Word Problems

Grade 3 · mathematics · 100 practice problems · read aloud

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Word Problems: Solving Math Stories

What Are Word Problems? 🤔

Word problems are math questions written as short stories. They help us use math in real-life situations, like sharing toys, buying snacks, or counting animals at the zoo. They show us why math is useful every day!

How to Solve Word Problems: Step-by-Step

  1. Read Carefully: Read the whole problem slowly. What is the story about?
  2. Find the Question: What is the problem asking you to find? Look for words like "how many," "how much," or "total."
  3. Find the Numbers: Pick out the important numbers from the story.
  4. Choose the Operation: Decide if you need to add, subtract, multiply, or divide. Look for clue words.
  5. Write the Equation: Write a number sentence using the numbers and the operation.
  6. Solve It: Do the math! Find the answer.
  7. Check Your Answer: Read the problem again. Does your answer make sense?

Let's Look at Some Examples

Example 1: Maria has 15 stickers. Her friend gives her 8 more. How many stickers does Maria have now?

  • Question: How many stickers total?
  • Numbers: 15 and 8
  • Clue Words: "more" usually means addition.
  • Equation: 15 + 8 = ?
  • Solve: 15 + 8 = 23
  • Answer: Maria has 23 stickers.

Example 2: A baker made 36 cookies. He put them into 4 equal bags. How many cookies are in each bag?

  • Question: How many cookies per bag?
  • Numbers: 36 and 4
  • Clue Words: "equal bags" often means division (sharing).
  • Equation: 36 ÷ 4 = ?
  • Solve: 36 ÷ 4 = 9
  • Answer: There are 9 cookies in each bag.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Just Grabbing Numbers: Don't just add the first two numbers you see! Read to find out what you need to do.
  • Forgetting the Units: Always write the unit (like "stickers" or "cookies") with your answer.
  • Not Checking: Your answer should make sense. If you have 100 cookies but the story started with 10, something's wrong!

Tips & Tricks 🚀

Clue Words:

  • Add: in all, altogether, total, sum, more
  • Subtract: how many more, how many less, difference, left, remain
  • Multiply: times, each, double, triple, groups of
  • Divide: share, each, equal parts, split, per

Underline the question and circle the key numbers in the problem!

How to Practice

You can get better at word problems!

  • Make up your own word problems about your toys or snacks.
  • Ask a family member to give you a math story to solve.
  • Practice with worksheets or online games for 3rd-grade word problems.
  • Remember: The more you read and practice, the easier it gets!

Practice problems

6 of the 100, worked through step by step — try them before opening the answer.

1 Ava has 6 boxes. Each box contains 9 pencils. How many pencils does Ava have in total?

Hint: Consider how many groups there are and how many items are in each group.

Show the answer

Answer: 54

  1. Ava has 6 boxes.
  2. Each box contains 9 pencils.
  3. To find the total number of pencils, multiply the number of boxes by the number of pencils in each box: 6 × 9.
  4. 6 × 9 = 54. Ava has 54 pencils in total.

2 Ava has 6 boxes. Each box contains 16 crayons. How many crayons does Ava have in total?

Hint: Consider how many groups of items there are and how many items are in each group.

Show the answer

Answer: 96

  1. Identify the number of boxes: 6
  2. Identify the number of crayons in each box: 16
  3. Multiply the number of boxes by the number of crayons per box to find the total: 6 × 16
  4. Calculate 6 × 16 = 96 Ava has 96 crayons in total.

3 Kaia has 8 boxes. Each box contains 9 pencils. How many pencils does Kaia have in total?

Hint: Think about how many groups there are and how many items are in each group.

Show the answer

Answer: 72

  1. Kaia has 8 boxes.
  2. Each box contains 9 pencils.
  3. To find the total number of pencils, multiply the number of boxes by the number of pencils in each box: 8 × 9.
  4. 8 × 9 = 72. Kaia has 72 pencils in total.

4 Kaia has 5 boxes. Each box contains 9 crayons. How many crayons does Kaia have in total?

Hint: Think about how many groups there are and how many items are in each group.

Show the answer

Answer: 45

  1. Kaia has 5 boxes.
  2. Each box contains 9 crayons.
  3. To find the total number of crayons, multiply the number of boxes by the number of crayons in each box: 5 × 9.
  4. 5 × 9 = 45. Kaia has 45 crayons in total.

5 Mere has 6 boxes. Each box contains 8 crayons. How many crayons does Mere have in total?

Hint: Think about how many groups there are and how many items are in each group.

Show the answer

Answer: 48

  1. There are 6 boxes.
  2. Each box contains 8 crayons.
  3. To find the total number of crayons, multiply the number of boxes by the number of crayons in each box: 6 × 8.
  4. 6 × 8 = 48. Mere has 48 crayons in total.

6 Emma has 7 boxes. Each box contains 9 crayons. How many crayons does Emma have in total?

Hint: Think about how many groups there are and how many items are in each group.

Show the answer

Answer: 63

  1. Emma has 7 boxes.
  2. Each box contains 9 crayons.
  3. To find the total number of crayons, multiply the number of boxes by the number of crayons in each box: 7 × 9.
  4. 7 × 9 = 63. Emma has 63 crayons in total.
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