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Math Worksheets For All Ages

Math Worksheets Land

Math Worksheets For All Ages

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Word Problem Worksheets

Word problems are usually one of the more difficult types of exercises for students to get comfortable with. This is because we get our students use to structure and understanding what is expected of them. This takes them completely out of their comfort zone. Word problems lend themselves to be critical thinking exercises that rely on perception and to a lesser degree language arts skills. I find it helpful to spend a great deal of time teaching students to decode these types of problems to understand what is being asked of them. Then another good helping of having them recognize keywords within that context. Story based problems are all the rage at all grade levels. This is rightly so because this is the type of math most of these young people will do when they enter the workforce. The topics that you will find below are chock full of interesting exercises for your students. So get ready to enjoy some strange scenarios in these lesson and worksheet series.



Tips for Approaching Math Word Problems

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For many students, solving math word problems is a struggle. However, they need to understand that word problems are just a jumble of words that explains a problem. However, you can teach them how to solve word problems with just a few tips which are given below.


Compile Given Information - It is helpful to have students get in the habit of writing down the data which consists of the things that are given in the problem.


Read Thoroughly and Highlight - You must ensure that you read the problem thoroughly before you start doing them. If possible, make them reread it. Any words that stick out that may indicate a math operation have them highlight by either circling, underlining, or even using a highlighter pen.


What Is It Asking? - Determine the goal of the problem by writing down the things which are required in the problem. There are often things present in the problem that are not necessary. I tell students to cross that out. I also have them write down what the problem is looking for such as units or simply write down what it is looking for followed by a question mark.


Determine the Operations Needed - Students should be on high alert for keywords that give away what the order of calculations is required. Take a look below for further help on this. Once you determine the operation, write an equation or expression to help you solve it. Now, figure out the equation in which the problem is about and compare the given and unknown values. To learn how to solve word problems in the future, they need to remember the previous practices extensively.



Keywords and Concepts to Look for In Word Problems

When students first start working with word problems in class they are easily overwhelmed. They will often say that they were not aware that they needed to read in math class. If you show students how to digest these problems by breaking them into smaller parts, it becomes easier for them much quicker. We encourage teachers to help students first try to decipher the concepts that are in place and then look for keywords that may confirm those concepts. This leads us to understand what types of operations you will need to work through to solve the problem. The basic concepts that you will see in most story based word problems include: joining problems, separate or splitting problems, part-whole problems, and basic comparison problems. Joining problem types often ask us to either add or multiply. The keywords that are often found in these types of problems are, outside of the obvious, both, combine, increase, together, total, total, triple, and twice. Separate problems often are subtraction based problems they ask you to break apart groups to some extent. The keywords that will back you up here are the words or phrases: change, difference, fewer, how many, less, lost, reduce, remain, or take away. Part-whole problems often have you compare and individual groups against one another or total them, in this case they are the next progression from the other two. These types of problems often are accompanied by the phrase: how many. The comparison problem type is often the most abstract and give students a high level of difficulty. They require students to understand the nature of relationships between values. Students are asked to describe that relationship based on conditions that are presented to them. The more experience you get with this, the easier it will become for you.

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