DL Unit H: Problem-Solving Lesson

Learning the Problem-Solving Process

by Mrs. Harris

Review what each step means.

Yes, this is for a grade. It is not "participation". Wrong answers will be marked wrong, and your grade will be whatever you earn on the 13 questions you're asked! So, READ CAREFULLY!

Problems

Problems can come in lots of types. That is why having a process for solving them effectively is important.

The next page shows the process we started learning yesterday for solving problems.

​Yesterday, you watched a video of a problem being solved.

​This video does not play. It is just a screenshot!

​Then you solved one of these problems on your own.

Please review the Problem-Solving Process below!

Multiple Choice

At which stage of the Problem-Solving Process should you make sure you know exactly what the problem is that you are trying to solve?

• Prepare

• Reflect

• Try

• Define

Multiple Choice

At which stage of the Problem-Solving Process should gather the materials you need, brainstorm ways to solve the problem, sketch any diagrams that might help you, or do your research?

• Prepare

• Reflect

• Try

• Define

Multiple Choice

At which stage of the Problem-Solving Process should you put your plan for solving the problem into action?

• Prepare

• Reflect

• Try

• Define

Multiple Choice

At which stage of the Problem-Solving Process should you evaluate how well your attempt to solve the problem went?

• Prepare

• Reflect

• Try

• Define

Multiple Choice

If the problem is that your little brother needs you to make him a sandwich for his lunch, which of the following would you do at the PREPARE stage of your problem-solving?

• Ask your brother if the peanut butter and jelly sandwich you made him tasted good.

• Ask your brother why he's rubbing his stomach.

• Make the sandwich.

• Gather bread, peanut butter, jelly, a paper towel, and a butter knife.

Multiple Choice

The Problem: Your pencil broke during the test. You've weighed your options and decided to ask the teacher if you can borrow a pencil. When you raise your hand and speak to your teacher about the broken pencil, what stage of the Problem-Solving Process are you in?

• Try

• Reflect

• Prepare

• Define

Multiple Choice

The Problem: You have a model plant cell due in science class Friday. At which stage of the Problem-Solving Process are you when you compare the model cell you made to the example in the book?

• Define

• Prepare

• Reflect

• Try

Multiple Choice

The Problem: You want to buy a gift for your mother. At which stage of the problem-solving process are you when you pick the gift and pay for it at the store?

• Try

• Prepare

• Define

• Reflect

Multiple Choice

You are working word problems in math. You read a word problem to determine what it is you are being asked to calculate. What stage of the Problem-Solving Process is this?

• Define

• Try

• Prepare

• Reflect

Now read the story that follows and answer the questions about the problem-solving process!

Multiple Choice

The first step of the problem solving process is to define your problem. Which of the folliowing is the narrator's problem?

• Jeremy Ross has too many friends.

• Jeremy Ross can throw a boomerang better than the narrator.

• The narrator does not know his dad's recipe for pie.

• The narrator believes he has an enemy.

Multiple Choice

Usually, the 2nd step in the Problem-Solving Process is to PREPARE to solve it. The narrator's dad helped prepare for solving the story's problem--even though the narrator didn't realize it. What 2 things had to be done to prepare to solve the problem?

• Dad had to bake a pie and the narrator had to go to Jeremy's house.

• Jeremy had to visit the narrator's tree house and the narrator had to throw Jeremy's boomerang.

• Dad had to go to the store and bake the pie.

• The narrator had to bake a pie and remove the enemy list from his tree house.

Multiple Choice

Problem-Solving Process step 3 is when you put your plan into action. In reality, the plan wasn't what the narrator thought. Dad had a different plan. What was it?

• ...to teach the narrator how to bake.

• ...to poison Jeremy with a pie.

• ...to show Jeremy how mean his son--the narrator--was.

• ...to have the narrator spend time with Jeremy and become friends.

Multiple Choice

Often, the last step in solving a problem is to reflect. Which of the following is a good strategy for reflecting on how well a problem has been solved?

• Reading the instructions and asking questions when you don't understand

• Deciding what improvements you could have made or might make the next time

• Go for it!

• Doing research on possible solutions for solving the problem

Review what each step means.

Remember this IS a grade. It is not "participation". It is classwork. The grade you see at the ned is the grade I will enter in the grade book.

Please think carefully about whether or not you should back up and read more carefully before you quit!!