# Lesson 15

Solve Story Problems with Three Numbers

## Warm-up: How Many Do You See: 10-frames (10 minutes)

### Narrative

The purpose of this How Many Do You See is for students to subitize or use grouping strategies to describe the images they see. Two-color counters are arranged on 10-frames so that students might notice there are three addends in the problem.

### Launch

• Groups of 2
• “How many do you see? How do you see them?”
• Flash the image.
• 30 seconds: quiet think time

### Activity

• Display the image.
• 1 minute: partner discussion
• Record responses.
• Repeat for each image.

### Student Facing

How many do you see?
How do you see them?

### Student Response

For access, consult one of our IM Certified Partners.

### Activity Synthesis

• “What equation could I write for each image?”
• If needed, “How can I write an equation that shows the number of each color of counters?” ($$10 + 5 = 15$$, $$5 + 5 + 5 = 15$$)

## Activity 1: Louis Agassiz Fuertes’s Birds (20 minutes)

### Narrative

The purpose of this activity is for students to solve a story problem with three addends in which two of the addends make 10. The addends that make a ten are not next to each other to encourage students to use the commutative and associative properties to make 10. Students are given access to double 10-frames and connecting cubes or two-color counters. Students read the prompt carefully to identify quantities before they start to work on the problem. They have an opportunity to think strategically about which numbers of birds to combine first since 3 and 7 make 10. They also may choose to use appropriate tools such as counters and a double 10-frame strategically to help them solve the problem (MP1, MP5).

Monitor and select students with the following methods to share in the synthesis:

• Represent addends in the order presented, counting all.
Teacher records: $$3 + 8 + 7 = \boxed{18}$$
• Use the associative property to make a ten by adding 3 and 7 and then adds on 8 more. Teacher records:
• $$3 + 7 + 8 = \boxed{18}$$
•  $$3 + 7 = 10$$
• $$10 + 8 = \boxed{18}$$
• Use the associative property to make a ten by adding 3 and 7 and recognizes that the answer is 18. Teacher records:
• $$3 + 7 + 8 = \boxed{18}$$
• $$3 + 7 = 10$$
• $$10 + 8 = \boxed{18}$$

During the activity synthesis, the teacher records student thinking as drawings and equations so it is visible to all students. Teachers should consider having several blank copies of 10-frames available and three different colored markers to represent the three addends so that students can see how making a ten can make solving more efficient.

MLR6 Three Reads. Keep books or devices closed. To launch this activity, display only the problem stem, without revealing the question. “We are going to read this story problem three times.” After the 1st Read: “Tell your partner what happened in the story.” After the 2nd Read: “What are all the things we can count in this story?” Reveal the question. After the 3rd Read: “What are different ways we can solve this problem?”

### Required Materials

Materials to Gather

### Launch

• Groups of 2
• Give students access to double 10-frames and connecting cubes or two-color counters.
• “What kind of birds do you see where you live? Where do you see the birds?” (I see pigeons on wires. I see a big bird in the park. I see red birds at the bird feeder. I hear loud birds in the morning.)
• 30 seconds: quiet think time
• 1 minute: partner discussion
• Share and record responses. Write the authentic language students use to describe the birds they see and where they see them.
• “Louis Fuertes was a bird artist. When he was a child, he loved to paint the birds he saw.”
• Consider reading the book The Sky Painter by Margarita Engle.
• “We are going to solve some problems about birds.”

### Activity

• 3 minutes: independent work time
• 2 minutes: partner discussion
• As students work, consider asking:
• “How are you finding the total number of birds?”
• “How did you decide the order to add the numbers?”
• “Is there another way you can add the numbers?”
• Monitor for students who use the methods described in the narrative.

### Student Facing

7 blue birds fly in the sky.
8 brown birds sit in a tree.
3 baby birds sit in a nest.
How many birds are there altogether?
Show your thinking using objects, drawings, numbers, or words.

Equation: ________________________________

### Student Response

For access, consult one of our IM Certified Partners.

### Activity Synthesis

• Invite previously identified students to share in the given order.
• “How are these methods the same? How are they different?” (They are the same because they all got 18. The last two methods use the “add in any order” property to move addends to make $$3 + 7$$. Then they added $$10 + 8$$. There was a lot of counting in the first method, some counting in the second, and no counting in the last method.)
• If needed, ask, “Where is 10 in the story problem?” ($$3 + 7$$, the number of blue birds in the sky and baby birds in a nest.)
• “Is there a method that is different than yours, that you would like to try?” (I want to make ten because I know my facts to ten.)

## Activity 2: Fuertes’s Bird Cards (20 minutes)

### Narrative

The purpose of this activity is for students to solve more story problems with three addends, in which two of the addends make 10. Students are encouraged to look for addends that have a sum of 10 and think about how that helps when adding (MP7). Students should have access to double 10-frames and connecting cubes or two-color counters to use if they choose.

When recording student thinking, it is important that the teacher write each part of the equation on a separate line. For example, when representing student thinking for $$5 + 9 + 5 = \boxed{\phantom{3}}$$ record:

• $$5 + 9 + 5 = \boxed{\phantom{3}}$$
• $$5 + 5 = 10$$
• $$10 + 9 = \boxed{19}$$
Engagement: Develop Effort and Persistence. Chunk this task into more manageable parts. Check in with students to provide feedback and encouragement after each chunk.
Supports accessibility for: Attention, Organization

### Required Materials

Materials to Gather

### Launch

• Groups of 2
• Give students access to double 10-frames and connecting cubes or two-color counters.
• “Many pictures of birds that Louis Fuertes painted were printed on cards that people liked to collect. They would bring their cards outside and try to name the birds they saw. Let’s answer some story problems about the bird cards.”

### Activity

• 10 minutes: independent work time
• 4 minutes: partner discussion
• Monitor for students who use different methods to solve $$10 + 6 + 4 = \boxed{\phantom{3}}$$.

### Student Facing

1. Noah collected 3 bird picture cards.
Clare collected 4 cards.
How many cards did they collect altogether?
Show your thinking using drawings, numbers, or words.

Equation: ________________________________

2. Jada used her cards to name the birds she saw.
She saw 4 orioles.
She saw 2 goldfinches.
She saw 8 sparrows.
How many birds did Jada see?
Show your thinking using drawings, numbers, or words.

Equation: ________________________________

We see some birds.
We see 9 ________________________________.
We see 8 ________________________________.
We see 1 ________________________________.
How many birds do we see altogether?
Show your thinking using drawings, numbers, or words.

Equation: ________________________________

4. $$10 + 6 + 4 = \boxed{\phantom{\frac{aaai}{aaai}}}$$

Show your thinking using drawings, numbers, or words.

5. $$5 + 9 + 5 = \boxed{\phantom{\frac{aaai}{aaai}}}$$

Show your thinking using drawings, numbers, or words.

### Student Response

For access, consult one of our IM Certified Partners.

### Activity Synthesis

• Invite previously identified students to share their work.
• “Who can restate _____’s method?”
• Repeat for each student’s work.
• “What connections do you see between the different methods?” (There are two tens in each method. Each method is addition.)

## Lesson Synthesis

### Lesson Synthesis

“Today, we learned about a man who was a very good painter. He wanted to paint birds while they were alive so he learned how to paint quickly. We also found the sum of three numbers. What did each of you do today that helped you solve a problem with three numbers?”

## Cool-down: Unit 3, Section C Checkpoint (0 minutes)

### Cool-Down

For access, consult one of our IM Certified Partners.