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

Problem Types Across the Curriculum ◆ 49

Figure 3.13

Time Hour/Minutes

Start at

1:15 + 1 hour

2:15 + 1 hour

3:15 + 15 minutes

3:30 + 10 minutes

3:40 Total of 2 hours and 25 minutes

Figure 3.14

+1 hour

1:15 2:15 3:15 3:40

+1 hour +25 min

Figure 3.15

Mountains = 1 hour Hills = 5, 10, 15, 20 or 30

minutes

Rocks = 1 minute

Kelly left her house at 2:15. She was gone for 2 hours and 16 minutes. What time did

she come home?

1h 1h 15m 1m

2:15 3:15 4:15 4:30 4:31

Number Lines

Kelly left her house at 1:15. She was gone for 2 hours and 25 minutes. What
time did she come back?

Mountains, Hills and Rocks

This interesting strategy can help students navigate the open number line.
It can be very helpful because it gives them a framework for not only
representing but also distinguishing the hours, the 5-minute increments
and the 1-minute increments.