When asked about word problems, most adults will tell you that not only did they struggle in school with them, but to this day they dread them.
This is scary, because life itself is one BIG word problem. Take for example the following situation:
Jennifer is hosting a bunco party at her house. It’s a brunch bunco, and she is of course thinking of serving drinks. She found a delicious mimosa recipe, and wants to ensure she is making enough. The recipe calls for 2 parts Prosecco to 1 part juice per glass. Her glasses are 8 oz flutes. She estimates that each guest will drink 3, except for Carol who will say she will only have 1, but after four she needs to snack on bread and still shows no signs of slowing down. If each bottle of Prosecco is about 25 ounces, how many bottles should Jennifer buy if she plans on having 8 guests including herself and always more than four Carol?
This is real life word problem scariness right here. If most adults admit to struggling with word problems, clearly we aren’t doing something right in the classroom to help people feel confident in surviving daily life.
The Problem:
Two years ago I was looking at the wide range of student abilities in my classroom, but the group that perplexed me the most were the on level readers who could perform a math concept in isolation, but whose accuracy decreased when those same concepts were in word form.
Why? That’s when I started to pay attention to word problems, their structure, and how to better help my students increase their accuracy in solving them.
It was through my research on word problems that I not only found new ways to better help my students understand them and break down the stigma that many adults have regarding word problems, but that I transformed my math block from a time of dread to a time that I look forward to and that I am passionate about every single day.
Math wasn’t always my passion. No, I was known as a science go to at my school. I do still love science, but science is naturally intriguing to students while math is less so. I think that is because for some teachers, and ultimately students, math is a topic that is less understood and therefore where less enthusiasm is poured (pun intended).
Choosing problem spots in our teaching, whether it’s areas we see our students struggle with or areas that we ourselves feel dread towards, is a sure fire way to not only improve ourselves as teachers, but transform the learning that takes place during these subject blocks.
Word Problems: Not A Dirty Word
Word problems, just like different forms of writing, have a structure and a pattern.
Teaching students to identify word problem types increases their ability to solve them with increased accuracy. Students who rely solely on identifying key words will often choose the wrong operation as word problems use confusing language to mislead students in choosing these wrong operations.
Instead, teaching students to identify context clues, including key words, as well as how to recognize patterns in the types of problems increases their overall accuracy.
Each word problem type also has an associated schematic drawing to assist students in organizing information.
What are ADD TO word problems:
Add to word problems are when the situation in a word problem includes the putting together of different amounts. There is always something missing in these problems which is why they can be written THREE different ways depending on what is not known.
For add to problems, the schematic drawing is the part – whole relationship bar.
When questioning your students, ask them questions, and encourage them to ask themselves questions such as:
Is ________ part of the ______, or is it the WHOLE ____?
Let’s try it out with our mimosa example:
Result Unknown:
Jennifer had an 8 ounce glass that she filled half way with Prosecco. She then poured 2 ounces of fresh cherry juice to the glass. How many ounces of Prosecco and cherry juice did her glass have now?
Start Unknown:
Jennifer was making mimosas for her brunch bunco, so she first poured Prosecco into each of the eight glasses. Next, she poured 2 ounces of fresh cherry juice. Each glass could hold 8 ounces, but was only ¾ of the way full. How much Prosecco did each mimosa have?
Change Unknown:
Jennifer poured 4 ounces of Prosecco into her glass. She then poured some cherry juice. Her glass now had six ounces of cherry juice and Prosecco. How much cherry juice did she pour into her glass?
How are ADD TO different from Put Together Problems?
In put together problems, all quantities are known and there is no change. In ADD TO problems, there is ALWAYS one quantity missing, either the result, change, or the starting amount.
The Gist:
There are many problems types and to help your students be successful, teach them to recognize their structure and organize information in an associated schematic drawing.
Add To word problems are one type of word problem that include the joining of different amounts together and a PART-WHOLE schematic can be used to organize information.
Don’t forget to share your thoughts in the comments below.
Are you interested in leading your students in a rich discussion that focuses on context clues to categorize ADD TO word problems? I use these fraction ADD TO word problems with my own fifth graders to build their knowledge and confidence in identifying the three different ADD TO word problem types. I know it will help your own fifth graders become confident word problem solvers too!
