Anyway, one of the things we've used is the USA+J approach to problem solving. This is a great strategy, but for some reason, our second graders have struggled with it. We have a book called Read it! Draw it! Solve it! That some of us have used for entry task work or to specifically work through story problems. We decided to use this approach as we teach problem solving this year. Some of us will use the actual Read it! Draw it! Solve it! book, but the idea is that we apply this strategy to any story problem that we come across.
Here's the mistake I made: I sent home a homework page with a blank Read it, Draw it, Solve it on the back side (where students were supposed to solve the problem). This was not successful because it came with no direction. I basically used a template someone else had created and copied my homework off quickly. I didn't THINK IT THROUGH enough. After that experience, I created a document that will help students and their parents understand the expectations and be successful with using this process for solving story problems. Even though I don't always get it right the first time, I do always say, "When in doubt, make the expectations more clear." I hope this sheet is helpful for you.
I look forward to hearing your feedback and to follow each other for more rich experiences for our students.
Have a fantastic day!
desiree.r.schmidt@gmail.com