Lesson 11 Make Them the Same

    • Let’s make cube towers have the same number of cubes.

Warm-up Notice and Wonder: Cube Towers

What do you notice?
What do you wonder?

2 Connecting cube towers. Diego, 9 blue cubes. Jada, 5 red cubes.

Activity 1 Cube Towers

How can Diego and Jada make their towers have the same number of cubes? Show your thinking using drawings, numbers, or words.

  1. 2 Connecting cube towers. Diego, 9 blue cubes. Jada, 5 red cubes.  
  2. 2 Connecting cube towers. Diego, 8 blue cubes. Jada, 3 red cubes.
  3. 2 Connecting cube towers. Diego, 3 blue cubes. Jada, 10 red cubes.

Activity 2 Cube Tower Problems

  1. 2 Connecting cube towers. Red, 6 cubes. Blue, 2 cubes. 

    Lin has only blue cubes.
    How can Lin make the towers have the same number of cubes?
    Show your thinking using drawings, numbers, or words.

  2. 2 Connecting cube towers. Yellow, 3 cubes. Blue, 10 cubes.

    Lin has no more yellow cubes.
    How can she make the towers have the same number of cubes?
    Show your thinking using drawings, numbers, or words.

  3. Lin is making 2 cube towers.
    The red tower has 6 cubes.
    The blue tower has 9 cubes.
    She has no more red cubes.
    How can she make the towers have the same number of cubes?
    Show your thinking using drawings, numbers, or words.

  4. Lin is making 2 cube towers.
    The yellow tower has 7 cubes.
    The red tower has 3 cubes.
    She only has red cubes.
    How can she make the towers have the same number of cubes?
    Show your thinking using drawings, numbers, or words.

  5. If you have time… Write your own problem about 2 cube towers.

    Trade problems with a partner and solve.

Practice Problem

Problem 1

A tower of green connecting cubes has 8 cubes.
A tower of yellow connecting cubes has 2 cubes.
Show 2 different ways to make the towers have the same number of cubes.
Show your thinking using objects, drawings, numbers, or words.