Check your understanding on JCU, SCU and CDU problems

For each problem, decide whether it is a JCU, SCU type, or CDU. Click here for answers.

1. Shane blew up 3 balloons. How many more does he have to blow up to have 7 balloons?

2. Gwen has 9 video games. Lisa has 8 video games. How many fewer video games does Lisa have than Gwen?

3. Jill had 8 markers. Some of her markers dried out. Now she has 3 markers left. How many of her markers dried out?

4. Marie made 8 bead necklaces. How many more does she have to make to have 10 bead necklaces?

5. John had 2 GI Joes. Luke had 5 GI Joes. How many more GI Joes did Luke have than John?

6. Laura had 4 Webkinz. When she cleaned her room, she found some more Webkinz, and then she had 9 Webkinz. How many Webkinz did she find?

7. Sandy had 8 butterfly stickers. She gave some butterfly stickers to Ellen. Now she has 2 butterfly stickers left. How many butterfly stickers did she give to Ellen?

8. Michelle has 8 thick markers and 1 thin marker. How many more thick markers than thin markers does Michelle have?

Decide for each statement whether it is true or false.

9. The difficulty for children in solving JCU and SCU problems is about equal.

10. You should avoid teaching compare problems to children until upper elementary because they are so hard to understand.

11. Childrens difficulty with solving SCU problems through direct modeling is mostly because they find the problems hard to understand.

12. Childrens difficulty with solving CDU problems through direct modeling is mostly because they find the problems hard to understand.