Are you looking for math word problem strategies to help you solve your math problems?
A lot of people struggle with math. A majority of these people even hate math because they spend a lot of time and energy solving certain problems. This is clear even when most encounter word problems, one of the easier forms of math to solve.
This is mostly because people struggle to form coherent thoughts from what they’ve read. Getting over his struggle is important since many reiterate that math is an important skill to learn for everyday use.
No matter where you’re at with math studies, you can always excel in it if you backtrack and reinforce the basics. Stop struggling with math word problems and start solving them today. Here are some strategies for you to keep in mind and follow to help you solve math word problems with ease.
- Knowing the Keyword Differences
Math word problems often hinge on a single word that determines the operation needed to solve it. As children, we learned that certain keywords denote certain operations. Anything with the word “more” often meant addition, “take away from” meant subtraction, and so forth.
However, there may be instances where we need to break away from what we know. An example would be:
“A has five more objects than B. If A has seven objects, how many does B have?”
By the keyword “more” most may think that it’s a simple addition problem. If you look closely, though, subtraction is the operation needed in the equation.
Learning how to discern the equation using keywords is important now more than ever, especially when teaching your children at home. The recent health crisis caused a severe drop in math skills for students lockdown at home. This is one way to ensure their math literacy is spot on.
- Numberless Word Problems
Using no numbers at all is another strategy that you can use when tackling word problems. It focuses on reading comprehension, figuring out what is happening in the problem.
You might want to add numbers later on when going back to the problems. However, you will want to start without any numbers to get yourself more engaged. Only focus on the words to get an effective step in gaining comprehension.
- Schema Instruction
Schema-based instructions are one of the most backed math learning strategies. It involves categorizing word problems into different types, helping you to solve them. There are two types of categories, multiplicative and additive.
For the additive category, it follows three schemas: combine, compare, and change. Combine problems involve putting together numbers to find the total. Compare about finding set differences, and change involves an amount of increase or decrease.
For multiplicative category, the schemas are equal groups, comparisons, proportions. Equal groups are about the unit getting multiplied by a specific number. Comparison is the set number of products, while proportions are about quantities.
Schema-based instructions can fit into all word problems. However, if you find it difficult to solve, you can always use a sig fig calculator to help.
Use These Strategies to Help You With Math Word Problem Strategies Today
Learning math shouldn’t always be a difficult experience. Make it fun and easy using these strategies in learning math today!
We hope these tips can help you with math word problem strategies. Are you having a hard time with other studies? Our blog can be a helpful learning resource!
