I adapted worksheets to give Tasha more space on a page to accommodate her
large and inconsistent handwriting and provided lined or graph paper to assist her
in vertically aligning the numbers. I also showed Tasha how she could “box things
off ” to divide the page into meaningful chunks. By fifth grade, Tasha was able to
use this strategy to organize all of the equations that formed her solution to a
problem.
I also developed an organizational structure designed to provide Tasha with
an entry point into more open-ended problems (see Figure 20–8). I gave her an
example of a completed template as well as a blank one. This helped Tasha or-
ganize her thinking so that she could work more systematically. When Tasha was
presented with an open-ended task such as “What do you know about 125?” it was
difficult for her to know how to begin, and once she began, it was difficult for her
to organize her writing and know what to include. By giving her an organizational
framework for the task, including some prompts for the type of information I was
looking for, Tasha was able to give a higher-level response and use her knowledge
of multiplication and division instead of just listing simple addition and subtrac-
tion sentences that equal 125 (e.g., 124 1 125, 126 1 125), the way she
did in the beginning of the year.
Tasha Becomes a LearnerWhat do you know about 125?Multiples Factor PairsMultiplication Problems Division Problems125, 250, 375, 500, 625, 750, 875, 1000, 1125 1, 125
5, 251 × 125 = 125 125 ÷ 1 = 125
125 ÷ 125 = 1125 ÷ 5 = 25
125 × 1 = 125 125 ÷ 25 = 525 × 5 = 125
5 × 25 = 125Other Number Facts I Know
125 is an odd number.
125 is not a prime number or a square number. It is a composite number.
Double 125 is 250.
125 is hard to split in half because it’s odd. But half is 62½.Figure 20–8.