Students will be able to identify and apply problem-solving strategies to rich mathematical tasks, working collaboratively to find solutions.
Developing strong problem-solving skills is crucial for success in math and everyday life. This lesson empowers students to approach challenges with confidence and creativity.
Review the Mystery Math Missions Slide Deck and familiarize yourself with each slide's content and teacher notes. - Print or prepare to display the Warm-Up: Brain Spark problem. - Prepare the Group Challenge Activity materials (e.g., printed problem statements, manipulatives if desired). - Review the Cool-Down: Strategy Share prompt. - Arrange desks for collaborative groups of 3-4 students (vertical non-permanent surfaces if available, as per Building Thinking Classrooms principles).
Step 1
Warm-Up: Brain Spark (5 minutes)
5 minutes
Display the Warm-Up: Brain Spark on the board or projector. - Instruct students to work individually for 1-2 minutes to think about the problem. - Ask students to share their initial thoughts or strategies with a partner for 1 minute. - Briefly discuss a few strategies as a whole class.
Step 2
Introduce Mystery Math Missions (5 minutes)
5 minutes
Use the Mystery Math Missions Slide Deck to introduce the concept of 'mystery math missions' and the importance of problem-solving strategies. - Go through slides 1-3, emphasizing that it's okay not to know the answer immediately and the value of perseverance and collaboration.
Step 3
Group Challenge Activity (15 minutes)
15 minutes
Divide students into pre-arranged collaborative groups (3-4 students). - Present the Group Challenge Activity problem (Slide 4). - Remind students to work together, discuss their thinking, and try different strategies. - Circulate among groups, observing their strategies, asking guiding questions, and providing hints if needed (avoid giving direct answers). Encourage students to record their thinking on their designated vertical non-permanent surfaces or shared paper.
Step 4
Cool-Down: Strategy Share (5 minutes)
5 minutes
Bring the class back together. - Use Slide 5 from the Mystery Math Missions Slide Deck to prompt reflection. - Ask each group to quickly share one strategy they used or one challenge they faced and how they tried to overcome it (refer to Cool-Down: Strategy Share). - Emphasize that the process of thinking and collaborating is just as important as finding the correct answer.
Slide Deck
Welcome to Mystery Math Missions!
Are You Ready for a Challenge?
Today, we're going on an adventure to solve some awesome math mysteries!
Welcome students and get them ready for a fun challenge! Ask them what comes to mind when they hear 'mystery' or 'mission'.
What's a Math Mystery?
It's a problem that makes you think!
No immediate answer
Requires different strategies
It's okay to get stuck – that's part of the fun!
Working together helps us solve harder problems!
Explain that in math, sometimes problems don't have an obvious answer. It's like being a detective! Emphasize that thinking and trying are key.
Your Mission: Use Your Brainpower!
We'll learn to be Math Detectives by:
Understanding the problem: What's the mystery?
Choosing a strategy: How will we try to solve it?
Working together: Two (or more!) heads are better than one!
Not giving up! Perseverance is key.
Introduce the idea of strategies. Ask students what strategies they use in other games or puzzles. Connect it to math.
Group Challenge: The Great Gumball Quandary
Your Mission:
A gumball machine has red, blue, and yellow gumballs. There are twice as many red gumballs as blue gumballs, and three more yellow gumballs than blue gumballs. If there are a total of 23 gumballs, how many of each color are there?
Work with your group to solve this mystery!
Show your thinking!
Try different ways!
Discuss your ideas!
Present the group challenge. Give clear instructions for students to work in their groups. Remind them about using vertical non-permanent surfaces or shared paper if applicable. Circulate and observe, asking guiding questions.
Mission Accomplished! (Almost!)
Let's Reflect:
What strategy did your group use?
Was there a moment you got stuck? How did you try to get unstuck?
What did you learn from your group members?
What was challenging about this problem?
Bring the class back together for reflection. Facilitate a brief discussion where groups share strategies, not just answers. Highlight different approaches.
Warm Up
Warm-Up: Brain Spark
The Great Cookie Count
Sarah baked a batch of cookies. She gave half of them to her friend, Tom. Then, she ate two of the remaining cookies. Now she has 5 cookies left.
How many cookies did Sarah bake to start with?
Think quietly for 1 minute, then share your thinking with a partner!
Activity
Group Challenge: The Great Gumball Quandary
Mission Brief:
A gumball machine has red, blue, and yellow gumballs.
There are twice as many red gumballs as blue gumballs.
There are three more yellow gumballs than blue gumballs.
If there are a total of 23 gumballs in the machine...
How many of each color gumball are there?
Your Team's Workspace:
Use this space to show all your thinking, drawings, equations, and strategies.
Our Team's Solution:
Red Gumballs:
Blue Gumballs:
Yellow Gumballs:
Cool Down
Cool-Down: Strategy Share
Take a moment to think about the Gumball Quandary your group just solved.
What was one strategy your group used to try and solve the problem?
Describe one challenge your group faced while working on the problem. How did you try to overcome it?
What is one thing you learned or were reminded of about problem-solving today?
