Decimal Word Problems

Are your students practicing how to apply decimal addition and subtraction to a variety of word problems? If your students are fine-tuning their problem-solving skills, the resource will make a great addition to your decimal unit. With this set of 20 task cards, students will practice solving word problems that involve adding or subtracting decimals to the hundredths place. Students will practice solving problems such as:

John is making a bread recipe with his grandma. The recipe calls for 15.94 grams of flour. He weighed out 18.26 grams. How many grams of flour does John need to put back? 

Through this activity, students will show they can fluently add and subtract multi-digit decimals using the standard algorithm for each operation.

Tips for Differentiation + Scaffolding 

A team of dedicated, experienced educators created this resource to support your math lessons.

In addition to individual student work time, use this decimal computation activity to enhance learning through guided math groups, whole class lessons, or remote learning assignments. 

If you have a mixture of above and below-level learners, check out these suggestions for keeping students on track with the concepts: 

🆘 Support Struggling Students

Help students who need help support understanding the concepts by reinforcing problem-solving strategies. Encourage students to circle the keywords, underline the question, box in keywords, etc. Additionally, this activity can be completed in a 1-on-1 setting or with a small group of students.

➕ Challenge Fast Finishers

For students who need a bit of a challenge, encourage them to order their answers from least to greatest on the back of their recording sheet.

🛴 Scoot Activity

Place the cards around the room in numerical order and give each student a recording sheet. Assign students or pairs to a starting point card. Give students time to review the card and record their answers in the corresponding space on their paper. Students will rotate to the next card when you say, “SCOOT!” Continue in this manner until students return to their starting point. 

👋 Exit Ticket 

Use these cards as a formative assessment after your lesson. Pick a random assortment of cards and project them on the board for the whole class to see. Students can record their answers on a sheet of paper, sticky note, or their notebook. 

Easily Prepare This Resource for Your Students

Use the dropdown icon on the Download button to choose between the full-color PDF, low-color PDF, black and white PDF, or editable Google Slides version of this resource. A recording sheet and answer key are also included with this download. 

Print on cardstock for added durability and longevity. Place all pieces in a folder or large envelope for easy access. 

To keep the task cards out of pockets or under desks, punch a hole in the corner of each to place them on a binder ring. 

Sustainability Tip: Print a few recording sheets on cardstock and slip them into dry-erase sleeves. Students can record their answers with a whiteboard marker, then erase and reuse them.  

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This resource was created by Cassandra Friesen, a teacher in Colorado and Teach Starter Collaborator.