Creating a table

Problem: The printer in the media center can print 1 page every 30 seconds. The
printer in the office can print 4 pages every 30 seconds. If both printers are printing,
how many pages will the office printer have printed by the time the media center
printer prints 5 pages?
1. Understand the problem

 Teacher helps students to identify the key pieces of information needed to find
the answer.
 Teacher requires students to read the problem again and choose important
ketwords.
 Students should understan that there are two printers, the media center one prints
1 pages every 30 seconds. The office one prints 4 pages ervery 30 seconds. We
need to find how many pages the office printer has printed by the time the media
center one prints 5 pages.
2. Choose a strategy

Because there are more than one characteristic in this problem, we will use Creating a
Table Calculating Multiple Strategy to see what information we have and what
information is missing, and also the relation of all characteristic.
3. Solve the problem

 Teacher explains to students to help them create the table.

 Since we have three characteristic, time, printer in the office, priter in the media
center. Then we create rows for each of sets of data and a column for each hour.
 We will list the number of the media center printer print through time until it
prints 5 pages. Then it will have 5 columns and 3 rows.
 We will find the number of pages that the office printer has printed by looking at
the listed number.
Time 30s 60s 90s 120s 150s
The media center printer 1 2 3 4 5
The office printer 4 8 12 16 20
 Then the office printer has printed 20 pages by the time the media center one
prints 5 pages.
4. Examine

 Teacher requires students to check whether we have answered the question: We

find that the office printer has printed 20 pages by the time the media center one
prints 5 pages, the question was answered.
 Then we check the math to make sure it is correct:
 30.1=30; 30.2=60; 30.3=90; 30.4=120; 30.5=150
4.1=4; 4.2=8; 4.3=12; 4.4=16; 4.5=20

Looking for a pattern

Problem: The Ross family are working on a fitness program. On the first day, they
cycle around the oval three times; on the second day, seven times; and on the third
day, eleven times; and so on. How many days must they exercise before they reach
theirs goal of cycling around the oval 31 times?
1. Understand the problem

 Teacher helps students to find the key informations in the question.

 Students show understand that the Ross family cycle around 3 times in day 1; 7
times in day 2; 11 times in day 3; and so on. The number of circuits of the oval
increases each day. We need to find how many days before they reach their goal.
2. Choose a plan

 Teacher explains to students which strategy we should use to solve this problem.
 Since the number of circuits are increasing during time 3, 7, 11, … and we see
that if we plus the number comes just before with 4, we gain the number comes
right after.
 Then we see that this is a sequence having rule. Hence we will use Looking for a
pattern Finding a pattern in a table Strategy to solve this problem.
3. Solve the problem

 Teacher makes a table with given informations to help students understand the
problem and see the rule.
 Students will fill in the table to find the answer.
Days Circuits
1 3
2 7
3 11
4 15
5 19
6 23
7 27
8 31
 Then it will take 8 days for the Ross family to reach their goal of 31 circuits of
the oval.
4. Examine

 Teacher requires students to check whether the question is answered: it will take
8 days for the Ross family to reach their goal of 31 circuits of the oval.
 Check the math to make sure it is correct:
3+4=7;
7+4=11;
11+4=15;
15+4=19;
19+4=23;
23+4=27;
27+4=31.