Two Buckets Puzzle

Most likely, you’ve ran across some variation of the two buckets puzzle at some time in your life. You have two buckets. One bucket holds exactly five gallons. The other bucket holds exactly three gallons. How can you measure exactly four gallons of water into the five gallon bucket?

Groupwork Norms for the Two Buckets Puzzle

When I taught physical science, I used this during the first week of school to give my students practice with problem solving while practicing some of our groupwork norms:

• Give reasons for your suggestions.
• Confusion is part of learning.

You can read more about these groupwork norm posters and download a set for your own classroom. Other tasks for practicing groupwork norms include Broken Circles, Rainbow Logic, and Guess My Rule.

Two Buckets Task Card

I created a task card for my students outlining the two buckets puzzle.

Students really struggled with the precision necessary in solving this puzzle. I had to continually circulate the room and remind students that eyeballing half of the bucket was not an acceptable problem solving strategy.

Students were challenged to work together to produce posters describing their solution process to the two buckets puzzle with words and illustrations

Student Work

Reflection Form

After groups finished their posters, they completed a group reflection sheet to get them thinking carefully about the groupwork norms we were intentionally practicing.