school, and Sabrina lives 5 miles from school. If the bus takes each
girl directly from home to school and back again, how many
more miles does Sabrina ride the bus each day than Elsa?
This particular problem is not that complex. Perhaps you see quickly that the
solution is 4 miles. But “4 miles” is not the complete story, is it?
Elsa and Sabrina ride the school bus. Elsa lives 3 miles
from school, and Sabrina lives 5 miles from school. If the bus
takes each girl directly from home to school and back
again, how many more miles does Sabrina ride the
bus each day than Elsa?
THAT’S the whole story!
Drawing pictures helps you figure out problems that don’t seem simple. In the
story of Elsa and Sabrina and the school bus, when you draw how far each girl
travels each day, it’s easy to see the difference.
Get in the habit of always showing your work, even when a problem seems easy.
That way, when problems get harder, you’ll be used to showing your work and
drawing pictures to solve them. This will make math much easier as you get older!
Sabrina
5 miles
5 miles
5+5=10
Elsa
3 miles
3 miles
3+3=6
10-6=4
Sabrina rides the bus 4 miles
more than Elsa each day.
OK, now let’s try a basic
multiplication problem.
54 × 78 = ?
54 × 78 = 4,212
Yes, true enough, the solution is 4,212.
But it’s best to show how you
found your solution.
54 × 78 = ?
Showing your work proves
to you and your teacher
that you understand what
you’re learning. And if
you’re having trouble,
your work will show what
part you don’t understand
so that you can get help
and stop making the same
error. You’ll be telling the
whole story!
2
3
5
4
×
7
8
1
4
3
2
1
3
7
8
4
2
1
2
QUIZ
Teacher Test
Think your math teacher expects you to earn
100% every time? Take this quiz to discover
what your teacher really wants.
Racing through your math work to
be the first student to turn in every
assignment is a great way to show
off your smarts.
True or False
Math teachers
think your
homework should
be perfect every
time. You had all
night to get it right!
True or False
Math teachers
insist there’s only
one correct way
to solve every
math problem.
True or False
Math teachers feel you should
volunteer to answer a question
in class or show work at the
board only if you’re absolutely
sure you’ll get it right.
True or False
Math teachers hate
it when students ask
questions in class.
If you don’t understand
something, figure it
out on your own!
True or False
Math teachers
expect you
to earn an A
on every test
and quiz.
True or False
Teachers know that students work at different speeds. Teachers want
you to do careful work and to try to do your best. If there’s time,
they hope you check your answers.
Teachers expect students to make mistakes on math homework. Math
homework lets you practice the concepts you cover in class. Teachers
look at homework to see if you understand what they’re teaching. If
students don’t do well on a particular homework assignment, a teacher