1. Solving Word Problems
Solve real-world and mathematical problems requiring arithmetic

2. I can…
Use different strategies to solve real-world and mathematical word problems
Self Assessment
5- I can do it without help & teach others.
4- I can do this with no help, but I don’t know if I can explain it.
3- I can do this with a little help.
2- I can do this with a lot of help!
1- I don’t have a clue.

3. “Word Problems scare me!”

4. “Word Problems make me nervous!”

5. “Word Problems?
I just skip them!”

6. Don’t Worry!
With just 4 easy steps, you can become…
a Word Problem Whiz!

7. Step 1 UNDERSTAND the problem. What are you trying to figure out?
Here’s an example:

8. Yesterday, Alex saw 14 birds in his backyard. Today, he saw 12
Yesterday, Alex saw 14 birds in his backyard. Today, he saw 12. How many birds did he see in all?
In this problem, what are you trying to figure out?

9. If you said:
“How many birds did Alex see in all?” then…
You’re right!

10. Step 2 Get a PLAN. How will you answer the question?
Should you ADD or SUBTRACT?

11. Look for clues.
Here are some CLUE WORDS that will help you decide what to do.

12. Addition Clue Words
in all
altogether
sum
total

13. Subtraction Clue Words
how many more
how many are left
difference

14. Let’s look at the example again.
Yesterday, Alex saw 14 birds in his backyard. Today, he saw 12. How many birds did he see in all?
Do you see any CLUE WORDS?

15. If you said…
“in all,” then…
You’re right!

16. The words “in all” tell us that we should ADD!
Now that we UNDERSTAND the problem, and have a PLAN, we’re ready for the next step!

17. Step 3
SOLVE it!
Write a number sentence using the information in the problem, and…

18. Work it out!

19. Give it a try!
Yesterday, Alex saw 14 birds in his backyard. Today, he saw 12. How many birds did he see in all?
Write a number sentence and SOLVE it.

20. If you wrote…
= 26 then…
You’re right!

21. Step 4
LOOK BACK.
Does your answer fit the question?

22. We had to find out how many birds Alex saw in all.
We added the number he saw yesterday and the number he saw today.

23. Our answer was “Alex saw 26 birds in all.”
It makes sense!

24. We did it!
We are Word Problem Whizzes!

25. Here are the steps once more:
Step 1 – UNDERSTAND the problem.
Step 2 – Get a PLAN.
Step 3 – SOLVE it!
Step 4 – LOOK BACK.

26. Let’s Try Another… Step 1: UNDERSTAND the problem
The mall is 12 miles from your home. Your school. Is one third of the way from your home to the mall. The library in one forth of the way from the school to the mall. How far is the library from your home?
You need to find the distance between your home and the library.

27. Let’s Try Another… Step 2: make a PLAN
Use a diagram or pictures to show the relationships in the problems

28. Let’s Try Another… Step 3: SOLVE the problem
Draw a line to show the 12 miles between your home and the mall. Then mark the locations of the school and the library.
home
One third of 12 is 4, so your school is 4 miles from your home.
The mall is 12 miles from your home
The library is one fourth of the remaining 8 miles, or 2 miles further

29. Let’s Try Another… Step 3: SOLVE the problem
From the diagram you can see that the library is = 6 miles from your home
home
One third of 12 is 4, so your school is 4 miles from your home.
The mall is 12 miles from your home
The library is one fourth of the remaining 8 miles, or 2 miles further

30. Let’s Try Another… Step 4: LOOK BACK
The mall is 12 miles from your home and the library is between them. Because 6 is less than 12, the answer is reasonable.

31. Daily Check 1.2 in your math notebook
Tickets to the school talent show cost $3 for adults and $2 for students. Find the total ticket cost for 25 adults and 80 children.
In football, you get 6 points for making a touchdown, 1 point for kicking the “extra point after at touchdown, 4 points for making a field goal, and 2 points for a safety. What is one way your can score 10 points?
The ice cream parlor offers 6 flavors of ice cream and 4 toppings. How many different ice cream cones are available if each cone has one flavor and one topping?

32. I can…
Use different strategies to solve real-world and mathematical word problems
Self Assessment
5- I can do it without help & teach others.
4- I can do this with no help, but I don’t know if I can explain it.
3- I can do this with a little help.
2- I can do this with a lot of help!
1- I don’t have a clue.