ABSTRACT
Students grow to hate problem solving by 3rd grade. But it should be presented as a challenge. Students should look forward to working with word problems because it's the stuff they do every day. Students should own the problems they solve and pose. They should solve problems about their families, their friends, their daily activities, their school and their lives. If the problems made sense to the students, then students could make sense of the problems. Templates build on Polya's original phases. They help to scaffold the thinking and, with use over time, the students begin to internalize the process. There are so many types of models, but most state standards name the ones that students must absolutely know at particular grade levels. Most state standards are now putting a heavy emphasis on tape diagrams and number lines. It is important for students to have toolkits with both concrete tools, sketch paper and templates.
