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The Problems of the Month are non-routine math problems designed to be used schoolwide to promote a problem-solving theme at our school. Each problem is divided into five levels of difficulty, Level A (primary) through Level E (high school), to allow access and scaffolding for students into different aspects of the problem and to stretch students to go deeper into mathematical complexity. The Problems of the Month were developed by the Silicon Valley Mathematics Initiative and are aligned to the Common Core standards.
Dear Parents,
Dear Parents,
Problem solving is a fundamental goal of any strong mathematics program. River Homelink is committed to making each of our students a problem solver, therefore, we are embarking on a Problem of the Month program to help achieve this important goal. It is never too early or too late to develop the real life learning skills of problem solving.
Problem solving is a fundamental goal of any strong mathematics program. River Homelink is committed to making each of our students a problem solver, therefore, we are embarking on a Problem of the Month program to help achieve this important goal. It is never too early or too late to develop the real life learning skills of problem solving.
Each month we will present our students with a non-routine problem for them to attack and solve. The problem will have several levels so that all students at our school will be able to work on a part of the problem appropriate to their learning development. Most students should start with level A and work through the different tasks. It is understood that some students will not get too far into the problem. The process of attacking and struggling on a non-routine problem is important to learn. When your child has reached the maximum level of his/her understanding, please celebrate their progress.
Each month we will present our students with a non-routine problem for them to attack and solve. The problem will have several levels so that all students at our school will be able to work on a part of the problem appropriate to their learning development. Most students should start with level A and work through the different tasks. It is understood that some students will not get too far into the problem. The process of attacking and struggling on a non-routine problem is important to learn. When your child has reached the maximum level of his/her understanding, please celebrate their progress.
Trials, errors, and retries are key attributes of good problem solvers. We ask you to encourage your students to persevere. Many students might want to initially give up. The best support for your student is encouragement through good questions. Some good questions are: What have you tried? Why do you think it doesn’t work? Have you tried to make the problem simpler? What do you need to know to be able to solve the problem? There are many other good questions; however, leading or guiding questions are not helpful. The process of finding and understanding a solution outweighs the benefit of having a correct answer. Doing the problem for the student actually hurts the problem-solving process. Many students will receive the hidden message that they can’t solve problems by themselves, and will learn to stop and wait for someone else to answer.
Trials, errors, and retries are key attributes of good problem solvers. We ask you to encourage your students to persevere. Many students might want to initially give up. The best support for your student is encouragement through good questions. Some good questions are: What have you tried? Why do you think it doesn’t work? Have you tried to make the problem simpler? What do you need to know to be able to solve the problem? There are many other good questions; however, leading or guiding questions are not helpful. The process of finding and understanding a solution outweighs the benefit of having a correct answer. Doing the problem for the student actually hurts the problem-solving process. Many students will receive the hidden message that they can’t solve problems by themselves, and will learn to stop and wait for someone else to answer.
You will play an important role in supporting your child’s work on these problems. Once students have reached their level of understanding, they are asked to complete a write-up of their findings. Students should communicate how they went about solving the problem as well as the solution they found. This write-up helps students understand how they think and approach new problems. We look forward to a partnership with you around problem solving. Thank you for supporting your child.
You will play an important role in supporting your child’s work on these problems. Once students have reached their level of understanding, they are asked to complete a write-up of their findings. Students should communicate how they went about solving the problem as well as the solution they found. This write-up helps students understand how they think and approach new problems. We look forward to a partnership with you around problem solving. Thank you for supporting your child.
Sincerely,
RHL Math Teachers
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