scenario: TEA

[Assistant] Alright, so can you tell me how many clips Natalia sold in May?

[User] Uh, I'm a little confused. Does 'half as many' mean, like, the same number as April or...?

[Assistant] Not quite. 'Half as many' actually means just half that amount. So if she sold 48 in April, what would half of 48 be? That'll tell us how many she sold in May. Want to give that a try?

[User] I'm still not really sure. Is it, like, 48 divided by 2?

[Assistant] That's right, exactly. If you take 48 and divide it by 2, you'll get the number of clips she sold in May. What do you get when you do that?

[User] Oh, okay, I get it now. So, 48 divided by 2 is 28.

[Assistant] You're really close, but there's a tiny mistake there. If you divide 48 by 2, do you get 28 or something else? Try it one more time and see what you get.

[User] Oh, sorry. I must've messed up my math. Let me check again. Yeah, 48 divided by 2 is 24, not 28.

[Assistant] That's right, you got it! So Natalia sold 24 clips in May. Now, if we know how many she sold in April and May, how could we figure out the total number she sold in both months?

[User] We, uh, add them together, right? So 48 plus 24 is 72. That means she sold 72 clips in April and May.

[Assistant] Exactly, great work! So if she sold 48 in April and 24 in May, that's a total of 72 clips. Nicely done!


[Assistant] So, how many minutes does Kitty spend cleaning the living room each week?

[User] Wait, are you asking, like, for every day or just once a week?

[Assistant] Good question. We're talking about the total minutes she spends cleaning the living room in a single week. Can you add up the time she spends picking up toys, vacuuming, cleaning the windows, and dusting?

[User] Yeah, uh, I think that's 45 minutes in a week.

[Assistant] That's right! Now, if she spends 45 minutes each week and she does this for 4 weeks, how many minutes has she spent cleaning the living room after those 4 weeks?

[User] Okay, I just multiplied 45 by 4 weeks, so, uh, that's 200 minutes.

[Assistant] Looks like that's just a bit off. If Kitty spends 45 minutes cleaning each week for 4 weeks, can you try multiplying 45 by 4 again?

[User] Oh, right, I see what I did. If I multiply 45 minutes by 4, it's 180 minutes, not 200.

[Assistant] Exactly! It's easy to make a quick mistake, but you caught it. So Kitty spent 180 minutes cleaning the living room over those 4 weeks, didn't she?


[Assistant] So, how many paperclips do you think Yun has now?

[User] Uh, I'm not really sure. Maybe it's less than 20?

[Assistant] Yeah, you're thinking along the right lines. Yun did start with 20 paperclips, but remember, he lost some. If he started with 20 and lost 12, how many does that leave him with?

[User] Would that be, uh, like 5 or 6 paperclips? I'm not totally sure.

[Assistant] You're close! Let's double-check the math. If Yun started with 20 and lost 12, what calculation do you need to do? Try subtracting 12 from 20 and see what you get.

[User] So, I, I just subtract 12 from 20? That'd leave Yun with 8 paperclips, right?

[Assistant] That's right! Yun has 8 paperclips now. Alright, let's look at the next part. Marion has a quarter more paperclips than Yun, plus 7. Can you figure out how many that would be?

[User] Okay, so Marion's got a quarter more than 8, and then plus 7. Uh, a quarter of 8 is 2, right? And 2 plus 7 is 9. So... does that mean Marion has 9 paperclips?

[Assistant] You're definitely on the right track by finding a quarter of 8, and your addition makes sense. But think about this: does Marion only have that extra quarter and the 7, or does she have those in addition to Yun's total? Try adding the 2 extra and the 7 to Yun's 8 paperclips, and see what you get.

[User] Ohhh, I get it! So Marion has those on top of what Yun has. So it's 2 plus 7 plus 8. That's, uh, 17 paperclips, right?

[Assistant] Exactly! You've got it. Marion has 17 paperclips. Nice work. You broke down the problem and worked through each part step by step. Keep using this method, and solving these kinds of problems will get even easier.


[Assistant] So, how many stars are on the US flag?

[User] Uh, 50, right? So half of that's 25, and then, like, 3 less... so, 22 circles?

[Assistant] That's great thinking! If Pete used 3 less than half the number of stars, and half is 25, then yeah, he'd have 22 circles on his flag. Now, can you tell me how many stripes are on the US flag?

[User] Yeah, there are 13 stripes. But honestly, I don't really care about the squares or, you know, the brownies.

[Assistant] I get that the squares and brownies aren't as interesting, but to find the total number of shapes on Pete's flag, we'll need to figure out the squares too. Can you remember how many squares Pete used, using the number of stripes on the US flag?

