In 2013, Max and his colleagues partnered with Christopher Columbus Charter School to produce videos of some of the activities from Powerful Problem Solving (see the corresponding page number or chapter with each video). The goal is bringing the book to life…and even inspiring you to make your own classroom videos of powerful problem solving happening all over the country.
Grade 3
Activity: What Do You Hear? Part 1
Page: 48
Handout: I Notice, I Wonder
Presenter: Valerie Klein
Grade: 3
PoW: Growing Worms
Stream the video of Valerie using a variation of "What Do You Hear?" to introduce the Growing Worms conversation to a 3rd grade class. Because the PoW has a visual, the students look at the picture rather than listening to Valerie read.
Activity: What Do You Hear? Part 2
Page: 48
Presenter: Valerie Klein
Grade: 3
PoW: Growing Worms
Stream the video of Valerie continuing the What Do You Hear? activity with Growing Worms in the 3rd grade class. One thing we noticed was how the students asked great clarifying questions after hearing what their classmates noticed. Their classroom really sounds like a great dinner party (see Chapter 3, p. 26)!
Activity: What Do You Hear? Part 3
Page: 48
Presenter: Valerie Klein
Grade: 3
PoW: Growing Worms
Stream the video of Valerie continuing the Growing Worms session in the 3rd grade class using the "What Do You Hear?" activity from p. 48 of Powerful Problem Solving. In this clip she asks the students to share what they wonder about the picture.
Activity: What Do You Hear? Part 4
Page: 48
Presenter: Valerie Klein
Grade: 3
PoW: Growing Worms
Stream the video of Valerie using the What Do You Hear? activity in the 3rd grade class to introduce students to the story that accompanies the image in the Growing Worms PoW.
Activity: What Do You Hear? Part 5
Page: 48
Presenter: Valerie Klein
Grade: 3
PoW: Growing Worms
Stream the video of Valerie continuing the Growing Worms session in the 3rd grade class using the "What Do You Hear?" activity from p. 48 of Powerful Problem Solving. In this clip she asks the students "How do you know?" as the students share what they've figured out so far.
Activity: What Do You Hear?
Page: 48
Handout: I Notice, I Wonder
Presenter: Max Ray
Grade: 3
PoW: Arm-Wrestling Contest
Stream the video of Max presenting the Arm-Wrestling Contest PoW to a different 3rd grade class. He is using the "What Do You Hear?" activity from p. 46 of Powerful Problem Solving.
Grade 4
Activity: What Do You Hear?
Page: 48
Handout: I Notice, I Wonder
Presenter: Max Ray
Grade: 4
PoW: Charlie's Gumballs
Stream the video of Max introducing the Charlie's Gumballs PoW using the "What Do You Hear?" activity from p. 48 of Powerful Problem Solving. Max presents the problem to a fourth grade class. Without writing anything down, the students listen to the story multiple times and remember what they notice. The students also think about what they wonder from the problem.
Activity: Act it Out!
Page: 62
Presenter: Max Ray
Grade: 4
PoW: Charlie's Gumballs
Stream the video of Max describing how students will work together to prepare Act It Out! presentations of Charlie's Gumballs. The groups then present and discuss the presentations and how they helped understand the problem.
Activity: What Do You Hear?
Page: 48
Handout: I Notice, I Wonder
Presenter: Max Ray
Grade: 4
PoW: Counting Chicken Wings
Stream the video of Max introducing the Counting Chicken Wings PoW using the "What Do You Hear?" activity from p. 48 of Powerful Problem Solving. Max presents the problem to a fourth grade class. Without writing anything down, the students listen to the story multiple times and remember what they notice.
Activity: Engaging Students' Number Sense Through Guessing
Page: 71
Presenter: Max Ray
Grade: 4
PoW: Counting Chicken Wings
Stream the video of Max writes students guesses of how many chicken wings on board, Max asks students some problem solving strategies, students split up to act out/draw picture for problem, walk around listen to students talking
Activity: What Do You Hear?
Page:48
Handout: I Notice, I Wonder
Presenter: Steve Weimar
Grade: 4
PoW: Cupcakes, Cupcakes!
Stream the video of Steve introducing the Cupcakes, Cupcakes! PoW using the "What Do You Hear?" activity from page 48 of Powerful Problem Solving.
Theme: Students Using Manipulatives
Chapter 5: Change the Representation
Chapter 8: Generalizing, Abstracting, and Modeling
Presenter: Steve Weimar and Annie Fetter
Grade: 4
PoW: Cupcakes, Cupcakes!
Stream the video of students discussing their use of manipulatives as they work on the Cupcakes, Cupcakes! PoW. As Steve and Annie ask different questions, you might notice themes from chapters 5 and 8 of Powerful Problem Solving.
Theme: Students Presenting Their Ideas
Chapter 2: Communication and Community
Chapter 11: Reflecting, Revising...
Presenter: Steve Weimar
Grade: 4
PoW: Cupcakes, Cupcakes!
Stream the video of Steve facilitating as 4th-grade students share their ideas about the Cupcakes, Cupcakes! PoW. You might notice some themes from Chapter 2: Communication and Community and Chapter 11: Reflecting, Revising, Justifying, and Extending.
Activity: What Do You Hear?
Handout: I Notice, I Wonder
Page: 48
Presenter: Suzanne Alejandre
Grade: 4
PoW: Eating Grapes
Stream the video of Suzanne presenting the Eating Grapes PoW to a 4th grade class. She is using the "What Do You Hear?" activity from p. 48 of Powerful Problem Solving.
