SAVY 2019: Session 4, Day 5 – Puzzles and Problem Solving (Rising 5th/6th)
On our final day in Puzzles and Problem Solving, we looked at a couple of gold coin problems where students had a certain number of weighings on a balance scale to try to determine which coins were fake. Students quickly solved the nine-coin problem and set to work on the five-coin version. You would think the five-coin version would be easier, but there are multiple counterfeit coins in that one!
With the pirate problem, students worked in small groups to change the initial problem from a five-pirate problem to a ten-pirate problem. Then we worked together and eventually ended up with 207 pirates! Then, students were able to locate a pattern that allowed us to predict how the problem would proceed.
In the afternoon, we dared to try a more challenging dice riddle: Polar Bears and Fish. In many ways, the students were more successful with this than the Petals Around the Rose. They were putting their problem solving skills to use! We also completed another set of rebus puzzles and solved a sudoku that employed mathematical symbols instead of numbers.
Thank you all for a great week!
Leave a Response