Exemplars
Flies and Frog
Fran the frog loves to catch flies and is a good
fly catcher. On Sunday she ate 3 yummy flies.
On Monday she ate 6 yummy flies. On
Tuesday she ate 9 yummy flies and on
Wednesday she ate 12 yummy flies! When will
Fran be able to catch 21 flies in 1 day?
Exemplars
TM
271 Poker Hill Rd., Underhill, VT 05489
Phone 800-450-4050
Flies and Frog
- Page 1 -
Exemplars
Grade Level K–2
Flies and Frog
Fran the frog loves to catch flies and is a good fly catcher. On Sunday she ate 3 yummy flies.
On Monday she ate 6 yummy flies. On Tuesday she ate 9 yummy flies and on Wednesday she
ate 12 yummy flies! When will Fran be able to catch 21 flies in 1 day?
Context
This task was given to students while they were working on patterns. It was also given as a
problem–solving task. Students need to find the pattern and come up with a strategy to solve
the task. The task also reinforces counting skills and serves as an introduction to
multiplication.
What the Task Accomplishes
This task asks students to develop a problem–solving strategy that works, as well as
identifying and following through with a pattern. Students need to read through the problem
and pick out the pertinent information needed to identify the pattern. This task is excellent
for building, reinforcing, or assessing students in creating and using a table for organizing
information. The pattern is counting by threes which helps lay the groundwork for learning
multiplication concepts.
What the Student Will Do
Some students will try to gather information but may not be able to organize it effectively.
Most students will begin by listing the days of the week and then plugging in the
information that they have taken from the task. Then, they will attempt to figure out and
finish the pattern until they reach 21. Other students may finish the pattern first and then
match the numbers to the days.
Time Required for Task
30–45 minute class period
Interdisciplinary Links
This task is an excellent way to reinforce calendar activities since it requires students to know
and use the days of the week in sequence. It could also be used in conjunction with a science
unit on animals or food chains. You could delve deeper into why frogs eat flies and what
Exemplars
271 Poker Hill Rd., Underhill, VT 05489
Phone 800-450-4050
Flies and Frog (cont.)
- Page 2 -
Exemplars
animals in turn eat frogs and flies. Students also may enjoy drawing a picture of the task, and
adding habitat details that they have learned in science.
Teaching Tips
This is the type of problem in which students would benefit from seeing a model before
attempting to solve it on their own. I would recommend doing a similar problem with the
class as a whole to demonstrate good problem–solving. If students are familiar with this type
of problem, it could be used as an assessment for recognizing patterns and organizing data.
Once the students have learned the skills, they can solve Dan the Dog as practice and then
use this task as an assessment. To make this problem more challenging, the pattern could be
made more difficult or the student could be asked to continue the pattern through another
week. To simplify, the students could be given a chart with the days of the week already on it,
or the pattern could be simplified by making it counting by two’s or one’s.
Suggested Materials
Paper, pencils, crayons, manipulatives to represent flies
Possible Solutions
The frog ate 21 flies on Saturday.
Benchmark Descriptors
Novice
The novice will have no workable strategy to solve the problem. The novice will not organize
the data effectively. The pattern will not be recognized, and no correct solution will be
achieved.
Apprentice
The apprentice will attempt to organize the data, but it will appear unclear. The apprentice
will use a strategy to find important information in the task. The apprentice may correctly
identify the pattern and the days of the week, but the arithmetic may be incorrect leaving the
student will an incorrect solution.
Practitioner
The practitioner will have a workable and clear strategy that leads to a correct solution. The
pattern will be correctly identified, and the student will have work to support the solution.
Exemplars
271 Poker Hill Rd., Underhill, VT 05489
Phone 800-450-4050
Flies and Frog (cont.)
- Page 3 -
Exemplars
The practitioner will use accurate and appropriate math language, and accurate mathematical
representations.
Expert
The expert will solve the problem effectively and will go beyond the task requirements by
continuing the pattern, or making other mathematically relevant observations. The solution
will be correct, and accurate, and appropriate math language will be used throughout to
explain the student’s approach and reasoning.
Author
This task was written by Deb Armitage, K–8 Mathematics Assessment Consultant at the
Vermont Department of Education.
Exemplars
271 Poker Hill Rd., Underhill, VT 05489
Phone 800-450-4050
Flies and Frog (cont.)
- Page 4 -
Exemplars
Novice
The student has no
identifiable strategy, and
no solution is given.
The artwork does not
seem to relate to the task.
Exemplars
271 Poker Hill Rd., Underhill, VT 05489
Phone 800-450-4050
One week is not completed,
nor is any data recorded.
Flies and Frog (cont.)
- Page 5 -
Exemplars
Apprentice
The arithmetic is incorrect,
resulting in an incorrect solution.
The student correctly identifies
the days of the week and
matches the days accurately
to the data given.
Exemplars
271 Poker Hill Rd., Underhill, VT 05489
Phone 800-450-4050
The pattern is correctly identified
but not evidenced by the solution.
Flies and Frog (cont.)
- Page 6 -
Exemplars
Practitioner
An accurate, clear
and labeled table
is shown.
A mathematical observation
is made, and a correct
solution is achieved.
Exemplars
271 Poker Hill Rd., Underhill, VT 05489
Phone 800-450-4050
Flies and Frog (cont.)
- Page 7 -
Exemplars
Expert – Sample 1
The student uses a
clear, accurate and
labeled table.
A mathematical observation
is made, and a correct
solution is achieved.
Strategies are clearly
identified.
Exemplars
271 Poker Hill Rd., Underhill, VT 05489
Phone 800-450-4050
Flies and Frog (cont.)
- Page 8 -
Exemplars
Expert – Sample 1 (cont.)
The student continued the
pattern to find that the
frog ate 42 flies on the
second Saturday.
Exemplars
271 Poker Hill Rd., Underhill, VT 05489
Phone 800-450-4050
Flies and Frog (cont.)
- Page 9 -
Exemplars
Expert – Sample 2
Exemplars
271 Poker Hill Rd., Underhill, VT 05489
Phone 800-450-4050
Flies and Frog (cont.)
- Page 10 -