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.
Puzzle Solutions
I intentionally do not make answers to the printable math puzzles I share on my blog available online because I strive to provide learning experiences for my students that are non-google-able. I would like other teachers to be able to use these puzzles in their classrooms as well without the solutions being easily found on the Internet.
However, I do recognize that us teachers are busy people and sometimes need to quickly reference an answer key to see if a student has solved a puzzle correctly or to see if they have interpreted the instructions properly.
If you are a teacher who is using these puzzles in your classroom, please send me an email at sarah@mathequalslove.net with information about what you teach and where you teach. I will be happy to forward an answer key to you.
Not a teacher? Go ahead and send me an email as well. Just let me know what you are using the puzzles for. I am continually in awe of how many people are using these puzzles with scouting groups, with senior adults battling dementia, as fun activities in their workplace, or as a birthday party escape room.
More Fun Activities for the First Week of School
- Game of Sim
- Number Contests for the First Day of School
- Circle Tic Tac Toe
- Ultimate Tic Tac Toe
- Left Center Right Dice Game
- First Day of School Activities 2021
- 40+ First Week of School Activities
- Let’s Make Squares Activity
- Getting to Know You Dice Activity
- Master Designer
- Save Fred Activity
- Ink Stain Matching Activity
- Make Six Puzzle – Number Challenge
- Lonesome Llama Activity
- Survival in the Desert Groupwork Task
- Two Buckets Puzzle
Search Die Hard Jugs Problem on youtube for a video intro to this puzzle
Great suggestion!