Teaching students how to solve word problems

I wanted to share with you a strategy that I have found works very well with students who find word problems difficult to digest :)  I've noticed that so often students read the word problem, but don't really comprehend the situation given or what is being asked.  They tend to think every number given is important, and they tend to want to go straight to adding to solve everything.  Sometimes, as is often the case at the school I teach at, the students' reading levels are so low that they focus more on deciphering the words than comprehending them.  This strategy that I will share is by no means the solution to all your students' word problem solving issues, but I have found after using it for several weeks in my math intervention groups, that students are less intimidated by the problems and have a better idea of steps they need to take to solve them.

Flash Freebie

I am participating in my first ever - "Blog Hop".  Thanks so much to Kristin from Happy Little Kindergarten for hosting this.   These two products below are "flash freebies" until this Friday morning. They normally sell for $3 each, but download them before Friday morning and you can have them for free!  My students have really enjoyed these place value games, and what's even better - they have learned from them. 

Each set comes with a "basic" set of calling cards and a "challenge" set for your higher learners.  I use them with my small math intervention groups, but they would be great in a learning station or as a whole group activity - (there are 24 different cards in each of the two sets).  I believe that the key to learning is engagement, and what better way to engage our little learners than a game of BINGO!

Here is how it works: when you click on one of these products, you will be redirected to my TPT store where you can read the description and download. If you teach 3rd or 4th grade math, check out my other products and freebies too :)  All of my products are TEKS aligned (cause I teach in Texas y'all) and most are Common Core aligned as well.

When you are done downloading, be sure and hop on back to Happy Little Kindergarten to check out some more awesome bloggers and their flash freebies.

Thanks so much for stoppin' by!!