TRANSLATING NUMBER SENTENCES MINI-LESSON

For the Multiplication and Division Problem Solving key concept

Summary

Students analyse and worded situations to determine whether or not there is enough information to
solve them using the four operations.

Suitable for 2-6 students Length 30 min (approximately)

Lesson Preparation
• Print Worded Situations Handout (download) — one per pair of students and one teacher copy
• Print Worded Situations Answers (download) — one teacher copy
• Bring Scissors — for each pair

Optional:
• Student workbooks — to rewrite worded situations.

LEARNING INTENTIONS

This activity helps students to:

• analyse and make sense of a worded situation.
• determine if a worded situation does not make sense and explain why.
• given a worded situation, form a number sentence using multiplication or division and solve.

CURRICULUM LINKS

• Form multiplication or division number sentences from worded situations (ACMNA057)

• Solve multiplicative worded situations (ACMNA076)
• Form and solve number sentences given real-word problems using the four operations (ACMNA082)

AFTER THE LESSON

In later lessons, students can make their own question cards and see if their friends can determine if more
information is needed to answer the question.

Copyright © Maths Pathway 2018. Reproduction for classroom use permitted. Translating Number Sentences Mini-Lesson
 INTRODUCTION 7 MINUTES

Give each pair of students a worded situation handout and scissors. As students are Whole group:
cutting out the cards, cut out a teacher set of cards too. Cut out the
1. Invite a student to read out the worded situation about Sara to the group. worded
2. Ask students, do you have enough information to solve this problem? Invite a student situations cards.
to explain how they know what operation to use to solve the problem.
3. Invite another student to use multiplication to solve the worded situation. Model
writing the answer on the back of the card and put the card to one side. Have
students do the same.

DEMONSTRATION 8 MINUTES

Invite students to find the worded situation about the two buses and direct students In pairs:
to do a think — pair — share. Write answer to
1. Think — direct students to read the worded situations to themselves, individually and the worded
in silence and ask them to think about whether or not the worded situation has situation and
share with the
enough information in it to solve it.
group.
2. Pair — direct students to discuss the worded situation with their partner quietly.
3. Share — direct one of the students in the pair to write down their thinking on the back
of the card. Then have students take turns sharing their working and reasoning to the
group.
Students may provide answers like 2 × 38 = 76 or 38 ÷ 2 = 14 or they may say the question
does not contain enough information. Explain that some of the cards do not have enough
information to answer the question.
4. Invite a student to choose another card and have them read it aloud to the group.
5. Discuss as a group if that card has enough information to solve the problem. Insist
students explain how they know it does or does not have enough information.

DIRECT PAIRS OF STUDENTS 10 MINUTES

Direct students to sort the cards into two piles. Decide on a name for each pile. For In pairs:
example, they could be named enough information and not enough information. Sort worded
Direct students to write their reasons and any mathematical working out on the situations into
back. the categories
Prompt student thinking: As students work, ask scaffolding questions e.g.: does make
• Direct students who are unsure to read the problem aloud. sense and does
• Ask students who are unsure to tell you what the question is about and what answer not make
the question is looking for. sense.
• If students have a card without enough information, provide a prompt that gives
enough information to solve the question. E.g. Suppose there are 9 giraffes at
Melbourne Zoo. How many monkeys would there be?
• Direct students to look at the not enough information pile of cards. Have them rewrite
the worded situations so that they do have enough information to solve them. Then,
solve them.

DISCUSSION 5 MINUTES

Go through answers with students. Then, ask students questions about what they Whole group:
have learned, such as: Share and
• Which worded situations did you find most challenging to sort into the enough discuss ideas.
information pile? What about the not enough information pile?
• What extra information did you add to the worded situation so that it could be
solved? Share your idea with the group.

Copyright © Maths Pathway 2018. Reproduction for classroom use permitted. Translating Number Sentences Mini-Lesson