Puzzle-Piece Models
Math Puzzles are a great tool to help organize the parts of a number sentence. The top piece shows the whole number, and the two bottom pieces show the parts of that number. The puzzles are used to show the relationship between numbers, as in number families. They are also used to help solve various types of story problems.
Using puzzles, the numbers can be easily organized, making it simple to identify the missing component – whether the whole or a part – and then solve accordingly: For a missing whole, add the two parts; for a missing part, subtract the part we already know from the whole. The puzzle pieces are always the same size. They are not scaled according to quantity. This helps students stay focused on organizing the numbers into their respective parts, as opposed to trying to figure out what size the pieces should be.
Using puzzles, the numbers can be easily organized, making it simple to identify the missing component – whether the whole or a part – and then solve accordingly: For a missing whole, add the two parts; for a missing part, subtract the part we already know from the whole. The puzzle pieces are always the same size. They are not scaled according to quantity. This helps students stay focused on organizing the numbers into their respective parts, as opposed to trying to figure out what size the pieces should be.
