Problem and Solution on the Canoe Trip

Ask your child what went wrong before they fill in the chart, then what was tried first and why it did not work. Check with the answer key.

Chart the problem, two tries and the solution when Ana drops her paddle on a canoe trip on Clear Lake. A problem is what goes wrong for a character. The solution is how the problem gets fixed. The directions on the page read: Read the story. Then, turn the page to find the problem and the solution. On page 2: Use the story on page 1. Fill in rows 1 to 4 of the chart with words from the story. Then, circle the letter of the best answer for questions 5 and 6. The answer key covers the questions on page 2.

Yes, both. We made it for 3rd Grade comprehension exercises, and the page works the same whether it lands on a kitchen table or a center rotation. At home, most families go through it together and talk the answers out loud, and that talking is where most of the learning happens with problem and solution. In class it runs well as independent work while you pull a small group. Print one copy or thirty, whichever the day needs.

An attempt, or try, is something a character does that does not fix the problem. In Problem and Solution on the Canoe Trip, Ana leans out for her paddle and the canoe starts to tip, so the first try fails. Charting the tries shows how the events build to the ending.

A nonfiction text often names one problem and several solutions, like the town that adds a crossing guard and a signal at a busy crosswalk. Children chart each solution and decide which one worked best.

Some sheets end by asking for another way to fix the problem. Any idea that would really solve it counts, and the answer key gives a sample. The chart rows also accept the child's own words when they match the story.

Yes. All 11 problem and solution sheets have an answer key.