3 Act Tasks are whole-group math tasks consisting of three distinct parts: an engaging and perplexing Act 1, an information- and solution-seeking Act 2, and a solution discussion and solution-revealing Act 3. In Act 1, you will introduce the task using as few words as possible. As students begin to think about the task, one of the Wonderings posed will be the focus of the 3-Acts investigation. Then in Act 2, the student experiences a productive struggle while seeking new information and resources to understand the tools needed to solve the task. Act 3 serves as the resolution to understand different ways in which the problem could be solved. In doing so, the teacher will use the formative assessment process to reteach or extend the lesson.

This task is an adaptation of Knotty Rope by Graham Fletcher, and is used under a CC BY-SA 4.0.