Students are naturally inquisitive and observant! Why not use these characteristics to teach new concepts!
One-way to utilize students problem solving abilities is through Three-Act-Tasks. Three-Act-Tasks allows students to draw on their natural noticing’s and wonderings!
The Three-Act-Tasks consist of:
Act 1: Present the problem and “hook” the learner with either a video and/or photo using as few words as possible.
Act 2: Students look for resources/tools that will be helpful in solving the problem.
Act 3: Students solve the problem and think about possible extensions to the problem.
See it in Action below!
These tasks allow all students to participate in the learning regardless of their academic level as all students can provide a notice or wondering from the task.
When introducing the concepts of addition and subtraction try to incorporate some Three-Act-Tasks to engage your students in authentic problem solving!
For more ideas on Three-Act-Tasks, check out Dan Meyer’s blog http://blog.mrmeyer.com/2011/the-three-acts-of-a-mathematical-story/