Standard #: MA.3.M.1.2

Benchmark Instructional Guide

Connecting Benchmarks/Horizontal Alignment

• MA.3.FR.1.1 
• MA.3.FR.1.2 
• MA.3.FR.2.1
• MA.3.FR.2.2 
• MA.3.AR.1.2 
• MA.3.GR.1.2 
• MA.3.GR.2.3
• MA.3.GR.2.4

 

Terms from the K-12 Glossary

• NA

 

Vertical Alignment

Previous Benchmarks

• MA.2.M.1.3

 

Next Benchmarks

• MA.4.M.1.2

 

Purpose and Instructional Strategies

The purpose of this benchmark is for students to apply what they have learned about measurement to solve real-world problems. 

• When solving real-world problems, instruction should facilitate students’ understandings of contexts and quantities (MTR.4.1, MTR.5.1, MTR.7.1). 
• Recommendations for helping students comprehend and solve real-world problems can be found in this document for benchmark MA.3.AR.1.2.

 

Common Misconceptions or Errors

• Students who struggle to identify benchmarks on number lines can also struggle to measure units of length, liquid volume, and temperature. Allow students to measure often and receive feedback. Students can also use error and reasoning analysis activities to identify this common measurement difficulty. 
• Students may have difficulty creating effective models (e.g., drawings, equations) that will help them solve real-world problems. To assist students, provide opportunities for them to estimate solutions and try different models before solving. Beginning instruction by showing problems without their quantities is a strategy for helping students determine what steps and operations will be used to solve. 
• Students can struggle to identify when real-world problems require two steps to solve and will complete only one of the steps. Focusing on comprehension of real-world problems helps students determine what step(s) are required to solve.

 

Strategies to Support Tiered Instruction

• Instruction includes providing opportunities to estimate solutions and try different models before solving. Instruction begins by showing problems without their quantities to determine what steps and operations will be used to solve. Teaching problem-solving strategies should focus on the comprehension of problem contexts and what quantities represent in them. 
  • For example, “For a science experiment in Mr. Thomas’s 3rd grade class, each student needs some milliliters of water. If there are some students in Mr. Thomas’s class, how many milliliters will be needed in all?” Students will notice that the quantities have been removed from the problem. This will help them to determine what the quantities represent and which operation to choose to solve the problem. The numberless word problem may also be written as ______ students × _______ milliliters of water = ______ milliliters needed in all. 
• Teacher encourages exploration of estimation strategies to determine reasonable ranges for solutions (e.g., rounding, finding low and high estimates) and teach problem-solving strategies that build comprehension. 
  • For example, the 3-Reads Protocol is a close reading strategy for solving problems that focuses on comprehension of the word problem. 
    • The problem is read 3 times, each for a different purpose. 
      • What is the problem, context, or story about? 
      • What are we trying to find out? 
      • What information is important in the problem?

• Instruction includes opportunities to measure often and provide feedback. Use error and reasoning analysis activities to address common measurement difficulties. 
• Instruction includes opportunities to find the locations of points on number lines. Number lines should be represented vertically and horizontally. Instruction includes whole number values and fractions, including fractions greater than one. 
  • For example, number lines should be included with benchmarks instead of every number in the sequence included. The blue line below extends from the 0 mark on the number line to the first hashmark beyond 2. The dot plotted on the number line identifies the end of the blue line. Since each whole number interval is partitioned into four equal parts, the first hashmark beyond 2 is represented as 2$\frac{\text{1}}{\text{4}}$. 

• For example, number lines can also have all numbers included to represent the values between the benchmarks. 
• For example, teaching problem-solving strategies should focus on the comprehension of problem contexts and what quantities represent in them. 
• Instruction includes an emphasis on teaching problem-solving strategies, focusing on the comprehension of problem contexts and what quantities represent in them. 
  • For example, questions that help students comprehend word problems are: 
    • What is happening in the real-world problem? 
    • What do you need to find out? 
    • What do the quantities represent in the problem? 
    • What will the solution represent in the problem? 
  • For example, “For a science experiment in Mr. Thomas’s 3rd grade class, each student needs 8 milliliters of water. If there are 23 students in Mr. Thomas’s class, how many milliliters will be needed in all?” 

• Teacher guides exploration in estimation strategies to determine reasonable ranges for solutions (e.g., rounding, finding low and high estimates) and teaches problem-solving strategies that build comprehension (e.g., Three Reads). 
  • For example, the 3-Reads Protocol is a close reading strategy for solving problems that focuses on comprehension of the word problem. 
    • The problem is read 3 times, each for a different purpose. 
    • What is the problem, context, or story about? 
    • What are we trying to find out? 
    • What information is important in the problem?

 

Instructional Tasks

Instructional Task 1 

Each year, the Tallahassee Pumpkin Festival hosts a contest to find the largest pumpkin grown that season. The winner of the competition has the greatest mass, in grams. The masses of the contest entries are in the table below. 

• Part A. Which pumpkin won the contest? 
• Part B. What is the difference of the mass, in grams, between the first and second place winning pumpkins?

 

Instructional Items

Instructional Item 1 

For a science experiment in Mr. Thomas’s 3rd grade class, each student needs 8 milliliters of water. If there are 23 students in Mr. Thomas’s class, how many milliliters will be needed in all? 

 

*The strategies, tasks and items included in the B1G-M are examples and should not be considered comprehensive.