Lindsey
Petersheim
Reading For Meaning
Introduction:
Math students often have a difficult time
understanding word problems because they are not accustomed to
interpreting math problems using the same skills they would use when
they have to read passages carefully in subjects such as English and
Social Studies. Students will therefore sometimes get the answers to
word problems incorrect because they don’t read the question carefully
enough to understand the important information in the question or even
the answer the word problem is really asking for. The following is a
Reading for Meaning lesson designed to help students to better
understand the information given to them in a multi-step word problem
involving multiplication and subtraction.
A computer manufacturer planning to produce
many computers can choose to use Intel chips at $900 each or Motorola
computer chips at $374 each. How much money would that manufacturer
save on an order of 20,000 central-processor chips by choosing the
Motorola chip rather than the Intel chip?
Mastery Statements:
Which of these statements is true? Circle True or False
and justify.
True or
False 1. It costs more to buy an Intel chip than a Motorola
chip.
Why do you think so?
True or False
2. The computer manufacturing company will save money buying Motorola
chips rather than Intel chips.
Why do you think so?
Understanding
Statements: Which of the following is the method you would use to
solve the problem?
- ($900 times 20,000
chips) plus ($374 times 20,000 chips)
Why
do you think so?
- ($374 times 20,000
chips) minus ($900 times 20,000 chips)
Why
do you think so?
- ($900 times 20,000
chips) minus ($374 times 20,000 chips)
Why
do you think so?
Synthesis
Statements: Which of the following problems would you solve in
the same way as the previous problem? Write an “S” in the blank next
to the problems that would be solved in the same way, and write a “D”
in the blank next to the problems that would be solved differently.
____ 1. Frank saved
up $5,000 dollars to buy a car, but the car costs $9,240. If Frank
can save $500 every month, how long will it take Frank to save up the
rest of the money he needs?
Why do you think so?
____ 2. Joanne must
decide between buying 20 bags of candy at $3.00 each, and 20 magic
tricks at $4.25 each for her party guests. How much would she save by
buying the bags of candy?
Why do you think so?
____ 3. Tony saved
two different things to a new disk on his computer. The first thing
he saved took up 21 kilobytes of space on the disk and the second took
up 43 kilobytes of space on the disk. How much space did Tony use on
his disk altogether?
Why do you think so?