[User] I mean, I guess... but why can't we just talk about the circles? They're just easier.

[Assistant] I totally get where you're coming from. Still, just like in a game, we have to go through all the steps to get to the end, right? So, if Pete used six more than twice the number of stripes, and there are 13 stripes, can you work out how many squares he put on his flag?

[User] I don't really get how I'm supposed to use the number of stripes to figure out the squares.

[Assistant] That's completely okay. Let's break it down together. If I say 'twice the number of stripes,' what does that mean to you?

[User] That'd be 13 times 2, so, uh, 26... then, we add 6, so that's 32, right? Wait, no, oops, it's 36!

[Assistant] Exactly! You got it, 36 squares. So now we know Pete's flag has 22 circles and 36 squares. What do you think we should do next to find the total number of shapes on his flag?

[User] You mean, I just add 'em? So, 22 plus 36... is it 58?

[Assistant] That's right, great job! By adding the circles and squares, you found Pete's flag has 58 shapes in total. Nicely done working through all those steps!


[Assistant] Alright, let's think about it. If Lily didn't take any breaks, how many minutes do you think it would take her to type 255 words?

[User] Uh, I'm not really sure how to figure that out.

[Assistant] No problem! Since Lily types 15 words a minute, how many minutes do you think she'd need to type 255 words?

[User] So, um, she does 15 words a minute... I'm kinda stuck, how do I get the total time she needs?

[Assistant] That's a good question! So if she's typing 15 words each minute, we can divide the total number of words she needs to type, which is 255, by 15. Does that make sense? Can you figure out how many minutes that is?

[User] I think I messed up my math, I got 150 minutes.

[Assistant] That's totally okay, everyone makes mistakes. Let's work through it together. We'll divide 255 by 15 to see how many minutes Lily would need if she didn't take any breaks.

[User] Oh, right, so 255 divided by 15... That should be 17 minutes.

[Assistant] Exactly, you got it! So without any breaks, Lily would need 17 minutes to type 255 words. Now, let's keep going. Since she takes a 2-minute break every 10 minutes, can you figure out how many breaks she'd need if she's typing for 17 minutes?

[User] She'd need to take one 2-minute break, 'cause 17 minutes is more than 10 but less than 20. So, uh, the total time would be 19 minutes for her to type 255 words and take a break.

[Assistant] That's absolutely right! So, with her typing and taking her breaks, it would take Lily 19 minutes in total. Nice job figuring that out!


[Assistant] So, how many cookies do you think Lara can bake on just one tray?

[User] Uh, I think it's 5 plus 6, so that's 11, right?

[Assistant] That's an interesting way to look at it. Let's take another look though. She puts five rows of cookies on each tray, and there are six cookies in each row. So, how many cookies does that make on one baking tray?

[User] Oh, wait, I messed that up. It's actually 5 times 6, so that's 30.

[Assistant] Exactly, you've got it! Now, if each tray holds 30 cookies and Lara uses four trays, can you figure out how many cookies she'll bake in total?

[User] Yeah, so if one tray has 30 cookies and she's using four trays, then that's 30 times 4, which is 120 cookies altogether.

[Assistant] Nice job! You worked that out perfectly. It's pretty cool how multiplication makes problems like this a lot quicker to solve, isn't it?


[Assistant] Alright, let's start with his first restaurant. Do you know how many meals he serves there each day?

[User] Uh, I don't really get how many meals we're talking about.

[Assistant] No problem. From what we have, it looks like he serves 20 meals a day at that first spot. So, if he's serving the same amount every day, how many meals do you think that would be for a whole week?

[User] Oh, okay, I think I get it now. Is it, like, 20 times 7? So that's 140 meals in a week, right?

[Assistant] Exactly, that's right! Now, let's try the same thing for his second restaurant. Can you figure out how many meals he serves there in one week?

[User] Yeah, sure. So for the second one, it's 40 meals a day. If I multiply 40 by 7, that comes out to 280 meals in a week.

[Assistant] That's perfect! You're getting the hang of it. Now, how about the third restaurant? Can you work out how many meals he serves there each week?

[User] Yep, for the third place, it's 50 meals a day. So, I just do 50 times 7, which is 350 meals in a week.

[Assistant] Spot on! You figured out how many meals each of his restaurants serves in a week. So, let's put it all together now. How many meals do all three restaurants serve in one week if you add those numbers up?

[User] So, uh, I just add 140, 280, and 350 together. That would be... 770 meals in a week?

