In this workshop problem solving experiences will be drawn from childrenís literature books. Ideas for problem solving tasks and ways to introduce problem solving strategies through these tasks will be addressed. The stories include The Napping House, One Hundred Hungry Ants, P. Bearís New Yearís Party, Bunches and Bunches of Bunnies, The Doorbell Rang.

In this workshop teachers will examine problem solving strategies appropriate to their grade level. Strategies may include Make a Table, Make an Organized List, Look for a Pattern, Solve a Simpler Problem, Work Backwards, Act it Out, Build a Model or Draw a Picture, Eliminate Possibilities, Systematic Guess and Check. Problems which illustrate each strategy will be provided as a vehicle for teaching students to use these strategies. In addition, classroom management ideas and classroom characteristics which promote success in problem solving will be discussed.

In this workshop teachers will learn how to introduce the ideas of chance and random events to young students. We will perform simple probability experiments with dice, spinners, coins, and cards, then analyze this data using graphs and charts. The lessons presented will cause students to make predictions, conduct experiments, analyze results and begin to use mathematics to explain why the experimental results occurred as they did.