In Context: A Quick Look at How Students Solve Math

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by Mark Nechanicky, Region 1 MCTM director

Word problems are often challenging, especially as students move into multi-step thinking. One quick way to see what students really understand is to give them a number sentence (4 × 5 = 20) and have them make up a story problem to match it. This simple whiteboard routine helps teachers spot misunderstandings, see how students think about operations, and support them as they solve problems in context themselves. It’s fast, easy, and gives great insight into student learning.