I remember word problems being hard when I was a kid. For whatever reason, I thought they were a little challenging. I was definitely someone who preferred straight up equations… I’d solve those all day long. But reading about math wasn’t something I wanted to do. Reading was for reading, not for math.
As I got older, they only got worse. I thought those high school math problems about trains going in opposite directions would be the death of me. After graduating, I celebrated my freedom from math. It was glorious.
And then I became a teacher.
And the tables turned.
The power was now in my hands. And I was determined no sweet, tiny first grader would hate word problems like I once did.
We were going to take it slowly. Step by step. Together.
We’d learn about key words in the story and highlight them because using highlighters is first grade magic.
And there would be cute pictures to color. More magic.
And then our students would beg, “More word problems, please!”
Honestly, it mostly happened just like that. In fact, the students became obsessed with figuring out what they thought were puzzling teasers… math mysteries, waiting to be solved by their brilliant little brains.
My own abysmal experience with word problems had led me to underestimate (and dread) the whole thing. But our kids loved them and wanted more.
Go figure.
WORD PROBLEMS WORK MATS
We love these printable work mats for solving simple word problems. Each has a short, manageable story to read. We read them together and then talk about the problem and strategies for solving it.
- “Try to visualize the story. Can you see what’s happening?”
- “What is the problem we’re being asked to solve?”
- “Let’s see if we can find the important key words in this story.”
- “Are there any clues about whether we’ll be adding or subtracting?”
- “How is the work mat set up to help us think through the problem?”
For some of the word problems, we pull out some type of math tool, like counters or Unifix cubes. For others though, we just draw or sketch in the space provided. We like the concrete nature of the manipulatives, but knowing how to make simple drawings is a good strategy to have. In real life, we don’t always have something physical to manipulate… might as well learn how to solve a problem with some quick jotting.
You’re probably not carrying around this dramatic word problems baggage like I am (was). But, if you’re ready to plan this unit and need a few more resources to help your students through the process, take a look at the MATH SET we’re using. It gets two thumbs up from our first grade friends. We think yours will like it, too!
Until next time, happy teaching!
MORE FIRST GRADE MATH FUN
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