Workshop: Addition and Subtraction Strategies

Est. Class Sessions: 2–3

Developing the Lesson

Part 2: Set Up the Workshop

Choose Targeted Practice. Menus and problems for this Workshop are in the Student Guide on the Workshop: Addition and Subtraction Strategies pages and on the Use Addition and Subtraction Strategies pages in the Student Activity Book. Minis of these pages not shown here are in the Answer Key. This Workshop is divided into two sections that address Expectations as shown in Figure 2.

Students begin each section by answering Self-Check Questions either individually or with a partner. These questions serve two purposes. First, they clearly communicate the content of the related targeted practice to students. Second, they help students quickly self-assess their progress with Expectations to help them choose which problems to work on in the Workshop.

Use Self-Check: Questions 1–4 on the Use Addition and Subtraction Strategies pages in the Student Activity Book to assess students' abilities to demonstrate an understanding of place value to make trades in multidigit addition and subtraction [E1]; add and subtract multidigit numbers using more than one strategy [E3]; and estimate sums and differences [E4].

Use Self-Check: Questions 1–4 on the Workshop: Addition and Subtraction Strategies pages in the Student Guide to assess students' abilities to choose appropriate strategies to add and subtract multidigit numbers [E6] and solve multistep addition and subtraction problems [E8].

After students complete the Self-Check Questions in a section, discuss a problem or two from each of the questions with the whole class. Ask students to share their solutions and explain their reasoning. Facilitate a class discussion with student solutions. Next have students think about the “Can I Do This?” questions in the left-hand column of the menu following the Self-Check Questions. Ask students to review their work on the Self-Check Questions to decide which problems to choose from the following groups:

Students who are “working on it” and need some extra help should circle the problem set marked with a triangle (). These problems provide scaffolded support for developing the essential underlying concepts as well as some opportunities for practice.
Students who are “getting it” and need more practice should circle the problem set marked with a circle (). These problems provide opportunities to practice with some concept reinforcement and some opportunities for extension.
Students who have “got it” and are ready for a challenge or extension should circle problems marked with a square (). These problems provide some practice and then move into opportunities for extension.

Check students' choices to see how well they match your own assessment of their progress on the related Expectations. Help students make selections that will provide the kind of practice they need.

Once students select the questions to complete in a section of the Workshop, match groups of students who have chosen similar sets of problems from the menu. Have students work independently or with a partner to solve the problems they chose. Encourage students to use the Addition and Subtraction Strategies Menus in the Student Guide Reference section as they are working.

The Addition Strategies Menu and Subtraction Strategies Menu were developed and generalized in earlier grades. Each menu is a summary of the types of mental math, paper-and-pencil, and estimation strategies students might use. Students should be encouraged to use whatever strategy makes sense to them and seems to make sense for the problem. Encourage students to add their own invented strategies to each menu. Also encourage students to use strategies that they are not familiar with.

After a few groups of students have completed their selected problems, but before all students have completed their problems, introduce the next section to the whole class. See the Meeting Individual Needs box. Again have students try the Self-Check Questions, discuss solutions, and choose problems from the menu with your guidance. Follow this pattern through each section of the Workshop.

Some students may not have completed all of their selected questions in a section before you introduce the next section with the whole class. While this may mean interrupting students' flow of work, it is also important that students who complete problems more quickly are able to continue working. For students who need more time, unfinished problems can be completed at the end of the Workshop lesson as needed. They can also be sent home as homework. For students who finish all of their selected problems before the rest of the class, encourage them to work on more advanced problems from the menu or play the Digits Game.

Student Guide: 162 163

Answers