Looking for an engaging, low-prep math task that builds problem solving and critical thinking skills? This open-ended desk arrangement challenge is perfect for back-to-school, enrichment, or a one-day break from your regular curriculum!

Need a fresh and fun way to get your students thinking deeply about math? The Desk Arrangement Problem is an open-ended, low-prep math task that challenges students to apply their reasoning, grouping, and communication skills to solve a realistic classroom problem.

Here’s the setup: Mrs. Bunting is trying to arrange desks for a mixed-grade class—and your students get to help! They'll explore different grouping combinations, consider real-world constraints, and justify their decisions through writing and discussion.

This versatile math task is ideal for:

• A full-class problem solving day
  
• Enrichment groups or early finishers
  
• A meaningful activity for a substitute
  
• Kicking off a unit on grouping, operations, or logical thinking
  

What’s included:

• A student-friendly low-floor, high ceiling math challenge
  
• Visual aids and manipulatives for hands-on exploration
  
• Open-ended extension questions for differentiation
  
• A problem-solving rubric and student-friendly checklist
  

This resource works well for grades 3–5 and fits beautifully into classrooms that value mathematical discourse, creative thinking, and student ownership.

What do teachers say?

"I love problems like this! I'm so glad to add this to my collection. I try to incorporate at least one multi-step problem per week and this fits the bill. Thank you so much!“

"I used this for cooperative grouping during an observation and it was fantastic to see how the students collaborated to come up with their answers! Great resource!”

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Want more great real-world math tasks?

Check out THIS HUGE BUNDLE!

Need things a little more scaffolded? TRY THESE!

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