Webinars SET A - Grade 1-2 - Sunday@5:45-6:45pm EST-Recording Webinar 7

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The webinar lesson focused on the "guess and check" strategy, a problem-solving approach useful when no direct method is apparent. The hosts emphasized applying a four-step method consistently and practicing guess and check to improve accuracy and efficiency under timed conditions. Participants tackled various math problems, often involving number theory, 2D geometry, and arithmetic puzzles typically found in Masked Kangaroo competitions.<br /><br />Key problem types included selecting numbers to satisfy sum and equality conditions, such as filling squares or cubes with numbers that meet specified addition rules. For instance, when given five numbers but only four squares, the strategy was to guess sets of four numbers and check if sums matched according to the problem's equation; the number left out was the answer. Number properties such as odd/even sums helped eliminate impossible guesses.<br /><br />Other problems involved distributing numbers into groups with equal sums or solving magic square-like puzzles where row and column sums must be equal, often involving the same number in a shared cell. Place value concepts were also highlighted—larger digits in the tens place yield higher sums—teaching how to make the largest possible two-digit sum from given digits.<br /><br />Throughout, it was advised to make reasonable guesses by carefully analyzing the problem rather than random guessing, to manage time effectively, and to eliminate incorrect answers progressively. Guess and check should not be the first plan but a fallback when direct methods are unclear.<br /><br />The lesson concluded with encouragement to practice these methods for future Masked Kangaroo competitions and announced new strategies to be introduced in the next session.

Keywords

guess and check strategy

problem-solving

four-step method

number theory

2D geometry

arithmetic puzzles

Masked Kangaroo competitions

magic squares

place value concepts

timed problem solving