Solving Word Problems

Barbara Trotter                          O.A. Thorp Scholastic Academy
                                         6024 West Warrick
                                         Chicago, Illinois 60634
                                         312-974-8440

Objectives:

   (Intermediate and upper grades.)
To Teach intermediate students several different techniques for solving Word 
Problems. 

Materials needed:

Overhead projector, the three different strategies dittos, and Bingo 
manipulatives for the culminating exercise. 

Strategies:

Demonstrate and explain why it is important to study word problems.  Show by 
examples that word problems are found in all subjects including Social Studies, 
Science, Language Arts, and every day life.  Present and demonstrate the three 
different strategies, as you would in the classroom.  The strategies are: 

Determining the procedure, finding the clue words, changing the problem to a 
number sentence, getting the inverse of the problem, make a good estimation and 
solving the problem. 

Finding the characters, setting, plot, problem, and the resolve or solution.

Get an understanding of the problem, which includes who, what, how many or much,
planning a solution and finding the answer. 

Conclusion:

The students will not be expected to use all of the strategies or even all of 
one, but to determine what will work for them and use that one. 

Evaluation:

To determine if the students have assimilated the concepts, they will play Word 
Problem Bingo.  The word problems will be projected on the overhead and the 
answers will be on the individual game cards.  The first one to get four 
consecutive numbers in any direction, wins.