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Back to School Math | Problem Solving and Critical Thinking
Back to School Math | Problem Solving and Critical Thinking
Back to School Math | Problem Solving and Critical Thinking
Back to School Math | Problem Solving and Critical Thinking
Back to School Math | Problem Solving and Critical Thinking
Back to School Math | Problem Solving and Critical Thinking
Back to School Math | Problem Solving and Critical Thinking
Back to School Math | Problem Solving and Critical Thinking
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What others say

"I am using these puzzles right now! Great challenges for back-to-school. I am thinking about sharing them at Back-to-School Night too."
star
Vicki B.

Description

Looking for some back to school math problems to promote problem solving and critical thinking? 

This fun and engaging September-themed resource includes 20 problem-solving tasks and critical thinking puzzles-- just what you need to help your grades 3-5 students develop essential mathematical practice and process skills.

Click here to SAVE by buying four FALL problem solving and critical thinking resources in one convenient bundle!

What tasks are included?

  • Traditional problem solving scenarios
  • Number clue tasks
  • Weight logic challenges
  • Logic puzzles

What’s unique about this pack?

There are five differentiated challenges in each set of tasks to meet the needs of a variety of learners. Each of these tasks can be used as math starters, math menu problems, and math station activities. 

This pack also includes a detailed solution guide. 

Want to know more? Grab a free copy of my Solve It! Valentine’s Day Mini-Pack with four seasonal problem solving and critical thinking challenges.

What Teachers are Saying about the Solve It! Series

“I absolutely love the thinking required to solve these problems. We have great math discussions after working on them! Thank you :)”- Classroom Teacher

“This is one of the best products I have purchased on TPT! Thank you for saving me time each week. This is exactly what I needed for my guided math groups! Thanks for your hard work, it makes my life so much easier!!”- Classroom Teacher

“My students absolutely LOVE your logic and critical thinking puzzles!  They ask for them every day! Thank you!”- Classroom Teacher

“These are fantastic! I love watching my students as they reason through the problems. They are getting really good at reasoning and justifying their thinking! Thank you so much! :)”- Classroom Teacher

“I love how these get progressively more challenging as the month passes, and how they push my students to think more logically.”- Classroom Teacher

Check out the entire Solve It! Series: 

Solve It! October

Solve It! November

Solve It! December

Solve It! January

Solve It! February

Solve It! March

Solve It! April

Solve It! May

Bundles in the Solve It! Series: 

Solve It! Fall Bundle- Includes Solve It! packs for September, October, November, and December

Solve It! Spring Bundle- Includes Solve It! packs for January, February, March, April, and May 

I hope this pack strengthens your students’ problem-solving and critical thinking skills!- The Routty Math Teacher

Keep up with The Routty Math Teacher!

Be the first to learn about doing math The Routty Way. I will send out information about new blog posts, free resources, and new product information. Sound interesting? Become a follower of The Routty Math Teacher by clicking here or on the green star on any of my product pages and receive email updates in your TPT inbox.

Leave feedback and receive TPT credit!

Leave feedback and receive TPT credit!

Did you know that you can build up TPT credit by leaving feedback on our products? You can submit feedback at the time of purchase or go to “My Purchases” for a list of what you have bought in the past. Next to each title is a “Leave Feedback” button. Click it and leave a rating and comment to receive the credit. Go to TPT Credits to learn how to redeem your credits on future purchases!

Like this pack? Share it with others!

Use the share buttons so others will find it! Just click the Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest button to share it with others!

Terms of Use: This product is copyrighted by Shametria Routt Banks. All rights reserved. Purchase of this product entitles the purchaser the right to reproduce the pages in limited quantities for classroom use only. Duplication for an entire school, an entire school system, or commercial purpose is strictly forbidden without written consent from the publisher. For questions, please contact Shametria@therouttymathteacher.com

Report this resource to TPT
Reported resources will be reviewed by our team. Report this resource to let us know if this resource violates TPT's content guidelines.

Back to School Math | Problem Solving and Critical Thinking

The Routty Math Teacher
5.1k Followers
$4.00

Highlights

Digital downloads
Grades icon
Grades
3rd - 5th
Subjects icon
Subjects
Standards icon
Standards
Pages
27
Answer Key
Included

What others say

"I am using these puzzles right now! Great challenges for back-to-school. I am thinking about sharing them at Back-to-School Night too."
star
Vicki B.

Description

Looking for some back to school math problems to promote problem solving and critical thinking? 

This fun and engaging September-themed resource includes 20 problem-solving tasks and critical thinking puzzles-- just what you need to help your grades 3-5 students develop essential mathematical practice and process skills.

Click here to SAVE by buying four FALL problem solving and critical thinking resources in one convenient bundle!

What tasks are included?

  • Traditional problem solving scenarios
  • Number clue tasks
  • Weight logic challenges
  • Logic puzzles

What’s unique about this pack?

There are five differentiated challenges in each set of tasks to meet the needs of a variety of learners. Each of these tasks can be used as math starters, math menu problems, and math station activities. 

