Heather Muscatell Content Area: Math Grade: 6 Topic: Solving equations containing integers and variables Content Area

Standard: Expressions and Equations 6.EE: Use variables to represent numbers and write expressions when solving a real-world or mathematical problem; understand that a variable can represent an unknown number, or, depending on the purpose at hand, any number in a specified set. Literacy Anchor: Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. Objective/Essential Question: How can Coloring Word Problems help students use visual aid to highlight important information that the word problem provides? Name of Strategy: Coloring Word Problems Category: Visualizing Strategy Description: Coloring Word Problems puts color coding parts of a word problem into a rhyme that makes it easy for students to remember. Math word problems can be very daunting with all the information, which sometimes is not necessary. Coloring Word Problems provides a way to break down this information making the problems easier to read and focus on what is important. Procedure: 1. Have a word problem. (Preferably one that has unnecessary information and vocabulary words) 2. Read the word problem to the students using the doc cam twice. 3. Explain to students that there is a way to break down the word problem using different colors 4. Show students the Coloring Word Problems colors: Black Out the Bad Navy the Numbers Violet the Vocab Red the Request a. Read this allowed to students twice b. Have students read it with you c. Have students read it on their own 5. Do each of the Coloring Word Problems steps on the example word problem and explain each step. Have the students do it with you on their own paper. a. Black Out the Bad: Cross out any unnecessary information that is not needed to solve the problem b. Navy the Numbers: Use a blue writing utensil to underline or highlight any important numbers that the word problem gives that is needed to solve the problem c. Violet the Vocab: Use a purple writing utensil to underline or highlight any vocabulary words. d. Red the Request: Use a red writing utensil to underline or highlight the main question 6. Ask the students to repeat the Coloring Word Problems colors 7. Students do their own problem using the Coloring Word Problem strategy 8. Review their work. Formative Assessment: Give a third problem for students to use the Coloring Word Problem strategy on and collect it to be graded. Materials Used: Text Book: Middle School Math Course 3. (2004). Austin, Texas: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Chapter 2 Coloring Word Problem worksheet Doc cam