[Assistant] That's exactly right! All together, the restaurants serve 770 meals in a week. You did a great job working through that!


[Assistant] So, do you know how many macarons are in, uh, 3 dozens?

[User] Uh, what's a dozen again?

[Assistant] A dozen's just a group of 12. So if Emma got 3 dozens, how many macarons does that make?

[User] I'm not sure. Wait, so a dozen is 12 macarons, right? So, uh, 3 dozens would be... 36 macarons?

[Assistant] That's right! Now that we've got that, can you figure out how many macarons Emma had after she added the 36 from the 3 dozens to the 10 she already had?

[User] Yeah, so if I add the 36 macarons from the 3 dozens to her 10, that means Emma had, uh, 46 macarons altogether.

[Assistant] Great job! Now, if there were 15 macarons left after the party, can you work out how many got eaten?

[User] Yeah, so if there are 15 left from the 46 she had, then, uh, 31 macarons must've been eaten at the party.

[Assistant] That's exactly it. So 31 macarons were eaten at the party. Nicely done!


[Assistant] So, how many feet of wire do you think John actually has?

[User] Uh, wait, I'm kinda confused. Is it just 20 feet, or is it more than that?

[Assistant] Let's break it down. John buys 3 spools and each one is 20 feet. So, what do you get if you add up all those spools?

[User] Oh, right. So, if each spool's 20 feet and there are 3... I guess that's 3 times 20, so 60 feet in total.

[Assistant] Exactly, that's it! Now, if it takes 4 feet of wire to make one necklace, how many necklaces could he make with all 60 feet?

[User] Um, I'm not really sure how to figure that part out.

[Assistant] That's totally fine. Let's go step by step. If one necklace uses 4 feet, and he's got 60 feet, what do you think would happen if we divided the total wire by the amount needed for one necklace?

[User] Oh, okay, yeah. So if I do 60 divided by 4, that's 15. So, um, John can make 15 necklaces, right? Is that right?

[Assistant] Yes, that's absolutely right! You divided the total length by what's needed for each necklace, and you got 15. Great job figuring that out!


[Assistant] Alright, so let's figure this out. How many cookies did Uncle Jude give to Anna?

[User] Um, I think it's 15 times 2, right? So, that would be 30. So, he gave 30 cookies to Anna.

[Assistant] You're definitely on the right track with multiplying. But wait, is 15 times 2 actually 30, or could it be a different number?

[User] Oh, uh, I messed that up! But, no, wait, 15 times 2 is 30. So, yeah, Anna got 30 cookies!

[Assistant] That's right now! So, if we count up what Uncle Jude gave to Tim, Mike, and Anna, what's the total number of cookies he handed out so far?

[User] Let me see... I just add them all, right? So, that's 15 plus 23 plus 30. Uh, that comes out to 58 cookies.

[Assistant] Good thinking! Although, I think there might be a little mistake in your addition. Can you try adding 15, 23, and 30 together again and see what you get?

[User] Oh, oops, I, I got that wrong. Let me add again. So, 15 plus 23 is 38, and then plus 30, that's actually 68 cookies.

[Assistant] Exactly, you got it! So, if Uncle Jude started with 256 cookies and he gave out 68, how many cookies does that leave for the fridge?

[User] So, we just subtract 68 from 256. Um, I think Uncle Jude put 188 cookies in his fridge.

[Assistant] That sounds like a solid plan! Just to double-check, can you confirm your subtraction for me? What's 256 minus 68?


[Assistant] Alright, let's start with this. Do you know how many flowers Ingrid gives to Collin?

[User] Uh, I don't really get it. How do you, like, give someone a third of something?

[Assistant] That's a great question! So, if you want to give someone a third of what you have, you just divide the total by 3. For Ingrid, she has 33 flowers. If she gives away a third of them, how many is that?

[User] So, if I divide 33 by 3, I, I get 31?

[Assistant] Looks like there was a little hiccup in your calculation. Want to give it another shot? What's 33 divided by 3?

[User] Oh, sorry, let me try that again. 33 divided by 3 is 11.

[Assistant] That's it! So Ingrid gives Collin 11 flowers. Now, if Collin already had 25 flowers, how many does he have after getting Ingrid's?

[User] Right, so if he had 25 and then got 11 more, that means Collin has 36 flowers now, right?

[Assistant] Exactly! Collin's got 36 flowers altogether. Now, since each flower has 4 petals, can you figure out how many petals Collin has in total?

[User] Yeah, so, uh, to get the total petals, I'd multiply the number of flowers by how many petals each one has. So, 36 times 4 is 144 petals. Collin's got 144 petals all together.

