A class has 18 pencils and gets 7 more
Known: 18 pencils; 7 more arrive. Unknown: new total. Represent as 18 + 7.
Answer: 25 pencils Joining more pencils to the original amount calls for addition.
Math Word Problems · Grades 3–5
How to Solve Math Word Problems Step by Step
A word problem is a small story with quantities and a question. Understanding what is happening comes before choosing an operation.
What children need to know first
- Identify what the question asks you to find.
- Numbers matter because of their meaning in the story, not because of a single clue word.
Step-by-step explanation
- Read the whole problem once to understand the situation.
- Reread and mark the known quantities and the unknown.
- Draw a picture, bar model, table, or number sentence.
- Choose an operation that matches the relationship, solve, and label the answer.
- Check whether the answer makes sense in the story.
Worked examples
There are 24 books on 4 equal shelves
Known: 24 books shared equally across 4 shelves. Unknown: books per shelf. Represent as 24 ÷ 4.
Answer: 6 books on each shelf Equal sharing connects the total and number of groups.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- Choosing an operation from one word alone. Explain the relationship between the quantities first.
- Leaving off units. Name what the number counts in the answer.
Parent teaching tips
- Ask ‘What do we know?’ and ‘What are we trying to find?’ before discussing operations.
- Invite a drawing or acting-out strategy; children can solve the same story in different ways.
Independent practice
- Mia has 9 shells and finds 8 more. How many now?
- Twenty-four markers are shared by 6 tables. How many per table?
Practice answers
- 17 shells
- 4 markers
Explore related skills
Practice this skill
Open the matching Grades 3–5 activity for Word Problems. You can print its worksheet with questions only or an answer key.
Start Word Problems practice · View the grade-level topic page