Dare to Compare Math: Beginning Workbook - Using Calculations to Make a Comparison & Come to a Decision (Grades 2-3) - The Critical Thinking Company

The Dare to Compare Math format recasts more traditional math problems from a single calculation to two or more calculations to come to a final conclusion.

Rather than compute the cost of a lunch, the student computes the price of two lunches to determine which meal is less expensive. Instead of calculating the number of calories in a snack, the student calculates the number of calories in two snacks to determine which has fewer calories.

The problems are intended to be non-routine but accessible.

The solution process is open-ended, allowing students to create mathematical reasoning and to decide how to quantify in order to formulate a conclusion. Comparisons serve as a backdrop for any mathematical topic, including number operations, counting, measurement, logic, geometry, graphing, elementary algebraic reasoning, and patterns. So the comparisons are rich in both mathematical content and critical thinking.