As Close As It Gets

These problems are different than typical multiple-choice problems, because the exact answer is NOT one of the choices. The goal is for students to choose an answer that is as close to the exact answer as possible. Because the exact answer is not listed, using a series of memorized series of steps is not particularly productive.

The power of using these problems comes in the discussion of students’ reasoning as they justify their responses. This routine is powerful for helping students estimate and justify the reasonableness of a solution. You can use one or two of these problems when you have short bits of time.