Is there a guide out there for teaching word problems in math?

[Jackie in NE]

Dd is working through MUS Epsilon (fractions). She is a good student, but has trouble "seeing" the word problems. My younger boys are also having trouble "seeing" the word problems in their math books.

 

I am very mechanical and methodical when it comes to math. I have difficulty being inventive or creative with this subject. Is there anything out there that can help me to be a better teacher of word problems?

 

Thanks for any help you can offer!

 

Jackie

[Mama Lynx]

I believe that Singapore has a book on their bar graph method. Word problems were always a struggle for me until I learned Singapore's bar graph method.

[Dana]

Check out PurpleMath. I like their explanations for many topics.

Here's where they start with word problems.

[laurad1125]

When ds11 was struggling with this, I found several books at the library about word problems. I had him read one which explained the basic steps as well as different strategies and included lots of examples. Then I took the book from him and gave him one problem from the book each day.

 

I also gave him a worksheet that I made that has areas for him to fill in

1. What do you know?

2. What do you need to know?

3. How do they relate

4. Answer.

I make him fill in 1-3 with words rather than numbers. His weakness was taking the numbers in the problem and randomly adding/subtracting/multiplying/dividing without really understanding how the numbers related. Using words at first made him think about how they related. Then he could plug in the numbers.

 

This has worked really well for us. His understanding of word problems has really improved.

[msjones]

I have found that plenty of kids need to see many examples of word problem solutions before doing them independently. By "many" I mean at least 3 or 4 examples of each type of problem.

 

Try modeling 3 entire problems, thinking aloud, and showing all your written work before requiring your student to do that type of problem independently. Then watch while he/she makes attempts at several problems, providing any necessary help. Then, finally, have him/her try some independently.

 

Kids tend to have even more success if you teach them a specific way to show their work. The Singapore bar method is the most versatile one I have come across. Almost any word problem can be modeled using the Singapore bars.

[Crimson Wife]

Check out the recommendations on these recent threads on the same topic:

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=160942

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=154042

[monalisa]

This is similar to a previous poster. In the Bob Jones math program, it has the student follow this Problem Solving Plan, which I have printed out and in a page protector on the desk whenever she does word problems:

 

1. What is the question?

2. What information are you given?

3. Do you add or subtract? (or multiply or divide for later)

4. Does your answer make sense

 

As they suggest in the curriculum, I force my dd to walk through these 4 steps on every problem she does to make it automatic. I have her underline the question and circle the information.

 

I know this is very basic, but I like that it is forcing them to get into a routine vs. just jumping in and doing the first operation that comes to mind (which is what my dd wants to do, of course).