Inside Problem Solving
The Inside Problem Solving problems are non-routine math problems designed to promote problem-solving in your classroom. Each problem is divided into five levels of difficulty, Level A through Level E, to allow access and scaffolding for students into different aspects of the problem and to stretch students to go deeper into mathematical complexity. The problems were developed by the Silicon Valley Mathematics Initiative and are aligned to the Common Core standards.
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Inside Problem Solving
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Pre-K
Courtney’s Collection
Cut It Out
Cutting a Cube
Digging Dinosaurs
Diminishing Return
First Rate
Friends You Can Count On
Game Show
Got Your Number
Growing Staircases
Measuring Mammals
Measuring Up
Miles of Tiles
Movin ‘n Groovin
On Balance
Once Upon A Time
Part and Whole
Party Time
Piece it Together
Polly Gone
Rod Trains
Surrounded and Covered
Squirreling It Away
The Shape of Things
The Wheel Shop
Through the Grapevine
Tri-Triangles
What’s Your Angle? - KINDERGARTEN
- 1ST GRADE
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2ND GRADE
Courtney’s Collection (2.MD.C.8)
Digging Dinosaurs (2.MD.C.8)
Got Your Number (2.OA.B.2, 2.NBT.A.1, 2.NBT.A.4, 2.NBT.B.5)
Miles of Tiles (2.NBT.B.5)
Part and Whole (2.G.A.3)
Piece it Together (2.G.A.1)
Squirreling It Away (2.OA.1)
The Shape of Things (2.G.A.1)
Through the Grapevine (2.MD.D.9, 2.MD.D.10)
What’s Your Angle? (2.G.A.1) - 3RD GRADE
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4TH GRADE
Courtney’s Collection (4.MD.A.2)
Digging Dinosaurs (4.MD.A.2)
Diminishing Return (4.OA.A.3, 4.MD.A.2)
Friends You Can Count On (4.OA.A.3)
Game Show (4.OA.C.5)
Growing Staircases (4.OA.C.5)
Measuring Mammals (4.OA.A.2)
Measuring Up (4.OA.A.3)
Once Upon A Time (4.OA.A.3)
Part and Whole (4.G.A.3)
Party Time (4.NF.B.4c)
Piece it Together (4.G.A.2, 4.MD.C.6)
Squirreling It Away (4.OA.3)
The Shape of Things (4.G.A.3)
The Wheel Shop (4.OA.A.3)
Tri-Triangles (4.OA.C.5) - 5TH GRADE
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6TH GRADE
Courtney’s Collection (6.NS.B.4)
Cutting a Cube (6.G.A.4, 6.RP.A.3c)
Diminishing Return (6.RP.A.3a, 6.RP.A.3b)
First Rate (6.RP.A.3b, 6.RP.A.2)
Measuring Up (6.RP.A.3c, 6.EE.A.1, 6.EE.B.7)
On Balance (6.EE.B.5, 6.EE.B.6, 6.EE.B.8)
Once Upon A Time (6.NS.B.2, 6.NS.B.4)
Movin ‘n Groovin (6.RP.A.3d)
Part and Whole (6.G.A.1)
Piece it Together (6.G.A.4)
Polly Gone (6.G.A.1)
Surrounded and Covered (6.RP.A.2, 6.RP.A.3b)
Tri-Triangles (6.EE.A.1, 6.EE.B.6, 6.EE.C.9) -
7TH GRADE
Courtney’s Collection (7.SP.C.8b)
First Rate (7.RP.A.2b, 7.RP.A.3, 7.EE.B.4a)
Friends You Can Count On (7.SP.C.7a, 7.SP.C.8a, 7.SP.C.8b)
Game Show (7.SP.C.8a, 7.SP.C.8b)
Got Your Number (7.NS.A.3)
Measuring Mammals (7.RP.A.2a, 7.RP.A.2b, 7.RP.A.2c 7.RP.A.1)
Measuring Up (7.RP.A.2b, 7.RP.A.2c, 7.RP.A.3, 7.EE.B.4)
Movin ‘n Groovin (7.RP.A.2c, 7.RP.A.3)
Part and Whole (7.NS.A.1D)
Piece it Together (7.G.B.6)
Polly Gone (7.G.B.6, 7.G.B.4)
Rod Trains (7.SP.C.8b)
Squirreling It Away (7.SP.8b)
