Multi-Step Problem Solving
With teacher support, make sense of multi-step problems involving larger numbers or mixed operations by breaking them into parts, choosing strategies, and checking answers for reasonableness — children at this stage are developing the habit with guidance; independent strategy evaluation comes later
Lesson
Set out your lesson
“Multi-Step Problem Solving means practising the idea at the table with counters or paper models and one clear check. We will demo once, then your child tries.”
Bring to the table
- Two colours of counters
- Paper for ratio notation
Extra for the adult
Worked example. 2 red and 3 blue is the ratio 2:3.
Optional challenge. For Multi-Step Problem Solving, add one harder example after success.
What to notice. Keep one parent note: examples tried; results; support used. This session samples Multi-Step Problem Solving, not mastery.
Share and support
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Teaching approaches
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1 approach
Multi-Step Problem Solving means practising the idea at the table with counters or paper models and one clear check. We will demo once, then your child tries.
Materials: Two colours of counters; Paper for ratio notation. Adult shows 2 red : 3 blue and says the ratio. Child builds three ratios and reads each aloud. Done: three correct ratio readings. Stop after the fresh check; keep optional challenge for another day.
Family records and proof options
Keep a record of your learning
Save photos, notes, and attendance. Export a proof packet for compliance or portfolio reviews.
Practice this concept
Start practiceMulti-Step Problem Solving practice
Practice key ideas from Multi-Step Problem Solving.
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Learning resources
Extra practice links — they do not replace Gakuva’s teaching approach.
NRICH · Practice link — not the full lesson
Primary
Before you open · source notes
Primary supports Multi-Step Problem Solving. An adult previews and guides; this is a learning page, not a scored quiz.
Free educational page, no sign-in required for the tested path.
Before you openAsk the learner one fact they learned and one question they still have.
Opening this link does not save learning or assess mastery.
Source, access and review notes
Public NRICH page. An anonymous GET on 2026-11-12 returned HTTP 200 with no login or payment prompt for this URL. Opening the link does not save practice or assess mastery. An adult should preview and guide the learner.
NRICH. “Primary.” External page; Gakuva does not copy, host, embed, or redistribute materials.
Unknown — link only
Check understanding
- Break a two-step word problem within 1000 into sub-problems and solve each part
- Estimate an answer before calculating to set a reasonableness benchmark
- Check an answer using a different method or inverse operation and revise if needed
“If your child gets an answer that seems way too big or too small for a maths problem, do they notice and go back to check, even without you pointing it out?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Meta
- Subject
- Mathematics
- Domain
- Mathematical Thinking
- Age range
- Ages 7–8
Standards