Problem Solving – Resources for Teachers

Develop problem-solving skills with these teaching resources. From articles about incorporating problem-solving strategies into your curriculum to lessons and activities about real-world issues, you'll find educational resources that help you challenge students' creative and critical thinking skills.

Problem-Solving Strategies Problem-Solving Learn about the benefits of problem-solving and how to include it in your teaching. Problem-solving is the ability to identify and solve problems by applying appropriate skills systematically. Problem Solving: Find a Pattern Finding a Pattern is a strategy in which students look for patterns in the data in order to solve the problem. Students look for items or numbers that are repeated, or a series of events that repeat. Problem Solving: Make a Table Make a Table is a problem-solving strategy that students can use to solve mathematical word problems by writing the information in a more organized format. Problem Solving: Eliminating Possibilities Eliminating Possibilities is a problem-solving strategy in which students remove possible answers until the correct answer remains. Problem Solving: Draw a Picture The "draw a picture" strategy is a problem-solving technique in which students make a visual representation of the problem. Problem Solving: Guess and Check "Guess and Check" is a problem-solving strategy that students can use to solve mathematical problems by guessing the answer and then checking that the guess fits the conditions of the problem. Problem Solving: Use a Formula Using a Formula is a problem-solving strategy that students can use to find answers to math problems involving geometry, percents, measurement, or algebra. Problem Solving: Simplify the Problem When a problem is too complex to solve in one step, it often helps to divide it into simpler problems and solve each one separately. Problem Solving: Choose the Operation The process of "choosing the operation" involves deciding which mathematical operation (addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division) or combination of operations will be useful in solving a word problem. Think Aloud Strategy The think-aloud strategy asks students to say out loud what they are thinking about when reading, solving math problems, or simply responding to questions posed by teachers or other students. This strategy makes an excellent addition to the learning methods taught in your curriculum. Brainstorming: A Strategy for Creative Productivity Brainstorming is a process one goes through in an effort to generate ideas and problem solve. Theory and Evidence Teach your students about "Theory" and "Evidence" and how those terms and concepts are useful in all subjects. Scope of the Mathematics Curriculum This professional development resource will help you discover the process and content standards for teaching a successful mathematics curriculum. Problem-Based Teaching: Role Playing How Many People Does It Take to Ruin an Ecosystem? Students will role-play elements of a food web to illustrate the connections in ecosystems. Then they will respond to real-life scenarios that impact ecosystems. Tape Recorder Fight Role Play The Acting Out Conflict lesson plan incorporates a role playing activity detailed in this script. Use this activity to resolve conflict and promote school safety. Missing Children This activity has students participate in role-playing sessions to teach them ways to stay safe when they encounter strangers. Sensitivity to Physical Impairments Through Role Play Increase your students' sensitivity to physical impairments with these role playing activities. Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer Mock Trial Role-Playing Stickers Use these labels to identify courtroom characters in your own classroom mock trial. Print and cut them out to make buttons or copy them on to adhesive paper to make stickers. Labels include: defense, prosecution, defendant, judge, court reporter, court clerk, bailiff, witness, and juror. Listening to Another Point of View Practice seeing situations from different points of view with role playing. I Want to Be a Painter Print a worksheet that provides role play, art, music, and science activities to teach your students about the job of a painter. Police and Firefighter Patterns Use the patterns in this printable to create role play with public safety officials. This arts & crafts activity is a great supplement to a unit on community careers for your social studies class. An Ecosystem Escapade Students will role-play elements of a food web to illustrate the connections in ecosystems. They will enjoy creating an arts-and-crafts project that will help them better understand the role the environment plays in their lives.

Graphic Organizers, Forms & Checklists Guided Problem Solving Use this printable sheet to guide students in the steps to solving a problem. This printable is customizable. Tailor the PDF to your teaching needs by typing in the highlighted fields before printing. Problem Solving Guide Use this checklist to show students the problem-solving process. This handy checklist will help organize students to solve math word problems. Checklist for Problem-Solving Guide 2 Use this printable checklist to monitor students' use of the problem-solving process. Assessment Assessing Performance in Problem Solving 1 Use this printable checklist to assess students problem solving skills. Assessing Performance in Problem Solving 2 Evaluate strengths and weaknesses and send home information to their parents as a guide to their child's progress. Ongoing Assessment: Problem Solving Rate your students' problem-solving skills with this printable evaluation sheet. Printables Problem-Solving Guidelines A list that outlines how to solve a problem effectively. Problem-Solving Model Use this problem-solving model to help students identify, examine, and change behaviors that are causing problems at school. Word Problems & Problem Solving Printable Book (Grades K-4) Students practice word problems and problem-solving with games, puzzles, creative thinking, and more. This printable book will really improve your students' mathematics skills. Problem Solving Sheet Students fill out this sheet after experiencing a behavior problem in class. A Problem-Solving Plan This math activity supplies methods to help children understand and solve word problems. Introduction to Problem Solving This printable worksheet will introduce children to problem solving. Improve your students' math skills with these exercises. The Wise Old Owl: Steps to Problem Solving Develop math skills with an activity that focuses on the basic steps to solving problems. SIR RIGHT: A Strategy for Math Problem Solving The SIR Right strategy guide helps children tackle math word problems in a systematic and consistent way. Family Problem-Solving Logic Solve this logic problem with your students involving their family. More Problem Solving Printables Lesson Plans for Math and Music Comparing Fractions with Unlike Numerators Using Journaling Use a lesson that is an introduction to comparing fractions with like denominators and unlike numerators, for students with a basic understanding of fractions as part of a whole, numerators, and denominators. Students use math journals to complete the lesson. Comparing Fractions with Unlike Denominators Using Journaling Discover an introduction to comparing fractions with unlike denominators. Students will compare fractions represented by drawings or models with unlike denominators. Graphing Pitch Distribute a group activity that explains the musical relationship between length of instruments and their pitch. Discovering the Magical Pi Students will use data on the circumference and diameter of various objects to calculate pi. Jazz and Math: Improvisation Permutations In this lesson students explore how many different rhythmic combinations can be improvised in a jazz/blues piece of music and derive a mathematical formula. Conflict Resolution Lesson Plans Acting Out Conflict Students act out skits showing typical conflicts that arise in school and then resolve them using a problem-solving approach. Use this lesson to promote school safety. Practicing Problem Solving Help students solve word problems using a step-by-step process. Talk It Out Together In this school safety lesson plan, students learn the Talk It Out Together conflict-solving process. Practicing Problem Solving Use a lesson that introduces students to a problem-solving procedure and provides practice in resolving conflict. Family Problem-Solving Logic Solve this logic problem with your students involving their family. More Popular Conflict Resolution Resources