 Understand  Plan  Solve  Check Your Work › I can use many different strategies while using UPS Are you using UPS ?

 You can act out a problem to help you understand what you are being asked to do.  You can also use objects (blocks, tiles, shapes) to help you solve the problem.

 When reading a story problem, it can be very helpful to draw a picture to go along with the information in the story. This helps you visualize what is being asked.

 When you make a Table, it means you are organizing data, such as numbers. This can be helpful in problems when there is a great deal of information to keep organized. This also helps you see if there is missing information or extra information in the problem. AB 30 75

 To help think about a story problem, you can make an organized list. This helps you review the information from the problem so you can see what work still needs to be done to complete the problem and find the solution. 1. ______________ 2. ______________ 3. ______________

 When a story problem has really big numbers in it or gives you a LOT of information to keep up with, this strategy can help. Sometimes, when we guess (and we should always make a reasonable guess) we can get close enough to the answer to get our brains on the right track to the final solution. ??????

 In Math, there are many patterns always waiting to be discovered. When we are solving problems, we can look for patterns in numbers or data to help us work towards the final solution.

 For some problems, the best way to get the solution is to start at the end. If the problem gives you the final outcome of a situation, then you can work backwards using the other pieces of the problem. This is often used for multi-step problems or subtraction problems as well.

 You are all very intelligent 3 rd graders. Many times when you read a story problem, you immediately have an idea about what the solution might be. If you use logical reasoning, it means you are using what you already know to help you piece together the information in the story to come up with a plan of action to find a solution.

 There are many story problems that require multiple steps. There are also problems that seem tough, but are actually made easier by solving a simpler problem first. You can use what you already know about a simpler problem to help you find the solution of the more complicated problem. ABCABC

Remember, problem solving is nothing more than figuring out the answer to a riddle….a MATH riddle! If you use your strategies, nothing can stop you from becoming a Perfectly Practiced Problem Solver!