Grade
2

Math in Our World: Jimmy’s Ramp

A toy car sits at the top of a ramp. Another toy car has already rolled down the ramp.

Jimmy set up a ramp for his toy cars.

He and his brother Sam each rolled one car down the ramp.

When the cars stopped, they used cubes to figure out how much farther Jimmy’s car rolled than Sam’s car.

Jimmy’s car rolled 15 cubes farther than Sam’s.

  1. Use pictures, models, or numbers to show what’s happening.
  2. What do you notice? What do you wonder?
  3. What math questions can you ask about this situation? Answer all the questions you can!
  • Choose a distance that Sams’s car rolled. It could be 10 cubes, 25 cubes, or 100 cubes! There’s no wrong answer here! Try starting with this sentence frame to help:
    • If Sam’s car rolled ___ cubes, how far did Jimmy’s car roll?
  • Try drawing a number line to model the problem. Think about:
    • Where does your number line begin?
    • What other numbers will you draw on your number line?
    • How could you use your number line to skip-jump forward or backward? Could you skip-jump by 10s? By 5s?

Show your work to someone else, and explain your thinking. Did they understand?
Ask whether they have any other questions you can answer!

Make your own ramp with books, cardboard, or other materials you find at home. Roll different objects down the ramp and measure how far they go. Make up your own story problem with the results!

Printable Version

Google doc for printing and copying

Reference for Educators

Sample problems and solutions