Word Problems Teaching Resources

Browse math word problems and word problem worksheets created by teachers for teachers like you! This vast collection covers all four math operations with problem-solving tasks that allow students to apply their math skills to real-world problems!

From worksheets to task cards, this collection is full of Common Core math curriculum-aligned resources, ready for your classroom, your lesson plans and your students!

Curious about using word problems in your classroom? Read on for a primer from our teacher team, including a kid-friendly definition of the concept and tips to ensure your students succeed with word problems!

What Is a Word Problem? A Kid-Friendly Definition

No doubt you know the answer to this question, but would you know how to answer if a student asked? Here's a handy definition that you can use!

A word problem is a kind of maths problem that is presented in words instead of just numbers. Word problems require us to use our math skills to solve real-life scenarios or situations.

A word problem usually includes a question or a scenario that needs to be solved using one of the four math operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication or division.

How to Help Students Succeed With Word Problems

Word problems are a fantastic tool to help students build their problem-solving skills. So how do you set them up for success?

Our teacher team has a few tricks up our sleeves to ensure your students can translate their maths skills into real-world problem-solving situations.

1. Teach Key Word Problem Vocabulary

Word problems are full of, well, words that serve as cues for students to help them know which operations to apply. Make sure to explicitly teach students the words so they know the appropriate actions.

For example, if a student sees the term "take away" in a word problem, they should know that subtraction is involved. Here are just a few other key word problem vocabulary terms:

• How much
• Increased by
• How much longer
• Lost
• Remain
• Reduce

You may want to create anchor charts as a class with some of these keywords so students have a handy reference.

2. Hand Out Highlighter s

Teach students to work through a word problem and highlight or underline the important information (such as what is being asked for), while they cross out redundant information and other bits that are not necessary.

This can help them focus on the key points that matter.

3. Teach the CUBES Strategy

This handy strategy is a favorite among our teacher team (you'll even find CUBES resources on our site!). CUBES stands for:

• Circle all the numbers
• Underline the question
• Box the key words
• Evaluate and write the equation
• Solve & check

4. Practice Creating Word Problems As a Class

Before you hand already crafted word problems to your students to solve, why not work together as a class to create some?

Take regular addition or subtraction problems from the many worksheets on Teach Starter, and turn them into word problems together so students can reverse engineer the process. Students can also draw a picture to illustrate the problem.