After lots of experimentation I’ve found 4 creative ways to teach multi-step word problems that are sure to engage your learners too. Practicing multi-step word problems in 4th grade is a tricky business and many students struggle with understanding them, which then affects their motivation to practice. Although it’s a hard skill to master, practice and more practice is the way to go.
If you have fun and engaging ways to make word problems relevant and real, students will WANT to practice more. So I’m coming with 4 creative ways to teach multi-step word problems so that your learners will be asking for more practice activities!
No more ignoring the fact that NOBODY buys 26 melons for a birthday party!
There are tons of ways to make practicing word problems more enjoyable and easier to grasp.
So let’s jump into my go-to strategies.
1. Make Grade 4 Multi-Step Word Problems Real and Relevant
There are so many strategies to choose from but the best way to choose is to put yourself in your learners’ shoes. 👟 Are you ready to be a 4th grader for a minute?
Real Ancient Egyptian Word Problems to Solve
Solve this Ancient Egyptian word problem and tap into how you feel about the format and strategy you would use.
Here you go…
There are seven houses; in each house, there are seven cats; each cat kills seven mice; each mouse has eaten seven grains of barley; each grain would have produced seven hekat. What is the sum of all the enumerated things?
– FYI, it’s from the Rhind Mathematical Papyrus ( in case you’re wondering!)
Do you turn to visualisation strategies to make sense of this? Or are you using word identification?
- Did you automatically draw the little stick houses, mice, cats, barley and
- Then realise: What on Earth 🌍 is a hekat!!! Is it even relevant?
- Imagine you had a page of these to solve, would you get tired? Need a brain break?
- Was it interesting and fun because of the historical context?
My Conclusion: drawing is great but if you don’t have a scooby what a word means you feel like giving up. If the context is interesting you’re more likely to be interested enough to persevere.
Pheww!
Doubts Kick in for Your 4th Graders Too When Solving Multi-Step Word Problems!
- Is that word even important?
- Do cats really eat mice? ( I thought they ate cheese and drank cream (non-cat owner)
- 7 is being repeated so maybe I need to multiply it all together.
- Pick all the numbers I can find and just add them up (that should work)
That’s when I teach and reteach the formal strategy. Going back to reinforce a step-by-step approach can solidify the basics. However, I’ve found students get bored with this and need that extra motivation to truly grasp the skill. That’s why I bring out all the stops with direct instruction, mini workshops, hands-on activities, colouring math mats, and stories. The whole shebang! Because I aim to keep them engaged enough to practice and practice some more. Teaching multi-step word problems creatively will save your sanity!
Because let’s face it if you’re like me trying to get kids ready for the real world. You’ll agree in the real world no two problems are the same! The more variety of strategies you use, the more confidence you will help them build in this skill.
I’ve found that using real and relevant context for word problems helps with understanding. Also adding in some brain breaks builds that muscle to persevere with challenging multi-step problems.
Students need to learn several skills to master multi-step word problems
No matter what, it’s an essential skill that’s part of every curriculum and one that’s relevant to real life.
- Discounting irrelevant information
- Understanding the mathematical concept
- Knowing multiple operations
- Assessing if their answer makes sense.
Research shows that a multi-strategy approach best meets the needs of students. You can check out this research paper for more details
Visuals work best for my students so I use my seasonal maths mats to connect relevant seasonal topics and a variety of levels of maths word problems to the topic. From single-step addition to easy multi-step problems. Moving on to multi-step problems for decimals and multi-step volume word problems.
Depending on the type of review you want to do, you can print these on large paper and use them as a collaborative poster activity and create a display with these maths mats. Get your class used to the activity and use it at centers or stations every week. They are such lifesavers when I’m in a pinch for a print-and-go activity!
My next strategy ties in with projects and incorporates literacy with maths
2. Math Storytelling with a Purpose
Research shows that combining literacy with maths has a direct correlation to understanding and sense-making. I love to use mathematical stories in my maths block. It brings maths to life and my 4th graders are never too old for a good story!
Using picture books to illustrate mathematical thinking is an amazing tool to encourage maths talk, and collaboration and boost mathematical vocabulary.
