Find the Problem
Theo kept getting distracted by his phone every time he tried to read at home.
What is the problem?
Answer: His phone kept distracting him and he could not focus on reading.
Theo put his phone in a different room and set a timer for thirty minutes.
What is the solution?
Answer: He put his phone in a different room and set a timer so he could read without distractions.
Name one signal word that helps you find the PROBLEM in a story.
Answer: Any one of: trouble, challenge, conflict, difficulty, issue.
Noah kept spending his savings before reaching his goal. He put the money in an envelope at the back of his drawer.
Which part is the problem and which is the solution?
Answer: Spending savings before reaching the goal is the problem. Putting the money out of sight is the solution.
The school cafeteria kept running out of chocolate milk before the fourth grade got to lunch.
What is the problem?
Answer: Fourth graders could not get chocolate milk because it kept running out before they got to lunch.
The cafeteria manager set aside a separate supply of chocolate milk just for the upper grades.
What is the solution?
Answer: The manager reserved a separate supply of chocolate milk for the upper grade students.
Name one signal word that helps you find the SOLUTION in a story.
Answer: Any one of: finally, solved, in the end, after that, as a result, because of this.
Sofia practiced her presentation in front of a real audience instead of alone in her mirror.
Is this a problem or a solution? How do you know?
Answer: This is the solution because it is the action she took to fix her problem of stumbling over her words.
Layla could never get her braids to look right no matter how many videos she watched online.
What is the problem?
Answer: Layla was trying to learn to braid but her braids always came out uneven and she felt frustrated.
Layla called her older cousin who was great at braiding and asked her to show her in person.
What is the solution?
Answer: She asked her cousin to teach her in person instead of trying to learn from videos alone.
From that day on every student got their first choice at lunch.
What does this phrase signal?
Answer: It signals that the solution worked and the problem was resolved.
The art teacher mixed colors together to create a shade that worked just as well as red paint.
What made this a good solution?
Answer: It was creative and practical — instead of stopping the project she found a way to keep everyone working with what was available.
The classroom plant kept wilting even though students watered it every single day.
What is the problem and what was causing it?
Answer: The plant kept wilting because the air conditioning vent was blowing cold air on it even though it was being watered.
The teacher moved the classroom plant to a windowsill on the other side of the room.
What is the solution and why did it work?
Answer: She moved it away from the cold air vent to a sunny windowsill where it could get natural light and warmth.
Finally he repositioned the speakers.
What does the word finally tell you about the story?
Answer: It signals that other solutions were tried first and this was the one that ultimately worked.
What is the difference between a problem and a solution in a fiction story?
Answer: The problem is the challenge or conflict the character faces. The solution is the action taken to fix or resolve it.
The school talent show microphone kept making a loud squealing noise every time someone stepped close to the speaker.
What is the problem and who does it affect?
Answer: The microphone kept squealing which affected the performers and the audience and could ruin the show.
The sound technician repositioned the speakers so they were angled away from the stage.
What is the solution and how do you know it worked?
Answer: He angled the speakers away from the stage which stopped the squealing. You know it worked because the actual show had no squealing and every performance sounded perfect.
Write your own two sentence problem and solution story using at least one signal word.
Answer: Any correctly written two sentence story with a clear problem, a solution, and at least one signal word.
Can a story have more than one problem? Give an example from our lesson today.
Answer: Yes. In Theo's story he had one problem but tried two solutions. In Marcus's story he felt overwhelmed which led to another problem of not knowing where to start.