Second Grade Problem Solving with Child 5
This second grader works to make sense of a non-routine problem with several addends. She makes a graph to model when trying to trying to think though the math problem. This is one unique way to solve math problems for 2nd grade.
Focus on the Child videos are taken from one-on-one interviews with individual children. The interviews are designed to elicit evidence of children’s mathematical thinking. They are not teaching episodes or formal assessments.

Why is this important?
After an initial error, this second grader works to make sense of the problem. Her choice to construct a graph indicates that she understands the +1 growing pattern of the story. Once she’s made sense of the problem situation, she arrives at the correction solution easily.