LEARN · PRACTISE · DISCOVER
Word Problem Challenge
Congratulations, you have reached the final lesson! You can multiply using groups, arrays and strategies, and you can divide by sharing, grouping and using fact families. Now it is time to use all these skills to solve word problems, just like real mathematicians do.
A plan for solving word problems
Use these four steps every time:
- Read the problem carefully. What is the question?
- Plan: Is it equal groups put together (multiply) or a total split up (divide)? Draw a picture or array if it helps.
- Solve: Write a number sentence and work it out.
- Check: Does the answer make sense? Use the fact family to check.
Multiply or divide?
| Clue in the problem | Operation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| You know the number of groups and how many in each | Multiply | 6 bags of 4 apples |
| You know the total and the number of groups | Divide | 24 apples in 6 bags, how many each? |
| You know the total and how many in each group | Divide | 24 apples, 4 in each bag, how many bags? |
One-step problems
Example
A bakery puts 9 muffins on each tray. It bakes 6 trays. How many muffins does it bake?
Equal groups put together, so multiply: 6 × 9 = 54 muffins. Check: 54 ÷ 9 = 6. Correct!
Two-step problems
Some problems need two steps. Solve the first step, then use that answer in the second step.
Example
Leah buys 4 packs of cards. Each pack has 8 cards. She shares all the cards equally with her brother. How many cards does each of them get?
- Step 1: Find the total. 4 × 8 = 32 cards.
- Step 2: Share between 2 people. 32 ÷ 2 = 16 cards each.
Example with addition
A class has 3 tables of 6 students and 1 table of 4 students. How many students are in the class?
- Step 1: 3 × 6 = 18 students.
- Step 2: 18 + 4 = 22 students.
Make sure the answer makes sense
Always ask: Is my answer reasonable? If a problem asks how many buses are needed for a class trip and your answer is 300 buses, something went wrong. Estimating first helps you catch mistakes.
Key takeaways
- Read, plan, solve and check every word problem.
- Multiply to combine equal groups; divide to split a total.
- Two-step problems use the answer from step 1 in step 2.
- Always check that your answer makes sense.
Practice
- A garden has 7 rows with 8 flowers in each row. How many flowers are there?
- 45 students are split into 5 equal teams. How many students are on each team?
- Max buys 3 boxes of 6 crayons and 1 box of 10 crayons. How many crayons does he have?
- A pet shop has 34 fish. It puts 6 fish in each tank. How many tanks does it need so every fish has a home?
Answers: 1 is 7 × 8 = 56 flowers. 2 is 45 ÷ 5 = 9 students. 3 is 3 × 6 = 18, then 18 + 10 = 28 crayons. 4 is 34 ÷ 6 = 5 r 4, so 6 tanks are needed.