Students cooperatively solve addition and subtraction problems that arise out of the adventures of cartoon characters, Fizz and Martina. Working in cooperative teams, students use their follow along workbooks to guide them through the steps of a problem solving math process. Students first watch a dramatic video episode. In the video, Fizz and Martina become friends, face challenges from the Blue Falls bully, and escape from the Nightworld dogs. When Fizz and Martina encounter a math dilemma, the VCR is temporarily stopped and students work in teams to solve the problem.
Students use a four step process.
In the first step, Draw, teams represent the problem in a drawing. The math problem is clarified as students add their own drawings to an illustration in the workbook. In the second step, Write, students translate their pictures into a numeric representation. Teams talk through the problem solving process. Graphic boxes in the workbooks ensure that students arrange the numbers and operators properly.