Word problems in addition and subtraction can be challenging for students if we do not take the time to model solving problems and teach them various strategies. For example, have you ever given students a word problem, and they just added the two numbers in the problem without even reading the context? This can be so frustrating because you know they can do the math if they just thought about what was happening in the problem!
Providing opportunities to do math puzzles daily is one way to help students practice their math facts and make math fun. In addition, this will better prepare them to solve word problems. So get this Freebie of 71 Math Number Puzzles delivered to your inbox to use with your students.
Students who feel successful in math class are happier and more engaged in learning. Check out The Bonus Guide for Creating a Growth Mindset Classroom and Students Who Love Math for ideas, lessons, and mindset surveys for students to use in your classroom to cultivate a positive classroom community in mathematics. You can also sign up for other freebies from me Here at Easternshoremathteacher.com.
Starting with acting out and using counters to act out various situations builds the foundation for more complex problems. Then, students are ready to do more complex problem structures using concrete materials and eventually draw pictures and write equations. Next, I introduced problem solving steps in math and found tremendous success. This allowed students to develop a process for solving word problems, and they were no longer just adding up the numbers in the problem without thinking about the context.
What are Word Problems?
A word problem is a few sentences describing a ‘real-life’ scenario where a problem needs to be solved through a mathematical calculation.
A one-step equation is an algebraic equation you can solve in only one step. The common core lists several problem situations that are taught beginning in Kindergarten.
Word Problem Example
Paula has 16 tickets for the raffle. She has 8 fewer than Mark. How many tickets does Paula have?
Word Problem Standards
K.OA.A.2 Solve addition and subtraction word problems and add and subtract within 10.
1.OA.A.1 Use addition and subtraction within 20 to solve word problems involving situations of adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, and comparing with unknowns in all positions.
2.OA.A.1 Use addition and subtraction within 100 to solve one-and two-step word problems involving situations of adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, and comparing with unknowns in all positions.
Teaching Word Problems for Addition and Subtraction
Kindergarten Word Problems
Students connect their work from K.OA.A.1 (representing addition and subtraction with objects, fingers, mental images, drawings, sounds, acting out situations, verbal explanations, expressions, or equations) to applying addition and subtraction to various word problem situations.
Students should first use concrete objects and later use drawings to represent what is happening in the problem.
Teachers should begin with smaller addends (up to 5) and then move to larger addends (with the total being 10 or less).
Opportunities for students to explain their thinking and make connections to previous work with addition and subtraction should be given. In addition, students should be introduced to appropriate addition and subtraction vocabulary to explain their thinking.
1st Grade Word Problems
At the beginning of the first grade, review situations that were taught in kindergarten and increase the number to 20. Over time, introduce the other situations for students to model. Have students describe what is happening in the problem and make a plan for solving the problem. In addition, they should identify what they are looking for in each problem situation. For example, the number of apples.
Students solve problems using materials such as counters, five and ten frames, part-part-whole tables, and number lines to model various situations. In addition, they begin to use drawings to represent what is happening in the problem. Model writing equations that describe the student’s actions with the expectation that they will begin to use symbols to show their work when ready. Give students opportunities to say the equation orally and then in writing.
Facilitate discussions in which students explain their thinking with models and representations. Ask questions such as, “How did you know? What operation did you use? Does it Make Sense?” In addition, allow them to explain their reasoning with partners, in small groups, and to the class. Encourage students to use precise mathematical language and appropriate vocabulary.
Eventually, move to the comparison situations. Students begin by modeling the problem with concrete materials and progress to drawing pictures. Emphasize the difference between more than and fewer than situations.
2nd Grade Word Problems
This standard extends the Kindergarten and Grade 1 one-step word problem standards. Students should continue to use linking cubes, place value blocks, ten frames, and counters to model problems. When solving problems, some students may be ready to move from the concrete stage to the representational stage.
Students may use materials or draw pictures to determine a strategy for solving a problem. As students work with concrete materials to solve problems, teachers should help students see the connection between pictorial representations and abstract (equations) representations.
Teachers should continue to provide students with experiences using all the problem structures. Eventually, move to two step word problems with smaller numbers and both operations being the same. Then, use larger numbers and both addition and subtraction within the same problem.
Begin with using problems with small numbers, so the focus stays on understanding the problem situations and finding strategies to solve the problem instead of extending computational skills. Eventually, increase the range of numbers in the problem to a total (sum) of 100.
In addition, opportunities for students to explain their strategies for solving problems and make connections between strategies are essential. This allows students to extend their thinking and decide if they are using the most efficient strategy.
To read more on 2 Step Word Problems….What’s the Best Proven Way to Teach Word Problems with Two Step Equations?
Word Problem Structures
Kindergarten Word Problem Structures
- Add to- result unknown (7 add 3 equals a result: 7 + 3=?)
- Two frogs sat on the grass. Three more frogs hopped there. How many frogs are on the grass now? 2 + 3 = ?
- Take from- result unknown (6 take away 2 equals a result: 6 – 2=?)
- Five oranges were on the table. I ate two oranges. How many oranges are on the table now? 5 – 2 = ?
- Put together/Take Apart- total known (put together 7 and 3 and get a total: 7 + 3=?)
- Three red apples and two green apples are on the table. How many apples are on the table? 3 + 2 = ?
- Put Together/Take apart- both addends unknown (take 7 apart to make 2 groups: 7= ? + ?)
- Peter has 7 flowers. How many can she put in her red vase, and how many in her blue vase?
