Year 5 Maths

Problem Solving

In Year 5, we follow the Problem Solving Framework and use the ten strategies in the framework to solve mathematical problems.

The ten strategies we use are; Guess and Check, Make a Table or Chart, Draw a Picture or a Diagram, Act Out the Problem, Find a Pattern or Use a Rule, Check for Relevant or Irrelevant Information, Find Smaller Parts of a Larger Problem, Make an Organised List, Solve a Simpler Problem, and Work Backwards.

Within each of these ten strategies, there are five steps to help us solve our problems. They are;

• Clarify (Make the problem clearer. What do I need to find out? What do I know? What information can I get from the problem?)

• Options (How will I solve the problem? What maths do I need to solve the problem? How will I organise my information? How will I collect my information?)

• Solve (Which Strategy will I use? How will I use the maths I have chosen? How much working out will I show? How will I check my answers?)

• Interpret & Check (What does my answer mean? How will I check it? Are my results reasonable? Could I have chosen a better way to do this? Does my solution answer the question?)

• Communicate (How do I tell someone about what I have done? What did I try to do? How did I do it? What am I telling? Did I have to redo anything?)