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Lollies!
Number and Algebra, Level 1
Problem On Monday, Sam and Sylvia shared some lollies that their Mum had given them. Sam got 2 lollies. Sylvia got 4 lollies. How many lollies did they have to share? If their Mum gave them each the same number of lollies every day up to (and including) Wednesday, how many lollies did they each get? What is this problem about? This problem is the first of six problems that go from Level 1 to Level 4 and slowly change from being completely number oriented to being completely algebraically oriented. The aim of these problems is to show how a simple idea can be taken and extended to cover a range of Levels and Achievement Objectives. The problems, including this one are More Lollies (Level 1), Sharing Lollies (Level 2), Sharing More Lollies (Level 2), Lollies, Lollies, Lollies (Level 3) and Still More Lollies (Level 4). In practice, complicated problems that can be solved algebraically often have quite simple numerical ideas underlying them. Of course, the same thing can be said for any apparently difficult problem in mathematics. The ideas that are used at any level are based on ones found earlier. That is just the way that the subject builds itself up and manages to deal with ever more complicated situations. Relevant Achievement Objectives

Number strategies: use a range of counting, grouping, and equal-sharing strategies with whole numbers and fractions.

Specific Learning Outcomes The students will be able to:

solve addition problems with numbers up to 20.

Resources

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Copymaster of the problem (English) Copymaster of the problem (Mori)

Lesson Sequence 1. 2. Show the students 4 lollies and ask them to tell you all the ways that could share them between 2 students. Talk about the difference between sharing evenly and sharing. Read the problem with the class. Check that the students understand that the uneven sharing continues throughout the problem.

3.

Share solutions. Ask the students to explain the different methods they used to find the answer (equipment, skip counting, known facts).

Other Contexts

This problem could be posed in a number of contexts using items, which are of current interest.
Extension to the problem

Make up similar story problems of your own. Solution The number of lollies they shared is the sum of what each got. So the answer is 2 + 4 = 6. The students could find this by using equipment, by drawing or by counting on. The second part of the question asks how many lollies Sam and Sylvia got each. Sam got 2 + 2 + 2 = 6. Sylvia got 4 + 4 + 4 = 12.

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