When I think of the number one struggle a majority of my students have when it comes to math each year, it would be word problems. The entire process of reading through the problem, figuring out how to solve it, and explaining their thinking afterward is so challenging for first graders. We work on this skill daily over the course of the school year because it is such an important skill. We focus on not only solving word problems, but on explaining our thinking when answering them.
When I was young, word problems were my nemesis! I understood that the steps below were what was expected of me to solve a word problem, but I had no clue how to get past step 1!
1. Understand the Problem
2. Come up with a Plan for Solving
3. Carry out the Plan
4. Reflect or Check Your Work
As much as these steps always seemed like a logical idea and did get me thinking through the math problem I was facing, they didn't get the job done. What do you do when you can't get past step 1? You stare at and then read the question over and over and still can't figure it out. You recognize the known information, you underline the key terms and circle the numbers, but you can't figure out what to do. Under this problem-solving method, you are expecting students to understand the problem before making any diagrams, drawings, patterns, tables, etc. which can leave many students stumbling to succeed. This is why I love the "Read, Draw, Write" (RDW) approach!
What is so great about the Read, Draw, Write approach?
This approach works because students can draw a model of what they are reading to help them understand the problem. In other methods, the drawing usually came after understanding. When faced with story problems, children will often add whatever numbers they see. In the RDW approach, the drawing helps lead to knowledge; it gives students the tools to think about and model the relationships in the problem. Drawing a model helps students see what patterns might arise, which operations are needed, and which models work and don't work. Students must go deeper into the problem by drawing representations and determining which representations are relevant to solve the problem. While students are utilizing the RDW process, they are using the Standards for Mathematical Practice. Some of these would include: model with mathematics, make sense of problems and persevere in solving them, use appropriate tools strategically, and look for and make use of structures.
Read
Read the problem. Read it over and over again. And then reread it. Answer- What am I trying to solve/answer? Identify-What information is given to me in this problem? Deconstruct- Can I box the question? Can I circle the parts? Can I find a total? Can I find missing parts? Can I underline important information? I always ask students to read the problem and think about what information is given. My goal is to get students to tell me what they believe or wonder before they model. Students can tell me, for example: I see the total and one part, which means we can count on or subtract to find the missing part. This is a great time to practice academic language and use collaboration with your students.
Draw
Draw a picture that represents the information given. During this step, students ask themselves: Can I draw something from this information? What can I draw? What's the best model to show the information? What conclusions can I make from the drawing? My students know they can use multiple strategies to solve problems. They chose different, yet similar ways to model and label their work. Each student's work shows detailed, specific choices rather than arbitrary combinations of numbers. It also helps me know if they are confused and helps me to find common errors that can direct my instruction.
Write
Write your conclusions based on your drawings. This can be done as an equation, a number sentence, or a statement--or all three. It's an essential skill to have your students write a statement. It ensures they are answering the exact question being asked. The ability to turn a question into a statement is an important skill. Writing is the time to check your answer for reasonableness. I choose students who used different strategies to share their responses with the class using the document camera. The class can see multiple strategies and understand why certain students chose certain strategies.
Do you use the Eureka Math "Read Draw Write" strategy? Has it changed the way your students go about solving word problems?
Do you use the Eureka Math "Read Draw Write" strategy? Has it changed the way your students go about solving word problems?
Positively Teaching,
Randi Muehlen
I see my own children using this strategy and it is especially helpful to breaking down difficult word problems. What a simple way for them to remember with the simple phrase of "read, draw, write" and continually apply it independently!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I use the RDW and just about 3 weeks ago I started to work on reading the problem and understanding it with my first graders. We are using the C.U.B.E.S method, we use colors to mark the problem. Now I will move on to having student talk to me about what the problem is asking me to do. Before I just read the problem and together we did the drawing and response.
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