|
|
|
Many times when
you are faced with solving a word problem, you don't know where
to begin. You need some help,
right? |
That help can be found in
many ways
including:
|
drawing a picture or a diagram,
|
making a list, table, or a chart |
finding a pattern. |
|
Your job is to find which way of representing is
the best for your word problem!
|
-
First, let's review the
steps to solving a word problem,
-
then we will talk about
the possible representations that would help you
solve the problem, and
-
last we will investigate when
to use which representation.
|
The five steps to solving a word
problem are:
- Read the problem carefully. What are the facts
and what is the question?
- What information is not needed?
- Choose a representation of some kind, if it will help
visualize the problem.
- Choose an operation, and solve.
- Check your answer. Does your answer make sense?
|
The possible representations can
be one or more of the following:
- a drawing, a picture, or a
diagram
- a list, a table, or a chart
- a pattern
Now let's decide which one to use when! |
A drawing, a picture, or a diagram sometimes best answers
the question "What do we know?" Doing that picture,
drawing, or diagram might make the solution clearer. |
 |
Four children, Abe, Barry,
Clyde, and Doris, were in line. Abe was first and Barry was not
behind Doris. Clyde was ahead of Barry. Who was last? |
|
See how much easier a picture
would make that problem? Draw what you know!!! |
| A table, a
list, or a chart sometimes helps to identify and organize
the problem's given information. |
|
Jane must decide what to wear for
Spirit Week next week. She has four possible shirts (red,
green, yellow, or orange), two hats (baseball cap or helmet),
and three belts (polka dotted, striped, or solid). How
many different outfits can she make? |
|
See how much easier a chart
would make that problem? Organize what you know! |
| Sometimes when you make a list, it can show you
a pattern. Ask yourself the questions "What
relationship do you see between the numbers in the problem?. How
far apart are the numbers from each other?" Answering
these questions may lead to a good solution. |
|
My favorite cake
involves layers. First is a crust, then layers of
chocolate , butterscotch , and vanilla pudding. Then I repeat
the puddings in that order. What pudding is next? |
|
See how much easier a pattern would make that problem?
List what you know! |
OK, ready to try these representations on some
word problems?
Let's go practice!
|
