Word problems connect the outside world to the classroom. Students encounter mathematical situations that require them to understand the relationships between known and unknown quantities.This unit encourages students to analyze the structure and language of different types of word problems and to discuss different models that can be used to solve the word problems. This unit builds literacy and communication skills for all students.
Vocabulary
table, data, row, column, cell, function, rule, combinations, situation equation, solution equation, compare, comparison bars, pictograph, vertical bar graph, stem-and-leaf plot, horizontal bar graph, axes, scale, vertical bar graph, double bar graph, factor pair, prime number, composite number, Factor Fireworks, multiple, factor tree,
Literature Link
Anno's Mysterious Multiplying Jar
See how the concept of factorials is demonstrated in an imaginative story context.
Arithme-Tickle: An Even Number of Odd Riddle-Rhymes
Read "Jumping to the Moon" on page 15 of this book of rhyming riddles . After you answer the riddle, act out how high Earth jumps of various heights, such as 4 inches, would be on the Moon. For longer Earth jumps, use unit cubes to compare pairs of Earth/Moon jumps.
Connections
Sports - Pitchers and Batters A coach plans to have each of his 3 pitchers pitch one time to each of the 9 batters on the opposing team. Make a list or table to show all the combinations of pitchers and batters. Write an equation showing the number of pitcher-batter combinations.
Social Studies - U.S. Presidents Look up information about the first 10 presidents of the U.S. Find presidents' dates of birth and death and their ages when they became president. Record all the data in a table. Include the presidents' occupations or the number of years lived after their presidencies.
Social Studies - Graphs in the News Cut out or copy a bar graph from a newspaper or magazine. Explain what the graph shows. Include the title, axes labels, and scale in your explanation.
Science - Animals Research, using books or the internet, to find how fast some land animals can run. Then write a comparison problem about two of the animals based on findings.
Physical Education - Graph It Survey classmates and family members to find out how much they walked for daily exercise. Make a pictograph or a bar graph to display the data. Write a few comparison statements about the data shown in the graph.
Math-to-Math - Height in Inches Ask at least three friends or family members what their heights are in feet and inches. Then write and solve an equation to find each height in inches. After you find each height in inches, put all of the heights in order from least to greatest.
Math-to-Math - Prime or Composite Pay Pretend that you have won a prize for the best math project done in October. But to get the prize, you have to choose between getting $2 for each prime number date or $1 for each composite number date in October. Decide which option you would choose and write a paragraph explaining why. Find or make a calendar for October. Use the calendar to help you find the answer.