Activity: Picture Gallery
Page: 64
Presenter: Suzanne Alejandre
Grade: 4
PoW: Pizza Night
Stream the video of Suzanne using the Picture Gallery activity with 4th grade students as they explore the Pizza Night PoW. "Picture Gallery" is described on page 64 of Powerful Problem Solving.
Grade 5
Activity: What Do You Hear?
Page: 48
Handout: I Notice, I Wonder
Presenter: Annie Fetter
Grade: 5
PoW: Trapezoid Teatime
Stream the video of Annie presenting the Trapezoid Teatime PoW to a 5th grade class. She is using the "What Do You See?" activity, a variation on "What Do You Hear?" from p. 48 of Powerful Problem Solving.
Chapter 5: Change the Representation
Chapter 8: Generalizing, Abstracting, and Modeling
Presenter: Annie Fetter
Grade: 5
PoW: Trapezoid Teatime
Stream the video of Annie facilitating the students as they use manipulatives to represent and model the Trapezoid Teatime PoW in a 5th grade class. You might notice themes from Chapter 5: Change the Representation: Seeing the Big Picture and Chapter 8: Generalizing, Abstracting, and Modeling of Powerful Problem Solving.
Grade 6
Activity: I Notice, I Wonder Brainstorm
Page: 46
Handout: I Notice, I Wonder
Presenter: Max Ray
Grade: 6
PoW: Teresa's Tiles
Stream the video of Max presenting the Teresa's Tiles PoW to a 6th grade class. He is using the "I Notice, I Wonder" activity from p. 46 of Powerful Problem Solving.
Activity: Trying New Strategies
Handout: I Notice, I Wonder
Page: 48
Presenter: Max Ray
Grade: 6
PoW: Eating Grapes
Stream the video of Max asking students in a 6th grade class to remember what they were "trying out" when he was in their class during his previous visit. This sets the stage for them to use manipulatives to continue thinking about and working on the problem.
Grade 7
Activity: What Do You Hear? Part 1
Page: 48
Handout: I Notice, I Wonder
Presenter: Suzanne Alejandre
Grade: 7
PoW: Eating Grapes
Stream the video of Suzanne reading the Eating Grapes PoW in a 7th grade class. You might notice Suzanne doesn't repeat the students' responses.
Activity: What Do You Hear? Part 2 Stream the video of Suzanne carefully listing the wonderings of the 7th grade students.
Page: 48
Handout: I Notice, I Wonder
Presenter: Suzanne Alejandre
Grade: 7
PoW: Eating Grapes
Activity: What Do You Hear? Part 3
Page: 48
Handout: I Notice, I Wonder
Presenter: Suzanne Alejandre
Grade: 7
PoW: Eating Grapes
Stream the video of Suzanne using the wonderings that the 7th grade students generated. She asks them which can be thought about and answered using math and which would be opinions if answered.
Activity: What Do You Hear? Part 4
Page: 48
Handout: I Notice, I Wonder
Presenter: Suzanne Alejandre
Grade: 7
PoW: Eating Grapes
Stream the video of the 7th grade students using manipulatives to work on the question, "How many grapes did Angela eat on Monday?"
Theme: Perseverance
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 8: Generalizing, Abstracting, and Modeling
Presenter: Suzanne Alejandre
Grade: 7
PoW: Eating Grapes
Stream the video of Suzanne discussing perseverance in the context of the Eating Grapes PoW in a 7th grade class. You might notice themes from the Introduction and Chapter 8: Generalizing, Abstracting, and Modeling of Powerful Problem Solving.
Activity: What Do You Hear?
Page: 48
Handout: I Notice, I Wonder
Presenter: Annie Fetter
Grade: 7
PoW: Counting Chicken Wings
Stream the video of Annie presenting the Counting Chicken Wings PoW to a 7th grade class. She is using the "What Do You Hear?" activity from p. 48 of Powerful Problem Solving.
Activity: What Do You See?
Page: 43
Handout: I Notice, I Wonder
Presenter: Annie Fetter
Grade: 7
PoW: Teresa's Tiles
Stream the video of Annie presenting the Teresa's Tiles PoW using the "What Do You See" activity from p. 43 of Powerful Problem Solving. Annie presents the problem to a seventh grade class.
Activity: What Do You See? Part 1
Page: 43
Presenter: Valerie Klein
Grade: 7
PoW: Charlie's Gumballs
Stream the video Val showing the Video Scenario of Charlie's Gumballs to a 7th grade class. She hands out a paper copy of the scenario and asks students to make a list of what they noticed and what they wondered. Pairs of students compare and talk about their lists.
Activity: What Do You See? Part 2
Page: 43
Presenter: Valerie Klein
Grade: 7
PoW: Charlie's Gumballs
Stream the video of groups of 7th grade students who have chosen from the list of wonderings and worked on them in pairs. Val asks them to talk about their math work.
Grade 8
Activity: What Do You Hear?
Page: 48
Handout: I Notice, I Wonder
Presenter: Steve Weimar
Grade: 8
PoW: Sports Weigh-In
Stream the video of Steve presenting the Sports Weigh-In PoW to a 8th grade class. He is using the "What Do You Hear?" activity from p. 48 of Powerful Problem Solving.
Activity: What Do You See?
Page: 43
Handout: I Notice, I Wonder
Presenter: Steve Weimar
Grade: 8
PoW: Teresa's Tiles
Stream the video of Steve presenting the Teresa's Tiles PoW to an 8th grade class. He is using the "What Do You See" activity from p. 43 of Powerful Problem Solving.