Open Ended Integer Problems Worksheets

What Are Open Ended Math Problems? Open-ended math problems are problems that have more than one possible answer. These problems might present an end result and then ask students to work backward to figure out how that end result might have been achieved or they might ask students to compare two concepts that can be compared in a variety of different ways. But whatever way they are presented, the purpose of open-ended math problems is always to encourage students to use higher order thinking skills to solve problems and understand that some problems can be solved in many ways, with many outcomes. If you teach pre-k or kindergarten, an open-ended math problem might be: "You have 2 shapes that have a different amount of sides. What 2 shapes could you have? Show and name the shapes." You would provide them with crayons, paper, pattern blocks, or whatever other manipulative they might be used to using when discussing shapes and students would use these manipulatives to come up with as many answers as they can. Your little ones may answer with a variety of answers based on their current skill level. You may get answers like "triangle and square", "hexagon and parallelogram", or "a circle is a shape" depending on what each student knows about shapes. This is a great way to reinforce what students already know and to quickly assess where they are in their knowledge.