Wondering how to teach size of a problem to students? Then check out these 5 size of the problem activities that are sure to get your student’s on the right track.
Size Of The Problem Visual
Before we begin to talk about different ways to teach this important social skills concept, let’s talk about visuals. A visual is a great way to help students remember anything, including the different size problems.
You can make your own by simply writing numbers in a line. Then at one end with the largest number, write ‘big.’ At the other end of the line, write ‘small’ by the smallest number.
It is also helpful to continue to correlate with this reaction size. So adding a second column of numbers may be helpful. Labeling one side with problem size and the other with reaction size is helpful in keeping things straight. Plus this leads to a great visual for students to make sure their reaction is matching the size of the problem.
This size of the problem image is great to display in the classroom. Additionally, you could make smaller versions to tape to students’ desks or next to a spot that students sit in that can often have a harder time (such as a station or the teacher’s table). Then when a quick reminder is needed, it is right there.
If you don’t have time to make one, check out this size of the problem chart. It has everything that is helpful like labels, and numbers for both problem size and reaction size.
Direct Instruction
While it might not sound too exciting, direct instruction is a key starting point. Students who don’t naturally pick up this important social skill need to be taught directly what it is.
Start off with giving definitions for the terms (including small, medium, and big problems). Then give students examples from your own life that they could relate to. Tell them why the problem is that size. Go further into talking about reaction size. Again give examples of different reactions you could have to the same problem and what size reaction that would be. This is also a great time to go over what the outcome would be if you had the reaction, both good and not so good.
If you don’t have time to figure out a size of a problem lesson, check out this one. There are actually 2 different lessons included. One is on size of the problem while the other is on size of the reaction. These two topics go hand-in-hand and should be taught together. Included is everything you need to teach these 2 lessons along with some size of the problem examples to go over as a group to aid in understanding. Find this time-saving teaching resource here.
Books
Size of the problem children’s books are everywhere.
Not so sure you believe that?
Well in many, many books, there is a problem or conflict. And these problems will either be big, medium, or small.
Many times in books there are several different problems that the main character has. Taking time to point these out and discuss them is ideal. Talk about what the problem is, how big it is, and how they knew. Even have students make predictions about how the character might solve the problem and if it will lead to a wanted outcome.
A few books that I love using for this are:
- Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus by Mo Willems
- The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt
- Jabari Tries by Gaia Cornwall
For another size of a problem book idea, check out this post. You’ll find not only a great book idea but also some ideas of how to teach how to size a problem with it.
Size Of The Problem Scenarios
Posing real-life situations in a safe, learning setting is a great idea.
This is simple to do. Just come up with things that happen every day in the lives of your students. These can be things at school or at home. When thinking of school, consider the different environments there too (think hallway, lunchroom, specials, recess, etc.). Problems happen all day every day so addressing as many different ones as possible is a helpful idea.
Then give students a situation and have them state what size problem it is. Follow this up by having them explain how they knew.
For more discussion, have students give the reaction size. They can give both wanted and unwanted reactions to discuss which one would be best. Don’t forget to talk about the why too.
And to make it an even more meaningful activity, have students act out the situation and reaction.
Running short on time to come up with your own situations? Then grab this size of the problem scenarios pdf. There are 70+ size of problem cards. Scenarios take place in seven different settings including both school and home. Plus there are even 3 different response sheets in case you wanted to make this a write-the-room activity or do it with a bigger group when they need to be split up more. Find this amazing teaching resource here.
Size Of The Problem Printable Worksheets
I know, I know, worksheets don’t sound super exciting. But hear me out on this one.
Worksheets can be a great reinforcement activity, especially when following a direct instruction lesson. They can give students different formats to work on understanding the concept.
Make sure when making a size of my problem worksheet pack that you use various forms. Some should identify keywords while others can feature situations. It is great to have matching of a problem to its size as well as posed situation and reaction matching. Also, make sure to mix in some that take into account high student interest topics such as comic strips.
If you need some size of the problem worksheets free of prep so all you have to do is print and go, look at these. There is a 5 page flip book where students focus on learning the keywords of this social concept. Then there are 13 other worksheets to continue the learning. These range from how different sized problems look, comparing different size problems, comic strips, scenarios, and more! Find this size of the problem worksheets pdf resource here.
Games
Kids love playing games.
They are fun and exciting. And when those games can be turned into something educational, that is even better.
Some fun games that you can play for size of the problem can include charades. Students can act out the problem on a card that they pick. Then they can act it out and have their peer guess what the problem is. Then, have a discussion about the size of that problem. Make sure to have them tell you how they knew it was that size. As a great extension, they can tell what a solution to the problem is too.
Another fun game is size of the problem bingo. For the calling cards, write down scenarios of different problem sizes. Then attach a picture or icon that matches the situation. For example if the situation was “Ryan’s pencil broke while he was using it,” have a pencil icon. Then make bingo boards with the different icons. Make sure to mix up where you put the icons otherwise everyone will get bingo at the same time. Then just play bingo the traditional way.
If making your own bingo game isn’t something you have time for, then check out this resource. Here there are 30 calling cards. Each has different size of problem scenarios along with a match icon. The 10 different bingo boards are filled with the matching icons – each board is unique! Simply read the card and have students state the size (which is also listed on the calling card in an easy to hide place. Save yourself hours of time by simply printing and cutting apart the calling cards. Grab it here.
Looking for a Bit More?
If you aren’t sure what the whole topic is really about, check out this post. You’ll find size of a problem definition along with some examples.
Unsure why this is an important social skills concept? Read this post by Thearacare Pediatric Services for some great insight.
Happy Teaching!
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