Critical Thinking

We hope to create students who are curious about math and are able to ask and answer questions that require critical thinking. When students are solving math problems, here is a good resource of questions to ask them to help take their thinking to the next level. 

We also encourage our teachers and students to use the CRA (Concrete- Representation- Abstract) model when solving math problems to build a solid understanding that will support their understanding and allow them to think critically. Please see the visuals below for examples of the CRA model. You can also read more about this model from the GaDOE using this link on pages 11-34 which will give examples for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. 

Vocabulary

Understanding math vocabulary is crucial to help students understand math, especially word problems. The Georgia Department of Education has a glossary of terms available online to support student learning. This is a great resource to use when determining the definition of a math vocabulary word and visuals are included on the slides to support understanding. 

To help students remember the vocabulary words and their definitions, you can challenge them to create visuals such as the ones shown below that give clues to the meaning of the word. 

Word Problems

Word problems are always a tricky area for students in mathematics because they have to comprehend what is happening in the problem, create a plan to solve, and then solve the problem. One way to help students build a stronger understanding of word problems is to classify into the categories of the CGI problem types. Focusing on the type of word problem instead of the operation will allow students to be more flexible in how they plan to solve the problem because most problems can be set-up using more than one equation. There are many strategies students can use to solve word problems. An example strategy to approach word problems is shown below. 

Math Playground has an area of their site that allows students to choose different types of word problems to solve. They can choose a category and a situational type under the category. Then it will present them with scenarios that must be modeled using bar models to represent what is happening in the problem before students are able to solve the problem. This would support their ability to represent the problems and think critically.