Word Problems :: Explain Yourself!

Word problems can be complicated. Sometimes they involve many steps. If you make a mistake and don't realize it, your entire math problem will be incorrect.

We have been learning how to label or explain the steps in our word problems. Labeling helps students understand what each number means.

Here is problem #17 that was annotated in Skitch. (It is also available at the Google Play.)

Each color is a step.

Here is problem #12: 
Lauren has 43 stickers. She finds 5 more. She puts them in a book that holds 8 stickers on each page. How many pages will she need to put all the stickers in the book? 

Choose a problem to annotate and email it to Mrs. Yollis. If it is correct, it will be added to this post. Hint:  Use arrows wisely. Too many unnecessary arrows leads to confusion for the viewer!


UPDATE:

Here is a new annotated photo from Miss Jordan in Victoria, Australia. Teachers are always learning too! 

What did you learn from her annotations? Do you have any questions for Miss Jordan about her work?

What are some other ways to clarify word problems?

Annotated Arrays!

We have been exploring arrays!

Row x Column = Product

The multiplication for the array above is

3 x 4 = 12

because it has 3 rows of 4. 

When the factors are different digits, 

the arrays are in the shape of a rectangle. 

When the factors are the same digit, 

the array is a square!

*     *     *     *     *

Let's look for arrays! 

We walked around the school looking for arrays. Once we captured our arrays on our iPads, we went back to class and used Skitch to annotate our images. Here is the definition of annotate!

Images +  = great illustrations!

Wow!
Shayna went home, downloaded Skitch for iPads, and created her own array!

Which array did you photograph and annotate?

What are some tips you can share about using Skitch   to annotate?