teachers can use to help diagnose errors in
student thinking.
Allows students to see connections between the
model drawing representation, the number
sentence representation, and the language
representation.
Using the model drawing, students can write multiple number
sentences.
Using the model drawing, students can write multiple process
statements.