How to do math word problems

Make sure the word problems match students' language and math skills. Students must be able to understand what the problem is saying in order to know what it's asking. Similarly, they won't be able to arrive at the answer unless they know how to do the required math processes.

Take out the numbers to help students focus on the question. Students need to know what the problem is asking if they’re going to solve it, but recognizing the question is hard. It’s easy to get hung up on the numbers! Rewrite a basic word problem without the numbers, then ask students to determine what it’s asking.

A rich math word problem is accessible and feels real to students, like something that matters. It should allow for different ways to solve it and be open for discussion. A series of problems should be varied, using different operations and situations when possible, and even include multiple steps.

There are some problems that prove difficult to a lot of students to understand. The most common issue is with word problems. Students struggle with seeing the math behind the words. A proven step-by-step method for solving word problems is actually quite simple.