Writing Word/Story Problems

I am working on a webpage that will provide a 1-2 page "lesson" on each of the arithmetic operations: Add, subtract, multiply, divide. The webpage is done in javascript so that the user can insert up to four (or more) names, and each time it is activated, the numbers in the problem will randomize.

I came on the idea after looking at some sample of "Singapore Math" and being a little less than whelmed! The "problems" were no better than the usual word problems which in one sentence state the quantities, and in the second sentence, ask for the answer using a given operation on the two numbers. As word problems go, they did not really live up to the hype.

So, I started this lesson webpage to see if I can do better, and I need some collective and creative brain power to help think of "real world" problems that would be of interest to today's children living in the urban, suburban and rural areas. http://www/educationalsynthesis.org/math/CALC-Lessons.html

So far, you can only access the addition, and there are five "levels" of different word problems. In the "very complex" level I have included a problem with quantities that are not used in the problem (I need to make the picture for that table more illustrative).

In Singapore Math it asks the child to develop their own means of solving the problems. I would like to include any other means than counting pictures of the quantities. (any method that involves counting would be represented here). Are there any other methods that children can think to use to solve these problems other than knowing the number facts, or counting representative items?

But, my real need is for suggestions for other word problems in addition as well as subtractions, multiplication, and division. Suggestions can be taken from the "real world" of kids in urban areas, suburban areas, or rural areas (I live in rural area, so those come easy to me).

Thanks for any and all suggestions on this webpage.

Anne

Tags: Math, Singapore, add, count, divide, illustrate, math, multiply, personalize, problems, More…story, subtract, word

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Permalink Reply by suehellman on December 13, 2009 at 9:04am

HI Ann -- I tried going to that link to take a look, but it keeps flipping me to http://www.com. Sorry.

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Permalink Reply by Anne Pemberton on December 13, 2009 at 9:11pm

Sue,

I copied and pasted the link. I spent the day thinking up subtraction problems, tomorrow, I'll tackle multiplication.

http://www.educationalsynthesis.org/math/CALC-Lessons.html

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Permalink Reply by Monica Avalos on December 14, 2009 at 7:31pm

Hi Anne, I checked out your webpage. I find it very easy to navigate.
Are you looking for specific problems, already written out or ideas of things to use in word problems?
Whenever I write word problems for my students (1st graders), I use things like MONEY/PENNIES, # OF LETTERS IN OUR NAMES..
For subtraction problems, I usually have my students work in pairs. I read the problem to them and they act it out. First graders don't readily know facts so they have to count.

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Permalink Reply by Anne Pemberton on December 14, 2009 at 10:52pm

Monica,
I would like new ideas for word problems other than the usual Jim has x and Tim has y, how do they have together? I am hoping for ideas on longer stories to be solved,, and more variety in the situations. I would love to have "real life" problems from workers in the trades. I'd love to include stories from history or science to solve. I want eventually to make some worksheets or display pages that only have story problems for the students to do.

For the lessons I'm making for now, I am including illustrations that can be counted to solve the problem. That adds another challenge to the problems. They have to be about something I can illustrate in 30 pixels square.in sets up to ten.