Here are a few books I like to use to introduce some maths topics.
How Many Jelly Beans?
Is a great book for illustrating large numbers in real life and is great for the Autumn season to review place value word problems. It’s the perfect companion for my Candy Crunch word problems worksheet! Incorporate it into station/center activities with this worksheet and you have a ready-to-go activity for subs, homeschool, or regular seasonal centers.
Sir Cumference and the Knights of the First Round Table (A Math Adventure): And the First Round Table
This is an absolute favourite, combining geometry and problem-solving this picture book brings a lighthearted illustration of how to think about maths word problems. It’s a great series of books and I’ve found it helps alleviate maths anxiety because maths vocabulary is woven throughout the story. This makes vocabulary more accessible and is great for making it familiar.
Grapes of Math
I love this book as an introduction to number sense. Fun rhymes and riddles introduce problem-solving strategies that can be incorporated into morning work. They are so much fun!
These storybooks are a great introduction to new maths topics but my next strategy is going to get your students thinking.
3. Visual Representations and Manipulatives
Telling your own real-life stories is going to make maths even more meaningful for your students. I like to share my gardening stories and shopping trolley pictures with my students to get them thinking about how to problem-solve in real life. Just pop a picture of your weekly shop on your whiteboard and you have an instant maths problem-solving activity that is relevant. Let’s face it, I bet your students are always nosy about your life outside of the classroom!
Here Are Some Ideas to Incorporate more Multi-step Math Problem-Solving Activities
Math Journal:
- Let your students create their own math journals! They can doodle and share their day-to-day experiences, turning everyday activities into math stories. It’s like their personal math diary. Encouraging awareness about the math around them will help them be less anxious about tackling math problems during testing too. I like to get them familiar with problem-solving strategies on a regular basis.
Classroom Grocery Shop:
A shopping setup isn’t t just for lower grades! Set students the task of designing a real-life grocery shop or online shop in your classroom!
Creating price tags to put on items, writing and understanding shopping lists. fulfilling orders and refunds and putting on sales will help them practice multi-step math problems with all 4 operations.
It ticks all the boxes with hands-on elements, visuals, and manipulatives.
Whiteboard Story Snapshots:
Ever thought of turning your whiteboard into a visual story album? Snap pics of your hobbies and out-of-school activities like
- holiday pics
- tickets
- cinema trips,
- gift lists
- shopping
Throw them up on the board, and voila – instant math problems that are visual and meaningful. I like to crowdsource from my family, stage partners, and that messy drawer everyone has in their home! It’s a great morning work activity that can last for a week.
Authentic Objects
If you are at all able to bring in relevant artifacts and objects for students to use as manipulatives. Like pumpkins during Autumn or jars of jelly beans. Pictures and cubes are always great alternatives. Hands-on learning activities make maths concepts memorable and it’s more likely that it sticks until the end of the year, fingers crossed!
Lastly
4. Collaborative Problem-Solving
I’m always trying to incorporate this strategy. It can be hard to achieve but grouping mixed-ability students is encouraging and stretches all students. Assign each group with one of these themed sheets and encourage them to try a variety of problem-solving strategies together.
It’s great seeing students sharing their thoughts although it can be tricky to make sure everyone plays their part and contributes. I minimize this by assigning group roles. Research shows collaborative activities improve problem-solving skills and it’s a great strategy to deal with maths anxiety too! Plus it’s more likely you’ll hear a chatter of real maths talk going on.
More Ways to Teach 4th Grade Multi Step Word Problems Creatively.
Mastering multi-step word problems in fourth grade is crucial for honing problem-solving skills, boosting mathematical understanding, and fostering critical skills essential for growing math thinking.
By incorporating hands-on activities, engaging games, and visual aids, you’re not just teaching maths – you’re turning it into a memorable experience.
Hopefully, your students are not just tackling problems but enjoying the process, feeling confident, staying on task, and persevering with challenges because they are engaged and it’s meaningful.
I hope you found some strategies you can implement today because teaching word problems is not going away! Let’s do this together and build resilience in our students to persevere with challenging concepts.
Now, which of the four strategies in this post resonates most with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. Until then, keep building that love for learning,
Fantastic Teaching!
