A large part of math instruction is teaching students to understand and solve story problems. These are math problems that are put into a context. In order for students to solve story problems, they need to make sense of the problem (what is the action or operation solved?), create a representation of the problem (draw or build a model). Our new Math in Focus curriculum supports solving story problems by introducing Bar Modeling. Here are some examples from Grades 2, 3, and 4 of how students are using bar models to solve problems.