1st Grade Word Problem Structures
- Add to- change unknown (7 add some more equals 9: 7 + ? = 9)
- Two frogs were sitting on the grass. Some more frogs hopped there. Then there were five frogs. How many frogs hopped over to the first two? 2 + ? = 5
- Add to- start unknown (have some add 4 more equals 9: ? + 4= 9)
- Some bunnies were sitting on the grass. Three more bunnies hopped there. Then there were five bunnies. How many bunnies were on the grass before? ? + 3 =5
- Take from- change unknown ( 9 take away some equals 7: 9 – ?=7)
- Five apples were on the table. I ate some apples. Then there were three apples. How many apples did I eat? 5 – ? = 3
- Take from- start unknown ( have some take away 4 equals 3: ? – 4=3)
- Some apples were on the table. I ate two apples. Then there were three apples. How many apples were on the table before?? -2 = 3
- Put together/ take apart- addend unknown (take 7 apart: 7= 3 + ?)
- Five pears are on the table. Three are red, and the rest are green. How many pears are green? 3 + ? = 5, 5-3 = ?
- Comparison- difference unknown, smaller unknown, bigger unknown
- Difference unknown: Larry has 5 apples. James has 8 apples. How many more apples does Larry have than James? 5 + ? = 8 8 – 5 = ?
- Bigger unknown: Larry has 4 fewer oranges than James. Larry has 6 oranges. How many oranges does James have?
- Smaller unknown: Larry has 6 fewer apples than James. James has 9 apples. How many apples does Larry have?
2nd Grade Word Problem Structures
- Continue to provide students with experiences using all the problem situations.
Addition and Subtraction Problem Structure Table
Word Problems of Addition and Subtraction Strategies
Using Ten Frames and Double Ten Frames
A ten frame is a rectangle with ten equal spaces. It has five spaces on top and five on the bottom. You often find the ten frames positioned horizontally and filled with counters placed from left to right. A double ten frame is 2 ten frames put together to show up to 20.
Ten frames are a fantastic tool used in kindergarten and first grade to help build an understanding of counting, place value, adding, subtracting, and more. You use counters or math manipulatives to represent word problems on the frame. Check out this link to find a free Ten Frames Template. Ten Frames Free Printable.
Read more about using ten frames here…Why Using Ten Frames for Math to Develop Understanding is Effective?
Using Part-Part-Whole Mats
The part-part-whole model is a pictorial representation of a problem that helps students see the relationship between a “whole” and its components.
The part-part-whole diagram shows that you know some information but still need to find additional information. The bar can be split into as many parts as you need, depending on the information you’ve been given. The whole or any of the parts can be missing.
Children using this model will see the relationship between the whole number and its parts, helping learners to make the connections between addition and subtraction.
This is another valuable tool in modeling word problems. Check out this link to find a free Part-Part-Whole Template. Part- Part-Whole Mat
Read more about using the part-part-whole strategy here…How to Use the Powerful Part-Part-Whole Strategy to Improve Number Sense.
Real-World Connections & Math Literature
Using real-world situations or situations from literature books will help students visualize what is happening in the word problems. Then, students can act out the problem or use counters to model what is happening.
Problem Solving Steps in Math
Students are more successful when using these 4 problem solving steps in math. This helps them think about the problem and make a plan before even solving the problem. Then, after solving the problem, check if their answer makes sense. I like to teach my students a process for solving process. Check out this Problem Solving Steps in Math Resource for ideas.
Step 1: Understand
- Read and think about the problem.
- Circle the needed information in the problem.
- Underline the question in the problem.
- Write an answer stem sentence. There are ____ pages left to read.
Step 2: Plan
- Make a plan to solve the problem.
- What strategy will you use? (draw a picture, work backward, look for a pattern, create a table, bar model)
- What math tools do you need?
Step 3: Do
- Solve the problem.
- Show your work to solve the problem.
Step 4: Check
- Answer the question and check your work.
- Write the answer into the answer stem.
- Does your answer make sense?
- Check your work using a different strategy.
Resources for Teaching Word Problems
Taking the time to unpack the problems and then modeling the word problem with counters is essential.
Kindergarten Word Problem Resources:
1st Grade Word Problem Resources:
- Make a 10 to Add Word Problems
- Word Problems to 10
- Word Problems to 20
- Subtraction Word Problems to 20
- 3 Addend Word Problems
2nd Grade Word Problem Resources:
Additional Resources
- 5 Best Strategies for Engaging Students to Learn in Mathematics Class
- 5 Simple and Effective Ways to Practice Doubles Facts in Math
- Math Playground
Word Problems of Addition and Subtraction
Word problems in addition and subtraction can be challenging for students if we do not take the time to model the steps in solving problems and teach them strategies to use.
Starting with acting out and using counters to act out various situations builds the foundation for more complex problems. Then, students are ready to do more complicated problem structures using concrete materials and eventually draw pictures and write equations. In addition, starting with smaller numbers helps students focus on the problems and not the computation at first.
Providing opportunities to do math puzzles daily will better prepare them to solve word problems. So get this Freebie of 71 Math Number Puzzles delivered to your inbox to use with your students. You can also sign up to receive other freebies from me Here at Easternshoremathteacher.com. Check out The Free Ultimate Guide for Creating a Growth Mindset Classroom and Students Who Love Math for ideas, lessons, and mindset surveys to use in your classroom.
If we take the time to teach students the process and ask themselves, “Does this make sense?” we will better prepare them to solve more complex problems. Comment below; what do you think is essential when teaching word problems? Teaching the process and teachers knowing the different addition and subtraction situations by grade level is critical when teaching word problems in addition and subtraction.
2 Responses