Teaching Math with Word Problems

The other day, I’m working with one of my math small groups and we’re looking for keywords in word problems that tell us to add.  I read the problem to them, then they worked it out on white boards.  Now, I always make my kids prove how they solved the problems.  I tell them that I care if they get the right answer, but I care more that they know how they solved it and why it worked.  Hence, we’re looking for keywords in the word problems.

Here’s how the conversation went:

Me: Great job!  You all solved the problem correctly.  But how did you do it?

Student A: I solved it by adding.

Me: Yes, but why did you add?

Student A:  I added because I wrote a plus sign.

Me:  Ok, why did you write a plus sign in your number sentence?

Student A:  *puzzled look

Student B:  We wrote plus signs because you told us we were working on addition word problems.

Me:  *sigh* But what if I had lied?  You need to know when to add and when to subtract.  So what words in the problem made you think you should add the two parts together?

Student C:  Ms. Wyckoff, you never lie to us. 

Me: “You’d be surprised.”

Ok, I didn’t really say that.  But I thought it.  Eventually, they made it to the place of understanding I was hoping for.  With gasps and smiles and the “Ohhhhhhhhh” of understanding, they got there.  They’re learning to think critically about these questions that are presented, and using logic and reasoning to solve them.  That’s what I love about word problems.

I put together a set of word problems for each season, as well as a bunch of the other units I teach in a school year.  It’s great to have these on hand to pull out as a “Problem of the Day,” as a sponge activity if you have an extra few minutes, or to use as a resource during small group instruction.  Click on the link and grab a FREE SAMPLE!!!

Or HERE for the whole ocean package!

Or HERE for the whole safari package!

Or HERE for the whole space package! 

Or HERE for the whole bundle!

Jodie