🎓 Mini-Lesson: How to Solve Word Problems
What are Word Problems?
Word problems are maths questions written in sentences instead of numbers. They tell you a story, and you need to work out what calculation to do!
🔍 Steps to Solve ANY Word Problem:
- READ the problem carefully (twice!)
- HIGHLIGHT or underline the important numbers
- FIND the key words that tell you what to do
- CHOOSE the right operation (+, -, ×, ÷)
- CALCULATE the answer
- CHECK if your answer makes sense
🔑 Key Words to Look For:
Addition (+):
total, altogether, sum, combined, in all, plus
total, altogether, sum, combined, in all, plus
Subtraction (-):
difference, less, fewer, left, remain, take away
difference, less, fewer, left, remain, take away
Multiplication (×):
times, each, every, groups of, product
times, each, every, groups of, product
Division (÷):
share, split, divide, each, per, groups
share, split, divide, each, per, groups
Example 1: Addition Problem
Sarah has 24 stickers. Her friend gives her 17 more stickers. How many stickers does Sarah have altogether?
Numbers: 24 and 17
Key word: "altogether" → Addition
Calculation: 24 + 17 = 41
Answer: Sarah has 41 stickers
Example 2: Subtraction Problem
There are 56 children in the playground. 23 children go inside. How many children are left in the playground?
Numbers: 56 and 23
Key word: "left" → Subtraction
Calculation: 56 - 23 = 33
Answer: 33 children are left
Example 3: Multiplication Problem
Each box contains 8 apples. There are 6 boxes. How many apples are there in total?
Numbers: 8 and 6
Key words: "each" and "total" → Multiplication
Calculation: 8 × 6 = 48
Answer: There are 48 apples in total
Example 4: Division Problem
A teacher has 36 pencils to share equally among 9 students. How many pencils does each student get?
Numbers: 36 and 9
Key words: "share equally" and "each" → Division
Calculation: 36 ÷ 9 = 4
Answer: Each student gets 4 pencils
💡 Top Tip: Always ask yourself "Does my answer make sense?" If you're buying 3 sweets for 50p each, your answer should be more than 50p!
✏️ Practice Questions
Read each problem carefully and work out the answer. Remember to check if it makes sense!