Maryland Grade 4 Math

This original classroom activity is independent practice.

Try the problem

A small display has 8 model birds. Display A has three times as many model birds as the small display. Display B has three more model birds than the small display. Find the count in each display, draw a model for the comparison, and explain why the two phrases lead to different equations. All counts are whole model birds.

Work through the explanation

Display A has 3 × 8 = 24 model birds. A drawing can show three equal groups of eight, with the original display’s group used as the comparison unit. Display B has 8 + 3 = 11 model birds. Its drawing shows the original eight and three additional birds. The factor three in the first comparison tells how many copies of the original count are used; the three in the second comparison is an added number of birds. The equation a = 3 × 8 records a multiplicative relationship, while b = 8 + 3 records an additive relationship. Check the results against the wording before deciding that a computation is correct.

Check the reasoning

A response of 11 for both displays may show that the student uses addition whenever a comparison includes more. Ask the student to circle the complete phrase three times as many and describe the size of one comparison group. A response of 24 for both may show the opposite confusion. Avoid relying on a single keyword; read the relationship expressed by the whole sentence. The drawing must preserve equal groups in the multiplicative model. An unlabeled collection of 24 dots can show the answer but does not necessarily reveal why multiplication applies.

Try a related task

Reverse the first comparison: a display has 24 model birds, three times the count in a smaller display. Let s be the smaller count and solve 3 × s = 24, so s = 8. Then ask what the smaller count would be if the larger display had three more birds instead: s + 3 = 24 gives s = 21. Explaining the change in relationship is more useful than only changing an operation. Use Maryland’s separate 2025 comparison references and the school’s wider Grade 4 sequence.

Selected references from revised Maryland mathematics standards

The Maryland mathematics standards directory links grade-specific 2025 crosswalk documents. Their covers identify adoption in July 2025 and implementation in SY 2026–27. Read the 2025 standards columns; the 2010 columns show previous requirements. These selected references identify the worked activity’s focus. The expectations include numbered requirements, examples, and mathematical practices. Read the full document and confirm the school’s current instructional sequence.

Sources checked October 6, 2026. Read complete requirements, clarifications, limitations, and mathematical practices alongside the school’s sequence. This selected activity is an entry point for instruction.

Connect the explanation with practice

Use the lesson, worksheet, and quiz directory to choose a related skill. The existing resource links remain available; open each activity’s directions to understand its timer, tools, question count, and scoring.

Grade 4 is within Maryland’s statewide mathematics testing range. The linked learning resources have their own directions and scoring; a practice score does not establish an official state performance level. Maryland announced a transition from MCAP to MSTAR beginning in 2026–27. Older MCAP-named books and practice retain their published names and are independent supplements. Their timers, question counts, tools, and scoring are not official MSTAR specifications or predictions of a state performance level. Read the May 2026 state board report, PDF page 12 (archived copy).

The live MSDE site displayed a maintenance notice during review and linked an archived backup. These curriculum references use working archived copies of the revised state documents. Check the school’s sequence and MSDE for later updates. Check MSDE updates.

Keep one example of the student’s reasoning with the practice result. Choose a smaller model, a related question, or a new context according to the difficulty revealed in the worked activity.