This problem solving activity has a number (all operations) focus.
There is a special number in each of these envelopes.
When you get your envelope, open it and find out what your number is.
This number is the answer to a maths problem that YOU make up.
What is your problem?
Students are challenged to create their own number problems. This can require a deeper understanding than solving a given problem.
Some students may simply suggest an equation such as 2 + 3 = ? Some may be able to confidently embed an equation in a story context, and other students might readily suggest contextual problems that involve more than one step.
This open problem has students use their imaginations to create word problems of their own and to apply the mathematics that they are learning. You can adjust the difficulty of the problem by changing the numbers you place inside the envelopes.
A series of similar problems span Level 1 to Level 5. These problems are Make Up Your Own, Number, Level 2; Invent-A-Problem, Number, Level 3; Create a Question, Number, Level 4; and Working Backwards, Number, Level 5.
You may find that this serves as a useful assessment task.
There is a special number in each of these envelopes.
When you get your envelope, open it and find out what your number is.
This number is the answer to a maths problem that YOU make up.
What is your problem?
Create subtraction problems for which the 'special' number is the difference.
The solutions depend on your class.
Printed from https://meaningfulmaths.nt.edu.au/mmws/nz/resource/you-be-teacher at 8:55pm on the 26th February 2024