This pack also includes a detailed solution guide. 

Want to know more? Grab a free copy of my Solve It! Valentine’s Day Mini-Pack with four seasonal problem solving and critical thinking challenges.

What Teachers are Saying about the Solve It! Series

“I absolutely love the thinking required to solve these problems. We have great math discussions after working on them! Thank you :)”- Classroom Teacher

“This is one of the best products I have purchased on TPT! Thank you for saving me time each week. This is exactly what I needed for my guided math groups! Thanks for your hard work, it makes my life so much easier!!”- Classroom Teacher

“My students absolutely LOVE your logic and critical thinking puzzles!  They ask for them every day! Thank you!”- Classroom Teacher

“These are fantastic! I love watching my students as they reason through the problems. They are getting really good at reasoning and justifying their thinking! Thank you so much! :)”- Classroom Teacher

“I love how these get progressively more challenging as the month passes, and how they push my students to think more logically.”- Classroom Teacher

Check out the entire Solve It! Series: 

Solve It! October

Solve It! November

Solve It! December

Solve It! January

Solve It! February

Solve It! March

Solve It! April

Solve It! May

Bundles in the Solve It! Series: 

Solve It! Fall Bundle- Includes Solve It! packs for September, October, November, and December

Solve It! Spring Bundle- Includes Solve It! packs for January, February, March, April, and May 

I hope this pack strengthens your students’ problem-solving and critical thinking skills!- The Routty Math Teacher

Keep up with The Routty Math Teacher!

Be the first to learn about doing math The Routty Way. I will send out information about new blog posts, free resources, and new product information. Sound interesting? Become a follower of The Routty Math Teacher by clicking here or on the green star on any of my product pages and receive email updates in your TPT inbox.

Leave feedback and receive TPT credit!

Leave feedback and receive TPT credit!

Did you know that you can build up TPT credit by leaving feedback on our products? You can submit feedback at the time of purchase or go to “My Purchases” for a list of what you have bought in the past. Next to each title is a “Leave Feedback” button. Click it and leave a rating and comment to receive the credit. Go to TPT Credits to learn how to redeem your credits on future purchases!

Like this pack? Share it with others!

Use the share buttons so others will find it! Just click the Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest button to share it with others!

Terms of Use: This product is copyrighted by Shametria Routt Banks. All rights reserved. Purchase of this product entitles the purchaser the right to reproduce the pages in limited quantities for classroom use only. Duplication for an entire school, an entire school system, or commercial purpose is strictly forbidden without written consent from the publisher. For questions, please contact Shametria@therouttymathteacher.com

Report this resource to TPT
Reported resources will be reviewed by our team. Report this resource to let us know if this resource violates TPT's content guidelines.

Reviews

5.0
Rated 4.95 out of 5, based on 22 reviews
22
ratings
5
21
4
1
3
0
2
0
1
0
All verified TPT purchases
Rated 5 out of 5
September 1, 2024
I am using these puzzles right now! Great challenges for back-to-school. I am thinking about sharing them at Back-to-School Night too.
Vicki B.
2,119 reviews
Grades taught: 3rd, 4th, 5th
Rated 4 out of 5
November 17, 2022
My students enjoyed completing this while a substitute was able to effectively execute the plans.
Crystal S.
230 reviews
Grades taught: 5th
Rated 5 out of 5
January 12, 2022
My students had so much fun with these that I bought the activities for other months. Wonderful for developing their problem-solving skills!
Laurie Alison M.
356 reviews
Grades taught: 4th
Rated 5 out of 5
July 24, 2021
Worked great for my gifted students.
Susan S.
254 reviews
Grades taught: 4th, 5th
Rated 5 out of 5
February 4, 2020
Engaging for kids, great resource!
Stacie O'Toole
(TPT Seller)
506 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5
September 10, 2019
Love all of your Solve Its! Perfect for my 3rd grade GT students!
Katharine R.
256 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5
October 29, 2018
My students really enjoy this activity!
Christi L.
233 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5
September 30, 2018
Super!
Susan H.
13 reviews

Questions & Answers

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Standards

to see state-specific standards (only available in the US).
Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. Mathematically proficient students start by explaining to themselves the meaning of a problem and looking for entry points to its solution. They analyze givens, constraints, relationships, and goals. They make conjectures about the form and meaning of the solution and plan a solution pathway rather than simply jumping into a solution attempt. They consider analogous problems, and try special cases and simpler forms of the original problem in order to gain insight into its solution. They monitor and evaluate their progress and change course if necessary. Older students might, depending on the context of the problem, transform algebraic expressions or change the viewing window on their graphing calculator to get the information they need. Mathematically proficient students can explain correspondences between equations, verbal descriptions, tables, and graphs or draw diagrams of important features and relationships, graph data, and search for regularity or trends. Younger students might rely on using concrete objects or pictures to help conceptualize and solve a problem. Mathematically proficient students check their answers to problems using a different method, and they continually ask themselves, "Does this make sense?" They can understand the approaches of others to solving complex problems and identify correspondences between different approaches.
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