By Kim Markworth, Jenni McCool, and Jennifer Kosiak

Engage Students Year-Round in Meaningful Problem-Solving Tasks.

Holidays and seasonal activities provide excitement and a change of pace for teachers and students alike. They also offer perfect backdrops for mathematical tasks that can be related to other topics and themes in the classroom. Problem Solving in All Seasons, Pre-K–Grade 2 delivers thirty-two appealing, real-world situations, arranged in grade-level order, to engage young learners in mathematical tasks that are—

• tied to the Common Core State Standards or other content standards; and
• designed to allow children to participate in the Common Core Standards for Mathematical Practice.

An implementation guide furnishes specifics on each task and includes the following:

• Problem Discussion, supplying details about the mathematics
• Strategies, identifying possible student solution methods
• Student Misconceptions/Difficulties, describing the confusion and challenges that students may encounter
• Launch/Explore/Summarize, detailing the three-phase lesson format through which students might engage in each task
• Differentiation, highlighting approaches to expanding or simplifying problems for students while maintaining the mathematical integrity of the task.

Handouts and ancillary materials for each task can be downloaded for printing at NCTM’s online More4U website (nctm.org/more4u). Problem Solving in All Seasons, Pre-K–Grade 2 is your all-in-one practical handbook for problem solving in the primary years.

Reviews

Problem Solving in All Seasons, Pre-K–Grade 2 is a powerful resource for teachers. It is full of high-quality math tasks that engage students in real-life problem solving. These open-ended tasks help promote a learning environment rich in mathematical discourse and inspire the true essence of what today's math classrooms need to support students in the Common Core State Standards.

Brenda Geier, Math Coach

I have been looking for a resource just like this for a long time! Each of the problems is linked to Common Core State Standards and the Standards for Mathematical Practice, and they align beautifully with our district's curriculum. The problems challenge students to think critically and are highly engaging!

Amy Roselli, Elementary Teacher

Bellingham, Washington

My first graders loved working with the tasks in this book! The tasks were intriguing and relevant to their lives and promoted thoughtful mathematical discourse. Each task provided multiple entry points for students, leading to a collaborative and inclusive mathematical community.

Sarah Anderson, Dual Language Elementary Teacher

Bellevue, Washington

About the Authors

Kim Markworth is an associate professor of mathematics education at Western Washington University and a former elementary and middle-grades mathematics classroom teacher. In her current position, she works with preservice and in-service elementary and middle school classroom teachers to deepen their understanding of mathematical content and to improve their teaching practices.

Jenni McCool is an associate professor of mathematics education at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse and a former classroom teacher. She teaches a variety of content and pedagogy courses for future elementary and middle school teachers, and also works closely with many in-service teachers through professional development programs.

Jenn Kosiak is a professor of mathematics education at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse , where she teaches an array of content and pedagogy courses for future Pre-K–12 mathematics teachers. She leads many local and statewide professional development opportunities for in-service teachers as well as serves as an executive board member of the Wisconsin Mathematics Council, a state affiliate of NCTM.