U – Understand the Problem
P – Choose a Plan
Dialogue, think aloud, and model for
students what you think about when you
are trying to understand a problem.
Dialogue, think aloud, and model for
students what you think about when you
are trying to choose a plan.
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Draw a Picture (K-5)
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Look for a Pattern (K-5)
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Systematic Guess and Check (K-5)
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Act it Out (K-5)
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Make a Table (3-5)
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Work a Simpler Problem (3-5)
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Work Backwards (3-5)
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Use a Tool (K-5)
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Choose an operation(s) (K-5)
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Use a Computational Strategy (1-5)
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“What do we need to think about in
order to understand the problem?” It
is helpful to ask students to restate the
problem in their own words.
“What do we know? What do we
need to know?” Sometimes
identifying these two things gives
students some ideas about what to do
with the data.
“What information do we not need?”
Eliminating useless data is difficult but
an important part of understanding the
problem.
Have we seen a problem like this
before?
S – Solve the Problem
– Check for Reasonableness
Dialogue, think aloud, and model for
students what you think about when you
are trying to check for reasonableness.
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“Does your solution answer the
question?” Students need to get in the
habit of looking back at what they
needed to know in order to assess if
their answer is reasonable.
“Does your solution make sense
numerically?” Students need to think
about what kind of number they should
have ended up with. For example, if
the problem required multiplying
whole numbers, their answer should be
larger that the two numbers they started
with.
“Always justify your answer by solving
the problem using a different strategy.”
Dialogue, think aloud, and model for
students what you think about when you
are trying to solve a problem.

“Did you show your work?” Students
need to show their work in order for the
teacher to help them with error
analysis. Remind students that this is
their chance to let you peek into their
brains. Even if they know the answer
with mental math, they need to
document their thinking here.