The three cold kittens
Mother Cat is making mittens for her three cold kittens.
It takes two balls of wool to make mittens for one kitten.
How many balls of wool will Mother Cat need to make mittens for three little kittens?
If one ball of wool costs $2, how much money will the three sets of mittens cost to make?
This problem involves repeated addition or skip counting in twos. These strategies underpin multiplication.
The Problem
Mother Cat is making mittens for her three cold kittens. It takes two balls of wool to make mittens for one kitten. How many balls of wool will Mother Cat need to make mittens for three little kittens?
If one ball of wool costs $2, how much money will the three sets of mittens cost to make?
Teaching Sequence
- Introduce this problem by reading the poem "3 little kittens who lost their mittens"
- Pose the problem to the class.
- Ask the students to identify the important information given in the problem.
- Brainstorm for ways to solve the problem and record their solutions.
- As the students work on the problem, ask them to explain the strategy they are using:
Tell me what you are doing?
How is that helping you solve the problem? - Share the solutions.
Other Contexts
Socks or any other garment that comes in pairs can be used.
Solution
Students will record their solutions in a variety of ways. Six balls of wool are needed.
Three sets of mittens cost $12. Students may use play money or other materials such as counters to model this.
Extension
Vary the number of kittens, balls of wool per set of mittens, and/or cost of each ball of wool.