Certificate in Singapore Math Strategies: Model Drawing for Grades 1-6 Online Course

Discover Model Drawing

Do your students get frustrated when it's time to solve word problems? Perhaps they find the process confusing or can't seem to figure out what the problem is asking. In our first lesson, you'll discover a wonderful solution to this common problem—it's a Singapore Math strategy called model drawing, and it give students seven reliable steps that will help them solve just about every word problem they encounter.

Learn the Model Drawing Process

Are you ready to learn about our model drawing process? With model drawing, we begin by reading the problem. Then we determine our variables, make a visual representation of the problem (the model), adjust that model for problem information, place our question mark to indicate what we're solving for, do the computation, and write a final sentence. Guess what? It's really simple! We'll go over all of it in this lesson.

Addition Word Problems

Whether you teach first grade or sixth, it's helpful to know how to solve basic addition problems with model drawing. These are great learning exercises for older students because the computation is simple, and they can focus on the process. But these problems are also part of the basic curriculum for younger kids. In this lesson, we'll solve a variety of addition problems.

Subtraction Word Problems

Subtraction word problems can be pretty tricky. Sometimes it's hard to keep track of what goes where, and other times, it's confusing to do the math itself. Which number do you subtract from which? Today, you'll find out how to harness the power of a visual model that shows students how the subtracted quantity fits into the problem.

Multiplication Word Problems

Remember those problems where Sally types 62 words per minute and you had to figure out how many words she types in 15 minutes? Well, guess what? These problems don't have to be as hard as they seem. In fact, in today's lesson, I'll show you how easy it is to show each quantity in our model drawings.

Division Word Problems

Now that we've mastered multiplication problems, it's time to discover their cousin. Division word problems are often the ones students stumble on the most, but after today's lesson, you'll soon be gliding through them with ease. You'll even discover how to solve those tricky before and after scenarios.

Fraction Word Problems

If you have half as much fun taking this course as you do going to a theme park, how much fun will you have? A lot! Today we'll tackle fraction word problems that are easy to visualize with our unit bar model. You'll be amazed by how much a simple model can help students understand complex fraction concepts.

Rate Word Problems

If you've ever needed to figure out how many miles you'll get out of a few gallons of gas, you'll appreciate today's lesson on rate word problems. You'll learn how to set up the two different things we're comparing in a typical rate problem (like miles per gallon or cookies per plate). You'll soon be breezing through even the most complicated rate problems-like how long it takes to fill a pool with a hose that puts out 8 gallons per minute.

Ratio Word Problems

Now that you've discovered rates, let's talk about their close friend: ratio problems. Let's say you have 3 candy bars to my 1, and Jill has 2 to your 3. That's a 3:1:2 ratio. If I have 16 candy bars, how many do you have? These problems don't have to be any more complex than multiplication problems—it's all about finding the base unit and working from there. You'll learn how in this lesson.

Percent Word Problems

The nice thing about percent problems is that most of the time, you're not working with more than 100%. A school can't have 115% students, and a pie can't have 200% pumpkin filling. With our handy percent ruler (a great model drawing trick), these problems become a snap. Let me show you how in today's lesson.

Practice Word Problems

By now you're probably feeling like a Singapore Math pro! In this lesson, you'll have the opportunity to apply what you've learned so far in this course. We have lots of word problems in this lesson. You'll solve the word problems and also match a word problem to a pre-created model.

Using Model Drawing Every Day

Now that you've learned how to successfully integrate model drawing with so many kinds of word problems, today we'll go over how you can take all of this information into your classroom. It's all about introducing model drawing the right way, doing lots of practice before you present the lessons, and giving students ample opportunities to learn with you and on their own.