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Lesson Plan
Solving Word Problems
Word problems getting you down? Then spread the word on a lesson that will help students decide when to add or subtract, as they identify clue words that aid in solving word problems.
Grade
Subject
View aligned standards
Learning Objectives
Students will be able to use addition and subtraction to solve word problems.
The adjustment to the whole group lesson is a modification to differentiate for children who are English learners.
Introduction
(10 minutes)
- Create a scenario to introduce the concept of word problems. For example, say, "I am going to the local zoo and I plan on bringing 11 students with me. Six more students want to join us. How many of us are going to the zoo?"
- You can have students come to the front of the class in these denominations if you would like.
- Go over the answer to your created problem.
- Repeat the activity with a different word problem.
- Call on different students to answer the problem to promote class participation.
- Tell students they became a part of a word problem. Ask students to reflect on what word problems are and have a class discussion. Remind the class that a word problem is a situation explained in words that can be solved using math.
Beginning
- Show students a picture of the zoo to support understanding of the scenario.
- Define the word problem in student's home language (L1) if student is literate in home language.
- Provide an example of a simplified story problem.
Intermediate
- Encourage students to repeat the story problem back to you, in their own words.
- Ask students to explain what a problem is in their own words.
- Write the standard algorithm (1 + 11 + 6 = ________) on the whiteboard to support student understanding.