Pumping up my math instruction: Problem Solving

Today I'm going to share with you all how I tackle problem solving during math.  As you know I made the jump from 2nd to 3rd last year and had to  prepare my students for that yucky state test.  Luckily my students did an amazing job and I know it was because of how I tackled problem solving.

I knew I had to improve on problem solving so the first thing that I did was add problem solving to my math block!  Each day we spend the first 15 minutes of our math block focusing on problem solving.  This has made a huge difference in how my students approach a story problem.  As you can see I have a wall just for problem solving that includes my problem solving strategy posters (in store) that my students use to reference while solving their POD.  My students also have one in their POD folders to reference.  Below the POD header I  usually take the 2-3 copies of their POD and glue them to white paper and invite a few students to come solve on the board.  This allows me to assess my students understanding of problem solving daily.  These students also get feedback from me and their classmates.  Finally you can see that I include quick checks on my board (included in my story problem packs)  that my students solve independently 1-2 times a week.  Students have to show how they used each strategy while solving the problem and explain their thinking in words.  These forms give me so much data and RTI information for my students!

All of the resources above can be found in my TPT store!

Well I'm off to get some sun!  

What does problem solving look like in your classroom?