This collection includes problems that come from a variety of sources. Some of the problems were originally published in a book put out for a limited time in 1996 by Multnomah Education Service District. It was called R.O.M. (Resources in Open-Ended Math) I contributed the primary examples found in the appendix at the end of this book. This book is no longer in print. Some of the prompts came from a collection distributed by Portland Public Schools. Others were from a collection put together by the Willamette Curriculum Coalition. Finally, some of the prompts were published in the first draft of the Gresham-Barlow School District's Teacher Resource Guide.
For many years, I have been using these prompts in a variety of ways. I ask students to glue them onto blank sheets in their Daily Mathematics Journals. By solving individually and then discussing with the whole group, students develop understanding about mathematical concepts, share strategies for solving them, practice skills, and begin to develop an understanding of how to self-evaluate their work. In the past few years, it has become obvious that many primary level teachers, who wish to introduce mathematical problem solving assessments to their students in preparation for benchmark level state assessment testing, are looking for a resource like this. While there are currently no plans to offer the open-ended assessment to primary students, it would benefit our students to practice mathematical problem solving strategies early in their educational career. Some of the prompts can be used as performance assessment tasks to be scored by the teacher and placed in students' Works Sample Collections. In addition, many of the problems offered in this collection relate directly to items students will see on the State Mathematics Multiple Choice Test.
The questions have been organized by the 5 strands identified in Oregon's Mathematics Curriculum Content Standards. Gresham-Barlow has outlined an aligned curriculum document for grades K-3 that can be seen elsewhere on this web site. The prompts have been matched to expectations for the grade levels as outlined in this curriculum framework. It is expected that teachers can use their own professional judgment to align or adapt these problems to fit their district's curriculum guidelines and also match them to what is appropriate for their own group of students.
K-3 Algebraic Relatiionships Prompts
K-3 Calculations and Estimations Prompts
K-3 Geometry Prompts
K-3 Measurement Prompts
K-3 Probability and Statistics Prompts