Eric Jayne

This activity has students using base-ten blocks to construct towers. The idea is to build the tallest tower using the least amount of blocks. The blocks are given a dollar value, and students must figure out the cost per height of their towers. This is a timed problem-solving activity. I put students in pairs and record each group's results on the board. It's fun to see the different ways students attempt to build their towers. I will record the tallest and most cost effective tower and l

One of the areas that students seem to struggle with the most is problem-solving. This download contains my basic plan to approaching problem-solving. It's a plan that has produced solid results for me. Included in the download are the following: a definition of problem-solving from the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics that I use as a poster in my room; an explanation of using a 4-step approach to problem-solving (I send this to parents); a student planner that my students use eve