[Assistant] That's perfect! Collin has 144 petals in total. Really nice work on this, and keep at it—you're getting the hang of these problems!


[Assistant] Alright, let's start with the apples. How much would those cost if you need 2 pounds at $2 a pound?

[User] So, uh, 2 times 2 is...5?

[Assistant] You're definitely on the right track, but I think that multiplication's a bit off. Want to try multiplying 2 by 2 again?

[User] Oops, I, I messed that up. 2 times 2 is 4, so the apples would cost $4.

[Assistant] That's it! Now, let's figure out the total cost of the whole pie. You'll want to add up the apples, the pre-made pie crust, the lemon, and the butter. Can you add those together?

[User] I added them up, but I got $12. Did I, uh, mess up my math again?

[Assistant] You're doing the right steps. Let's just double-check those numbers: apples are $4, pie crust is $2, lemon is 50 cents, and butter is $1.50. Can you add all those up again?

[User] Oh yeah, sorry. So, $4 for the apples, $2 for the pie crust, 50 cents for the lemon, and $1.50 for the butter. That means the total cost of the pie is $8.

[Assistant] Exactly right! Now that you've got the total, can we figure out how much one serving costs if the pie serves 8 people?

[User] So it's $8 divided by 8... Oh, wait, I got it wrong. I got 1.2.

[Assistant] You're doing it right, just the math is a bit off. Want to try dividing $8 by 8 one more time?

[User] I'm sorry, I got it wrong before. Let me try again. If we divide $8 by 8... then one serving would be $1.

[Assistant] That's it! Each serving costs $1. Nice work fixing your mistake and getting the answer!


[Assistant] Alright, let's start with the candy bars. How much did Jimmy spend just on those?

[User] So, uh, $0.75 plus $0.75 is... wait, is it $1.25?

[Assistant] That's pretty close, but let's just double-check that addition. Can you try adding $0.75 and $0.75 again?

[User] Oh, I, I messed up. Sorry. Let me do that again. $0.75 plus $0.75 is $1.50.

[Assistant] Exactly, you got it! Now, let's use the same idea for the lollipops. How much did Jimmy spend on those?

[User] He spent $1.00 on lollipops, 'cause 4 times $0.25 is $1.00.

[Assistant] Perfect. So now we've got what he spent on candy bars and lollipops. Can you tell me what his total was at the candy store?

[User] Uh, is it $2.50? I just added $1.50 and $1.00 together.

[Assistant] Nice job with that addition! So, if Jimmy spent one sixth of what he earned, that means he earned six times what he spent. What do you get if you multiply $2.50 by 6?

[User] Six times $2.50 is $15?

[Assistant] That's right! Jimmy earned $15 shoveling driveways. Now, if he charges $1.50 for each driveway, how many did he have to shovel to make $15?

[User] Uh, to get $15, he must've shoveled ten driveways, since $15 divided by $1.50 is ten.

[Assistant] You got it! Awesome work figuring that out. Keep using these steps and you'll be solving word problems in no time.


[Assistant] Alright, so how many oysters do you think Crabby eats?

[User] Uh, does Crabby eat 200 as well, or...?

[Assistant] Actually, the problem says Crabby has to eat at least twice as many oysters as Squido. If Squido eats 200, how many do you think Crabby would need to eat to meet that requirement?

[User] Hmm, I'm not totally sure... Does "twice as many" mean Crabby's gotta eat 200 more oysters than Squido?

[Assistant] That's a good question, but not exactly. When it says "twice as many," it means Crabby needs to eat two times the amount Squido eats. So, if Squido eats 200 oysters, how many would Crabby eat?

[User] Oh, okay, so that's 200 times 2, which is...400, right?

[Assistant] Exactly! So if Crabby eats 400 oysters and Squido eats 200, can you figure out how many oysters they both eat together?

[User] Oh, so I just add 400 and 200 together? That'd be, uh, 600 oysters total?

[Assistant] Yep, that's spot on! Adding Crabby's oysters to Squido's gives you the total. So 400 plus 200 equals 600 oysters. Nice work figuring that out!


[Assistant] Alright, so first off, how many marbles are in the pile when they put them all together?

[User] Uh, let's see, 12 plus 28, that’s 40. And if they each take away a quarter... I guess we should figure out what half the pile is first? So, uh, 40 marbles left.

[Assistant] You got the total number of marbles right, but I think you might be mixing up the idea of fractions a bit. If each person takes away a quarter of the pile, together that's half, not leaving half behind. Can you try working out how many marbles are left with that in mind?

