Mouse Count 5

The mice are hiding

This type of word problem requires more thinking than the problems where the end result is unknown e.g. “There are 4 mice outside and 6 mice inside the jar. How many mice are there altogether?” or “There were 10 mice in the jar, 4 mice escaped, how many are left in the jar?”

Ask learners to:

• Explain how to find out how many mice are under the leaves.
• Describe the strategy they have used:
  • act it out – with children or toy mice
  • use counters to represent mice
  • draw pictures
  • use a ten frame
  • use Numicon
  • use number bonds
• Convince everyone that their answer is correct.

What number sentence can you write about the problem?

Make up some of your own problems like this one.

What if……….

………more than 10 mice escaped?

………fewer than 10 escaped?

…….the story wasn’t about mice?