Goals/Objectives:

Mathematical Ideas:
In this activity, I want students to be able to apply the understanding of division and multi-digit
whole numbers to real-world word problems. The problem provides for a variety of strategies,
allowing multiple entry points.

Mathematical Practices:
MP1: Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them
Students must understand the problem, figure out how to solve it, and then work until it is
finished
MP4: Model with mathematics
Learning to model with mathematics means that students will use math skills to problem-solve
real world situations. Using real world situations to show how math can be used in many
different aspects of life helps math to be relevant outside of math class
MP6: Attend to precision
Students will work on communicating their strategies and mathematical ideas to other students.
For example, students will have to clarify that the 3 in 38 is not actually a 3 but a 30 (i.e. place
value)

PA Core Standards:
CC.2.2.4.A.1 Represent and solve problems involving the four operations
Eligible Content
- M04.A-T.2.1.1 Add and subtract multi-digit whole numbers (limit sums and subtrahends up to
and including 1,000,000).
- M04.A-T.2.1.2 Multiply a whole number of up to four digits by a one-digit whole number and
multiply 2 two-digit numbers.
- M04.A-T.2.1.3 Divide up to four-digit dividends by one-digit divisors with answers written as
whole-number quotients and remainders.

The Task:
There are 36 crackers to be shared equally for snack. How many kids can share the crackers?
How many crackers will each kid get?

Unpacking the Mathematics:

The mathematics needed to navigate around this problem have been covered in our fourth grade
classroom (Envision & worksheets). However, the problems that students have worked on
usually consisted of ones that are not open-ended and had a definitive “correct” answer. By
providing a problem that is open-ended with multiple possible strategies, it allows entry points
for students on all “performance” levels.

To solve this problem, the most basic strategy students could use would be direct modeling.
Students would directly model a select number of groups and then fill in those groups with an
equal amount of parts (OGAP). To use this strategy, students would need to be able to count a
group of objects and remember what they have counted, also known as Counters and Producers
(Van de Walle pg. 146). Other students might employ a skip counting strategy (OGAP) that
requires a similar knowledge as the previously stated, but would require students to be able to
count from any number, rather than just one (Van de Walle pg. 146).

Considering that this problem is low-floor high-ceiling, I do not expect too much difficulty to
arise in the actual process of working on the problem. I do expect some students to face some
difficulty in initially understanding the word problem, but by providing multiple readings and
scaffolding, I believe that the students would not have difficulty in employing a strategy.

A difficulty that might arise after the task would be understanding properties and relationships
(OGAP). Some students still struggle understanding the relationship between repeated addition
and multiplication. Some students might also have difficulty in understanding the commutative
property. For example, students might not initially understand that “12 kids get 3 crackers each”
can also be a possible solution as along with “3 kids get 12 crackers each.”

Anticipating Student Strategies:

Student Strategy Representation
Skip counting

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

……

Repeated addition

3+3=6 6+3=9 9+3=12 12+3=15 15+3=18......

Decomposition

36 36

18 2 12 3

*student interpretation may differ: 18 kids get 2 crackers each or 2

kids get 18 crackers each (applied to 12 & 3 likewise)

Direct modeling
Materials and Preparation:
Pencils
Markers
Paper
Mini Whiteboards
a. mini whiteboards (placed under table during the BEFORE) will be provided as a material after
the norms and problem have been introduced
b. students will have the choice between paper or whiteboard, but expect that student will choose
whiteboard (from prior experience working with students, I have noticed that students really
enjoy using whiteboard)

Classroom arrangement and management issues:

a. most small group work is done in the hallway due to the constraints of classroom size
b. set-up rectangular table in the hallway; students will be seated on the outside of the table
facing me
c. materials will not be distributed until norms have been set and students have been presented
with the assignment
d. state to students that we will be problem solving (“interested in how you solve the problem not
just the answer”)
e. working in the hallway poses some difficulties with management, especially when classes
traveling in the hallways become a distraction
f. to minimize distractions in the hallway, set-up table in the end corner of the hallway

Before:
Norms:
a. materials should not be touched until problem is introduced
b. students will work individually on the task presented
c. students will be allowed to use any of the materials, however, when issues arise considering
the materials (i.e. using inappropriately, arguing over materials), after two warnings, students
will no longer be able to use them
d. introduce to students that like prior practices in whole group, students will be working on a
word problem today
f. read the problem to the students, repeating it multiple times for students who need it

Launch:
a. what is the problem talking about?
b. “can you explain to me in your own words what the problem is asking?”
c. “what are some strategies you might use to solve this problem?” (drawing, skip counting,
fingers)

During:
a. students will work individually
b. monitoring student work by listening/looking at strategies
c. prompting questions: “can you explain what you did there?” “why did you use this strategy?”
“what place value is this number in?” “can you think of another solution?” “ “Do you see any
patterns in the solutions you found?”
d. challenge/extension: “can you find another strategy to find your answer?” “can you make your
own word problem similar to the one you just solved?” Have you found all the possible
solutions? How do you know?”

After:
a. students will go around sharing their answer and strategy (I will record student answer and
strategy on chart paper)
b. prompt understanding of other students by asking “can someone explain [student]’s strategy in
their own words?”
c. push for connections between student answers (ex. student A might get 12 crackers each for 3
kids, student B might get 3 crackers each for 12 kids): numbers are the same but the units have
been switched
Also if you have 12 crackers for 3 kids, you have 6 crackers for 6 kids. Notice the doubling and
halving relationships.
d. allow students to change their answer
e. “did anyone learn a new strategy from another student?”
f. result of sharing strategies: not one correct answer but multiple possible strategies/answers
(and patterns in solutions …e.g, as the number of kids goes up, the number of crackers they each
get goes down)

Formative Assessment:
a. will assess during individual work, providing scaffolding as needed
b. will collect data of each student’s work (i.e. pictures of work on mini whiteboard, paper)
tracking for understanding/misconceptions
c. using the OGAP Multiplication framework, I will be able to identify their level

Accommodations:
Challenges/Extensions
a. can you find another strategy to find your answer? what if we could separate the crackers into
halves, how would your strategy/answer change? Good!
b. if you were to flip the numbers you applied to each unit (kid & cracker), would that still make
the problem true? (ex. 18 kids each get 2 crackers vs. 2 kids each get 18 crackers)
 commutative property

Scaffolding
a. break down problem into chunks with students struggling with word form problem
b. during lesson, if student is struggling with the word problem, work with student to create a
diagram or model that might clarify misconceptions or difficulties