The bar model is a useful visualization tool to interpret word problems, but there are more than one way to solve the problem after visualizing. Often, we jump straight to the methods we are used to without seeing that another approach might be easier. Take the choice of whether to trim or add for example, …
Sometimes one bar model is not enough. Here’s an interesting double bar model problem using before-after relationships. If Abby gives $10 to Ben, then they will have the same amount of money. If Ben gives $20 to Abby, then she’ll have four times as much as he has. How much money does each of them …
We recently came across two entirely different question types and solved them using the exact same bar model. Geometry Type of Question Here’s the first question: The figure below is made up of two overlapping shapes, a triangle and a square. The ratio of the area of the triangle to the area of the square …
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We call this an advanced bar model problem. How would you solve this 5th-grade question using bar models? Mr. Lim had some stickers and stamps for his class. The number of stickers was half as many as the number of stamps. After giving each student in the class 3 stickers and 8 stamps, Mr Lim …
In the previous post, we talked about two common mistakes in drawing bar models – not aligning the starting points of the bars being compared and having disjoint bars for parts. Here we want to illustrate why it is important for us to draw bar models correctly from the beginning when we first use them …
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Bar Modeling is a very powerful heuristic in Singapore math. Representing unknown quantities and the relationships between them using rectangular “bars” gives an intuitive and visual representation of the problem. More importantly, when used correctly, representing problem using bar models makes students approach the solution in a systematic and algebraic manner. This empowers even young …
Here is a bar model example for “before and after” type of word problems. Tom had $190 and Jane had $60. After each of them received an equal amount of money from their father, Tom had twice as much money as Jane. How much did their father give each of them? See more 3rd …
Do you know we can use bar models for multiplication and division problems? In this blog post, we illustrate some of the common types of word problems involving Multiplication and Division and how to solve them using this powerful heuristic. Using Bar Models for Multiplication and Division in One-Step Multiplication Word Problems Example (from Math in …
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This is a question from Math In Focus Workbook 3A Lesson 9.2 (Real-World Problems: Two-step Problems with Multiplication): Jill has 28 stickers. Peggy has 4 times as many stickers as Jill. Luis has 15 fewer stickers than Peggy. How many stickers does Luis have? Solution: Peggy has P = 4 x 28 = 112 Luis …
How about a video mini-lesson on using bar models for multiplication and division? In this short video, Kar-Hwee walks through some examples of solving 2-step word problems involving the 4 operations.
