Thanksgiving Word Problems for Upper Grades

Thanksgiving is coming up, and what better way to celebrate than by integrating the idea of thankfulness into every subject? We’ve put together a fun set of Thanksgiving word problems to help fourth and fifth-graders practice dividing three and four-digit numbers by single digits. These problems work with whole numbers only and do not require remainders.

Students read through the Thanksgiving word problems on the cards and determine a strategy for solving each problem. They then use scratch paper to solve the problem and record their answers on the included recording sheet. 

An answer sheet is included with your download for students to self-check their answers. 

Scaffold and Extend Your Thanksgiving Math Word Problems Division Task Cards

Scaffolding This Resource for Struggling Students

1. Review Key Vocabulary—Pre-teach or review words like divide, quotient, equal groups, and leftover so students don’t get hung up on the language.
2. Use Visuals or Manipulatives – Provide counters, base-ten blocks, or arrays so students can model the problem before attempting division.
3. Provide a Division Chart – Let students refer to a multiplication/division facts chart to reduce the struggle of recalling facts.
4. Simplify Numbers First—Give them a practice round with two-digit and one-digit problems before moving to three- and four-digit numbers.
5. Highlight Clues in the Problem – Teach students to underline key numbers and circle key words that signify division.

Extending This Resource for High Achievers

1. Create Their Own Word Problems – Have students write Thanksgiving-themed division problems for their classmates to solve.
2. Multi-Step Word Problems – Introduce problems that combine division with addition or multiplication (e.g., dividing food among groups, then figuring out how many more servings are needed).
3. Larger Divisors – Challenge students with problems that involve dividing by two-digit numbers.
4. Estimate First – Require students to estimate the quotient before solving each of the problems.
5. Check with Multiplication – Have students check their answers using multiplication.

Download to Combine Math and Thanksgiving With Ease!

Ready to bring the Thanksgiving spirit into your math class? This resource makes it easy to blend math and Thanksgiving together to make an engaging and seasonally relevant math lesson. Use the dropdown icon on the Download button to choose between PDF, or Google Slides versions of this resource. An answer key is included with your download. 

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

More Thanksgiving Problem-Solving Activities

Looking for more engaging Thanksgiving math activities? Check out these fantastic Thanksgiving Problem-Solving activities to pair with this resource: 

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