Surrounded and Covered (7.G.B.4, 7.G.B.6)
Through the Grapevine (7.SP.A.2) -
8TH GRADE
Cutting a Cube (8.G.A.1a)
Digging Dinosaurs (8.EE.C.7b, 8.F.B.4)
Diminishing Return (8.EE.C.7.b)
Miles of Tiles (8.EE.C.8b, 8.EE.C.8c)
Movin ‘n Groovin (8.EE.B5)
On Balance (8.EE.C.8b, 8.EE.C.8c)
Once Upon A Time (8.EE.C.8b)
Squirreling It Away (8-F.1)
Through the Grapevine (8.SP.A.1, 8.SP.A.2)
The Wheel Shop (8.EE.C.8b, 8.EE.C.8c) -
ALGEBRA
Courtney’s Collection (A-CED.A.2)
Digging Dinosaurs (A-CED.A.2)
Diminishing Return (A-CED.A.1)
Growing Staircases (A-CED.A.2)
Measuring Mammals (A-CED.A.2, A-REI.B.3, A-REI.C.6)
Measuring Up (A-CED.2)
Miles of Tiles (A-APR.A.1, A-SSE.A.1a, A-SSE.A.2)
On Balance (A-CED.A.2, A-REI.C.6)
Once Upon A Time (A-CED.A.1)
Part and Whole (A-APR.D.6)
Polly Gone (A-REI.C.6)
Squirreling It Away (A-CED.2, A-CED.3, A-REI.6, A-REI.8, A-REI.10)
The Wheel Shop (A-REI.C.6, A-REI.D.12)
Tri-Triangles (A-CED.A.1, A-REI.B.4b, A-SSE.A.2) -
FUNCTIONS
Cut It Out (F-BF.A.1a)
Digging Dinosaurs (F-IF.C.7b, F-IF.C.7e)
Diminishing Return (F-BF.A.1a)
First Rate (F-IF.B.6, F-BF.A.1a)
Growing Staircases (F-LE.A.2, F-BF.A.2, F-BF.A.1a)
Movin ‘n Groovin (F.BF. A.1a)
Rod Trains (F-BF.A.1a)
Squirreling It Away (F.LE.2, F-BF.1a, F-BF.2)
Surrounded and Covered (F-BF.A.1a)
Tri-Triangles (F-BF.A.1a)
What’s Your Angle? (F-BF.A.1a) -
GEOMETRY
Cut It Out (G-CO.B.6)
Growing Staircases (G-MG.1)
First Rate (G-SRT.C.8)
Measuring Mammals (G-SRT.B.5)
Miles of Tiles (G-MG.A.3)
Once Upon A Time (G-C.A.2)
Piece it Together (G.MG.A.1, G-MG.A.3, G.GMD.A.1, G.SRT.C.8)
Polly Gone (G-CO.B.7, G-GPE.B.7, G-MG.A.3, G-GPE.B.4)
The Shape of Things (G-C.A.2, G-CO.C.10, G-CO.C.11, G-SRT.B.5, G-MG.A.1)
What’s Your Angle? (G-MG.A.3, G-C.A.2) -
STATISTICS AND PROBABILITY
Digging Dinosaurs (S-ID.6.a)
Diminishing Return (S-CP.A.2, S-CP.B.8)
Friends You Can Count On (S-CP.A.4, S-CP.A.5, S-CP.B.6)
Game Show (S-MD.A.1, S-MD.A.2, S-MD.A.3)
Growing Staircases (S-ID.6a)
Party Time (S-CP.A.1, S-CP.B.9, S-CP.B.8)
Squirreling It Away (S-ID.6a)
Through the Grapevine (S-IC.B.4, S-ID.A.1, S-ID.A.2, S-ID.A.3, S-ID.B.5, S-ID.B.6c)
The Wheel Shop (S-CP.A.1)
Why Problem Solving?
Problem solving is the cornerstone of doing mathematics. George Polya, a famous mathematician from Stanford, once said, "A problem is not a problem if you can solve it in 24 hours." His point was that a problem that you can solve in less than a day is usually a problem that is similar to one that you have solved before, or at least is one where you recognize that a certain approach would lead to the solution. Bu t in real life, a problem is a situation that confronts you and you don’t have an idea of where to even start. Mathematics is the toolbox that solves so many problems. Whether it is calculating an estimate measure, modeling a complex situation, determining the probability of a chance event, transforming a graphical image or proving a case using deductive reasoning, mathematics is used. If we want our student s to be problem solvers and mathematically powerful, we must model perseverance and challenge students with non-routine problems.