Problem of the Month

Problem Statement

In your own words, state the general overall problem clearly enough that someone unfamiliar with the problem could pick up your paper and understand what you are asked to do.

Process

Describe in detail how you attempted to solve this problem. You may want to consider some of the following questions. You should include things that did not work.

How did you get started?
What approaches did you try?
Where did you get stuck?
Did you talk to anyone about the problem?
Did talking to someone help or hinder you?
What drawing, chart, graph, or model did you use?

Solution

State your solutions as clearly as you can. Include any charts, graphs, drawings, and lists that helped you solve the problem. If you were able to generalize the solution, include your equation or function. Defend why you think your solution is correct or the best possible answer. Your explanations should be written in a way that is convincing to the reader. Reflect on the problem and how you worked through it.

What did you learn?
What mathematics did you use?
What did you learn about yourself as a math thinker?

Problem of the Week Rubric

5: Accomplishes the Task with Distinction: The response, completely accomplishes the core performance of the task, and goes beyond the task requirements. A distinguished performance is exciting: a gem. It excels and merits nomination for distinction by meeting the standards for a '4' and demonstrating special insights or powerful generalizations or eloquence or other exceptional qualities.

4: Accomplishes the task: The response accomplished the prompted purpose. The student's strategy and execution are at a level consistent with the core elements of performance including math standards and qualitative demands of the task. Communication is judged by its effectiveness, not by grammatical correctness or length. Although a '4' need not be perfect, any defects must be minor and very likely to be repaired by the student's own editing without the benefit of a note from the reader.

3:Ready for Revision: Evidence in the response convinces you that the student can revise the work up to a '4' with help of written feedback. The student does not need dialog or additional teaching. Any overlooked issues, misleading assumptions, or errors in the execution- to be addressed in the revision-do not subvert thescorer's confidence that the student's mathematical power is ample to accomplish this task.

2: Partial Success With More Instruction Needed: Part of the core elements of performance is accomplished, but there is a lack of evidence - or evidence of lack- in some areas needed to accomplish the whole task. It is not clear that the student is ready to revise the work without a conversation or more teaching.

1: Engaged Task With Little Success,: The response may have fragments of appropriate material from the core elements of performance and may show effort to accomplish the task, but with little or no success. The task may be misconceived, or the approach may be incoherent, or the response might lack any correct results. Nonetheless, it is evident that the respondent tackled the task and put some math knowledge and tools to work.

0: No response or Off Task: There is no evidence that the task was engaged. The response is blank or there are marks, words, or drawings unrelated to the task.