This program focuses on the five steps to problem solving: reading and re-reading the problem, identifying important information, choosing a strategy, solving, and checking the answer. Also addressed are the six strategies to choose from: guessing and checking, using a simpler related problem, discovering patterns, drawing pictures and diagrams, making lists and charts, and working backwards. The guessing and checking strategy is used to solve a problem with approximations whereas using a simpler related problem strategy is used to solve a problem involving very large numbers.

Originally released by Benchmark Media, 2004. Streaming video file encoded with permission for digital streaming by Infobase on April 30, 2015.

5-Steps to Problem Solving (2:45); --Problem Solving Strategy 1 (6:50); -- Problem Solving Strategy 2 (7:29); -- Part 1 Review (1:34);.