Grades 3-5 Math Problem Solving in Action_ Getting Students to Love Word Problems

26 ◆ The Basic Framework

Two-Step Problems and More

After students have mastered solving one-step problems, they start work-
ing on two-step problems and then multistep problems (see Figures 2.10
and 2.11). There is still a level of hierarchy that is often neglected. This is
highly detrimental to student learning because two-step and multistep
problems are simply one-step problems with two or more parts. It is
important to remember to scaffold levels of difficulty so that the cognitive
load is balanced. Don’t give hard problems with hard numbers to start
with because then students become cognitively overloaded.
Give hard problem types with easy numbers so that students can focus
on the problem. Once they know how to solve the problem, then give
harder numbers. Often the problem is that students don’t fully understand
one of the parts. So it is crucial that students understand the one-step
problems before they go on to others (see Figures 2.10 and 2.11). This must
be assessed and addressed on an ongoing basis.

How Do We Teach This?

These are a lot of different problem types. The research states that teachers
should teach the types explicitly to the students and that the students

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5

Same

Operation

Different

Operations

Comparison Mixed Levels Mixed Levels

of Harder

Versions

Sue had

$5.07. For her

birthday, her

mother gives

her $14.09 and

her brother

gives her

$10.89. How

much money

does she have

now?

Sue had $5.07.

She gives her

sister $2.90.

Her dad gives

her $4.52

more. How

much money

does she have

now?

Sue had

$35. Her

sister had

$3 less than

she did.

How much

money did

they have

altogether?

On the farm

there were

700 animals.

There were

250 sheep and

some horses.

Then, the

farmer bought

25 more

horses. How

many horses

are there

now? How

many animals

are there

altogether

now?

On the farm

there were

700 animals.

There were 250

sheep and some

horses. The

farmer bought

more horses.

Now there are

900 horses.

How many

horses did the

farmer buy?

How many

animals are

there altogether

now?

Figure 2.10 Two-Step Problems