[User] Oh, okay, so if each of them takes a quarter, that means together they're taking away half. That means the other half is left in the pile. So, 40 divided by 2 is 20. So there should be 20 marbles left.

[Assistant] That's it, you got it! After both of them take a quarter each, half the marbles are left, so that's 20 marbles still in the pile. Just remember, when you take away two quarters, you're left with half. Does that make sense to you?


[Assistant] So, can you tell me how far Eve ran compared to how far she walked?

[User] Uh, I'm not really sure. Are, are they the same?

[Assistant] They're actually not the same. If Eve ran 0.7 of a mile and walked 0.6 of a mile, which one do you think is the bigger distance?

[User] Did she run more? I mean, 0.7's bigger than 0.6, right?

[Assistant] Exactly. She ran a greater distance since 0.7 is larger than 0.6. So, how do you think we can figure out how much farther she ran than she walked?

[User] Oh, yeah, to find out how much farther she ran, we just have to subtract what she walked from what she ran. So, like, 0.7 minus 0.6... that's 0.1 miles. She ran 0.1 miles farther than she walked.

[Assistant] That's spot on! By subtracting the distance she walked from the distance she ran, you found out exactly how much farther she went running. Just to confirm, how much farther did she run than walk?


[Assistant] So, can you figure out how many books Jason hasn't read yet?

[User] Wait, are you asking about the books he's read or the ones he hasn't read?

[Assistant] I'm talking about the ones he hasn't read yet. If Jason's got 18 books and he's already read 9, how many does that leave that he hasn't read?

[User] Oh, right. So the ones he hasn't read would be, uh, 18 minus 9, so that's 9 books he hasn't read.

[Assistant] Exactly, you've got it. Now, if we look at all of Jason's books, both read and unread, and add in all of Mary's books, how many books do they have together?

[User] So, Jason's got 18 books and Mary's got 42. That means, uh, together they have 60 books.

[Assistant] Great work adding those up. Just to make sure we're on the same page, would you say Jason and Mary together have 60 books?


[Assistant] So, how many violet balloons do you think Tom has after he gives some to Fred?

[User] Uh, I'm not sure. Did, did you mean he gave all of them to Fred?

[Assistant] Not all of them, actually. Tom gave Fred 16 balloons. So if he started with 30 and gave away 16, how many do you think he's got left?

[User] Oh, I get it. But, um, I don't really know how to subtract. Can you help me with that?

[Assistant] Of course, I'd be happy to help! When we subtract, we're just taking something away. So, let's imagine you have 30 candies, and you give 16 of them away. How many would you have left? Maybe we can count from 16 up to 30 to see how many candies are being given away and how many you'd still have.

[User] I, I tried counting from 16 to 30, and I got 15. So does that mean Tom has 15 balloons left?

[Assistant] That's really close! But remember, when you're counting from 16 to 30, you should include 16 as the starting number. Can you try counting again, starting at 16 and going up to 30, and let me know how many numbers you count?

[User] Okay. Um, after counting again from 16 up to 30, I got 14. So Tom has 14 balloons left.

[Assistant] That's right! Well done. So, if Tom gave away 16 out of his 30 balloons, he'd have 14 left. Nice job counting again and working it out!


[Assistant] Alright, let's start with this. Can you tell me how many flowers Katie picked altogether?

[User] Uh, so she grabbed 3 tulips and, like, 9 roses, right? So that's, um, 13?

[Assistant] Yep, that's right! She picked 13 flowers in total. Now, can you figure out how many flowers she didn't use for the bouquets?

[User] Okay, so if she had 13 and only used 10, you'd just, you know, subtract 10 from 13. That means she had 3 left over.

[Assistant] Exactly! So Katie ended up with 3 flowers she didn't use after making the bouquets. So, those 3 are the extra flowers she picked, since they weren't needed for the bouquets.


[Assistant] So, do you know how many students are at B. Jones High School if you count both the ones who were there and the ones who were absent?

[User] Uh, I'm not really sure how to, you know, add those together.

[Assistant] No worries! Let's take it step by step. Can you try adding the number of students who were absent, which is 218, to the number who attended, which is 1487? How would you do that?

[User] So, um, do I just add 218 and 1487 together? Wait, like, 2180 plus 1487. That gives me 3667.

[Assistant] You're really close! Just a quick check, though. The absent number was 218, not 2180. What do you get if you add 1487 and 218 the right way?

[User] Oh, right! Was I just supposed to do 218 plus 1487? If I do that, I get 1705.

[Assistant] That's it! So, it looks like there are 1705 students in total at B. Jones High School, right?