Grades 3-5 Math Problem Solving in Action_ Getting Students to Love Word Problems

Math Literature Problem-Solving Circles ◆ 143

Tell Me a Story

This storytelling structure allows students to make up word problems (see
Figure 9.2). In this activity students pick a story, pick some numbers and
then write the problem. Other times the students are given the context
and the problem. The students each have roles. Someone starts the story,
someone explains it, another person models it and another person double-
double-checks the answer.

Figure 9.2 Tell Me a Story

1. The answer is 4 marbles. It is a
   division problem. What is the
   story?
   2. Write the story.


2. Write a set-up equation: _____

   ---

   
   

   4.^ Make a plan.

   
   


3. Model your thinking. 6. Write a solution equation.


4. Check your work. 8. Explain what you did.

Word Problem Rework

Christine Mulgrave-King writes about doing the word problem rework
(see Figures 9.3 and 9.4). In this activity, students have a starter problem
and then they have to rework that problem. To rework the problem,
they can

• Change the numbers


• Change the operations