Georgia 4.MP.1
The Standard
Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
Georgia's K-12 Mathematics Standards · Display perseverance and patience in problem-solving. Demonstrate skills and strategies needed to succeed in mathematics, including critical thinking, reasoning, and effective collaboration and expression. Seek help and apply feedback. Set and monitor goals.
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students identify what a problem gives, what it asks, and which information matters. They choose a strategy, track their steps, and change plans when stuck. They check whether the answer fits the situation.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can solve an unfamiliar, multistep problem without waiting for an operation cue. They use a diagram, equation, table, or simpler case, explain revisions, and verify the result.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may grab numbers and choose an operation from a keyword. They may treat one failed attempt as proof the problem is impossible. Some accept an answer without checking units, size, or the original question.
How to Assess It
- Give this exit ticket: “168 pencils are shared equally among 6 classes. Each class uses 9 pencils. How many pencils remain?” Require students to label the goal, show a plan, solve, and check.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs 72 counters and cups; ask them to find three equal-group arrangements, recording every attempt and how they revised it.
Post a challenging word problem, then have students write: “My first plan was..., I changed it because..., and I checked by....”
Play Strategy Swap: pairs solve task cards, but after two minutes they must switch to a diagram, table, equation, or simpler case.
Have students plan snack packs for 124 students with package sizes and a budget, then justify a workable purchase plan.
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Printable 4.MP.1 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 4.MP.1, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.
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