Grade Level: This activity is suitable for students in grades 3 - 6.
Objective: Determine the amount of chocolate chip and sugar cookies on the plate
Task: Use the information given to determine the number of chocolate chip and sugar cookies on the plate. Task A only includes one condition and has multiple solutions. Task B has two conditions and has one solution.
Ways to Utilize the Activity: This is a great problem solving activity to emphasize identifying key information. Display this on your projector for optimal quality. Provide each student with a printer-friendly copy. Read the problem situation together. If this is your students' first exposure to this type of problem, you may want to help the students determine the objective and identify key information before beginning. Allow students to work with a partner to complete the task. Then, as a class, discuss ways to approach the task. Ask questions such as:
- What information do you need to help you complete this task?
- What question are you trying to answer?
- What do we know about the chocolate chip cookies?
- What do we know about the sugar cookies?
- How many chocolate chips and sprinkles are on the plate?
- If there was only one chocolate chip and one sugar cookie on the plate, how many chocolate chips and sprinkles would be on the plate?
- What strategy did you use to find a solution? Explain.
- Would drawing a picture help you? If so, how?
- What tool can we use to organize our information?
This activity can be included on a math menu or used on a menu of problem solving station options.
Solutions: Task A: 2 sugar and 9 chocolate chip; 4 sugar and 6 chocolate chip; or 6 sugar and 3 chocolate chip; Task B: 8 sugar and 12 chocolate chip.
Challenge: Create an additional problem with a larger number of cookies.
Note: You can download this freebie here.
