Bar modeling in math instruction
- 1. Introduction: Why are word problems so hard for kids to solve? Reading and understanding a word problem often has a child confused before they even get to do any mathematical processes. Singapore Math uses bar models or tape models to crate a nice visual picture for students who need help working out their word problems. 1
- 2. Here is an overview of how Singapore Math approaches teaching math content to students. Concrete objects students can see and touch help them understand exactly what a problem means or is asking. The pictorial part of the model can be created with pen and paper and drawn models. The abstract piece is last, and that’s when we have out students complete actual mathematical processes and mental math. 2
- 3. Here are five problems that often occur when working with math word problems. Anne Newman, and Australian educator and researcher theorizes that 60% of errors on a problem occur before a student can even get to the “math part” of a problem. Using different models may help students avoid some of these errors. 3
- 4. These are commonly used strategies that students and teachers use to try and solve word problems. These work sometimes, but the idea we will look at next, bar modeling, can be used across mathematical processes. In Singapore style math texts, these models start in second grade and continue on through high school level mathematics. 4
- 5. 5 Here is an example of how bar models can show a student what is happening in the word problem. It gives a student a visual model that compares the two numbers easily. Simply by looking at the bars you can tell a lot of information about the numbers you are working with.
- 6. Here are some steps we can discuss about drawing and creating these models. If you teach your students these steps, they can move toward being comfortable looking at bar models and then making their own. 6
- 7. This is another example of a bar model. Students can easily solve addition and subtraction with basic part/whole bars. Both parts can easily be assigned value. The whole can also be given, with one part given as well. These ways that part/whole bars can be used for both processes. 7
- 8. This is an example of a multiplication problem that can be solved using a bar model. You can use them for basic facts or more complex problems. Let’s take a look how to use these! 8
- 9. Bar modeling is a great tool to use with your students when teaching a multitude of mathematical practices. I hope it helps add some ideas to your current math instruction. 9
- 10. Here are resources I used for our presentation. 10