Have students who cringe at the sound of “If one train is traveling…”? A graphic organizer can help those students who have difficulty working through math problems or explaining how they got their answer. Teacher Deborah at Multi-Grade Matters gives the following example of a problem solving graphic organizer she uses in her classroom. This organizer helps students break the process into four steps: writing down what they know in the first box, what they are looking for in the second box, solving the equation in the third box, and explaining why their choices/steps in the fourth box. This process can help students think more critically about their work and understand the “how” and “why” of mathematics as well as the “what”.
About Paula Kluth
