Problem:
Mary likes 3 banana slices on her peanut butter sandwiches. She made 3 sandwiches. How many banana slices did she use?

Connections: Highlight an interestings strategy and have all students try it with:

Eric uses 2 slices of banana for each sandwich he makes. How many banana slices does he need for 2 sandwiches?

Problem:
Terry went running and was gone for 12 minutes. If Terry runs each mile in 6 minutes, how many miles did Terry run?

Connections: Highlight an interestings strategy and then ask students which problem is easier to answer using this strategy:

16 + 2 = ___ or 2 x ___ = 16