Searching for SolutionsMaking an Organized List
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Strategy 3 - Making an Organized List
Another strategy for solving problems is making an organized list. By making a list, you can count the number of options you have when you need to make a decision.
For example: A sandwich shop has three sandwich specials: tuna (T), chicken (C), or turkey (Tk) with one of these: lettuce (L), tomato (To), or sprouts (S). Make a list of the different sandwiches you could order. (Passport to Mathematics, Book 1, McDougal Littell, 1999, p. 15.)
Organized List of Combinations:
 | tuna sandwich with lettuce -- (T) with (L) |
| tuna sandwich with tomato -- (T) with (To) |
| tuna sandwich with sprouts -- (T) with (S) |
| chicken sandwich with lettuce -- (C) with (L) |
| chicken sandwich with tomato -- (C) with (T) |
| ... etc. |
Can you finish the list? How many combinations did you get?
Activity 1: Imagine that you are going away for a few days and you cannot bring a large suitcase. It makes sense to pack items that can be mixed and matched to get the most of your outfits. Suppose that you have 2 pairs of pants in black and brown and one pair of jeans. You can also bring three shirts - one white, one tan, and one blue. How many different outfits can you make from these six pieces of clothing? Make a list showing each outfit. Write down the total number of outfits possible.
Activity 2: Make a list of all the numbers between 1 and 50. Circle the even numbers and put an "X" on the multiples of 3 (i.e. 3, 6, 9, 12, ...). Make a list of the numbers which have a circle and an "X" on them. Describe this list of numbers. What do they have in common?
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1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | etc... |
For this problem, there are ten clowns at the circus. Their names are Smiley, Sour Joe, Bozo, Elmer, Giggles, Floppsy, Sticks, Shorty, Rainbow, and Squeaky. The clowns come out into the crowd in pairs. List all the different ways that the clowns can be paired together.
Now, write down your phone number. Using the letters on a telephone, list the different combinations of three-letter or four-letter words your phone number spells. Remember that most of the numbers on the phone have three different corresponding letters on them. Check phonespell.org to find combinations you didn't list.
Activity 3: Some riddles and puzzles can be tricky. They may even involve applying your problem solving skills. Here are a set of riddles for you to try. Be sure to have paper and pencil to help you solve these problems.
| Grade Five Problems can be found at: http://www.stfx.ca/special/mathproblems/grade5.html. |
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© Searching for Solutions - A Web-Based Problem-Solving Unit - Developed by Judy Campf, e-Learning Specialist.
