Spooky
Strategies for
Solving Word
Problems
In your group:
In your group:
• Discuss the difficulties you
have when you try to solve
word problems?
• One person from each
group list those difficulties
on the board.
Operation Words
These words can be helpful for you to
determine what operation will be used in
a problem.
However, you still need to understand
what the word problem “means”.
The operation words sometimes can be
mistaken for the wrong operation.
Watch out for misreading the wrong key word!
Example
Toby buys two books at Top‟s
Bookstore. They cost $12.85
together. He pays with a $20 bill.
How much change does Toby
receive?
$12.85 + $20 = $32.85
Correct solution: $20 -$12.85 = $ 7.15
Wrong solution:
Different Math Strategies
Make a List
Use Object/Act It Out
Make a Drawing/Use a Model
Make a Table
Make a Graph
Guess and Check/Experiment
Work Backward
Use a Pattern
Use Logic
Make a Model ~ Not the only
method to solve word
problems, but it can be used to
solve most word problems
(about 80%)
“A picture (or a diagram)
is worth a thousand
words.”
The 8 Step Process
1.Read the entire
problem.
Alicia had $6 more than Bobby. If
Bobby had $10, how much did
they have altogether?
2.Decide who is involved in
the problem.
Alicia had $6 more than Bobby. If Bobby had
$10, how much did they have altogether?
Alicia
Bobby
3.Decide what is involved in
the problem.
Alicia had $6 more than Bobby. If
Bobby had $10, how much did they
have altogether?
Alicia’s money
Bobby’s money
4.Draw unit bars of equal
length.
Alicia had $6 more than Bobby. If
Bobby had $10, how much did
they have altogether?
Alicia’s money
Bobby’s money
5.Read each sentence, one at
a time.
Alicia had $6 more than
Bobby. If Bobby had $10,
how much did they have
altogether?
Alicia’s money
$10
Bobby’s money
$10
$6
6.Put the question mark in
place.
Alicia had $6 more than
Bobby. If Bobby had $10,
how much did they have
altogether?
Alicia’s money
$10
Bobby’s money
$10
$6
?
7.Work the computation to the
side or underneath.
Alicia had $6 more than
Bobby. If Bobby had $10,
how much did they have
altogether?
Alicia’s money
$10
$6
$10 + $10 = $20
$20 + $6 = $26
OR
Bobby’s money
$10
$10 + $6 = $16
$16 + $10 = $26+
$10 =
8.Answer the question in a
complete sentence.
Alicia had $6 more than Bobby. If
Bobby had $10, how much did they
have altogether?
Alicia and Bobby had $26 altogether.
Now…it’s your turn