Hi all, I gave this problem to a group of high school students.  About half of them solved the problem by working backwards, without any variables: 48+72=120     120/4=30     30+54=84     84/3=28     28+30=58     58/2=29 Most of the rest of the students ...

A bear and an eagle are having a contest to see who can catch the most fish.      The bear catches 3 salmon and 6 trout. The eagle catches 6 salmon.      How many trout would the eagle have to catch to tie the bear? Explain how you figured it out. ...

Thanks, AnnMarie, for sharing your solution.  I'm thinking some of my students may need to break it down as the work backwards. Here's my thought on how a student may think backwards, step by step. Of course, this is the "clean" version, my hunch is ...