🔍
Case Cracker
← back to the desk
🧭 For Mum · intent and answers are on here, so this is your copy, not Talan's
Baseline · where does it snap?

The Baseline

Five short cases, each one leaning on a different part of solving. Run them gently and just watch. The point is not his score, it is seeing where his thinking snaps, so you know what to lean into.

Case Cracker · warm-up cases   —   Talan  ·  Date: __________
How to run it
  1. Slip these into a normal Tue/Thu session, one at a time. Not a test, just "have a crack at these for me."
  2. Let him talk it through out loud if he wants to, but do not push the recording if it adds pressure.
  3. Do not help unless he asks, and note when he asks. Being stuck is the information you are after.
  4. Hit print for a clean copy with just the questions (the intent and answers stay on your screen).
The five cases

He sees only the question. You see what each one is probing, what to watch for, and the answer.

Case 1Read it · with a trap
You buy a drink for $3 and a snack for $4. You started shopping at 2pm. How much did you spend altogether?
WatchDoes he ignore "2pm" (it does not matter) and add the two prices? A wobble here is about reading the question, not the maths.
Answer$7 (3 + 4). The 2pm is a trap.
Case 2Connect · seen this shape?
A candle is 12 cm tall. It burns down 2 cm every hour. After how many hours will it be 4 cm tall?
WatchDoes he notice this is the same steady-rate shape as the Case Cracker examples? Or treat it as brand new with no flicker of "I have seen one like this"?
Answer4 hours (12 − 4 = 8 to lose, 8 ÷ 2 = 4).
Case 3Strategy · which way in?
You have $20. T-shirts cost $6 each. How many can you buy?
WatchDoes he reach for a sensible method (dividing, or counting up 6, 12, 18)? And does he realise he rounds DOWN, you cannot buy a fourth?
Answer3 t-shirts (3 × 6 = 18, with $2 left; 4 would be $24, too much).
Case 4Check yourself · two steps
A hoodie costs $40. It is 25% off in the sale. How much do you pay?
WatchDoes he do both steps (find the discount, then take it off), or stop at $10 (the discount) and call it done? Stopping early is the thing to spot.
Answer$30 (25% of 40 = 10, then 40 − 10 = 30).
Case 5Fundamentals · is the sum the wall?
Half of the team of 18 players are wearing red. How many players are wearing red?
WatchThe reading is easy, so a snag here is the halving itself, not the decoding. That tells you the wall is a number skill, not word problems.
Answer9 players (half of 18).
The six places it can snap

Plus a seventh you watch across all five: does he check his answer makes sense, or write a number and move on?

Whichever one snags most is what his missions lean into next. A wobble that clears with one prompt is very different from a hard wall, note which it was. And remember the rule: if he is rattled, drop a rung without comment.