MathIsimple

Problem Solving

Apply all your math skills to solve real-world problems!

3rd Grade
Mixed Skills
🎮 Interactive Activity: Step-by-Step Problem Solver

Emma collected 45 stickers on Monday and 41 stickers on Tuesday. How many stickers did she collect in total?

Step 1:???
Step 2:???
Step 3:???
1. Problem-Solving Strategy

🧩 4-Step Problem Solving

Solving word problems can be tricky! Use this 4-step strategy to break them down into manageable parts.

1. Understand

What do I know? What do I need to find?

Read carefully, underline important numbers

2. Plan

Which operation(s) should I use?

Look for key words, decide on strategy

3. Solve

Do the math step by step

Show your work, be careful with calculations

4. Check

Does my answer make sense?

Verify with estimation or reverse operation

💡 Pro Tip: Don't skip steps! Even if a problem seems easy, following all 4 steps helps you catch mistakes!

📝 Example: Using the 4 Steps

Problem: Emma has 24 stickers. She gives 6 to each friend. How many friends got stickers?

Step 1 (Understand): I know: 24 stickers total, 6 per friend. I need: number of friends.

Step 2 (Plan): This is division - splitting 24 into groups of 6.

Step 3 (Solve): 24 ÷ 6 = 4 friends

Step 4 (Check): 4 friends × 6 stickers = 24 stickers ✓ Makes sense!

⚠️ Common Mistakes
  • Not reading the problem carefully
  • Using the wrong operation
  • Forgetting to check if the answer makes sense
  • Not showing your work
2. Multi-Step Problems
3. Key Word Clues
4. Drawing Pictures
5. Checking Your Answer

Practice Time!

Practice Quiz
10
Questions
0
Correct
0%
Score
1
Maya has 48 stickers. She wants to share them equally among 8 friends. How many stickers does each friend get?
2
A store has 7 rows of 9 toys. How many toys in total?
3
Jake ran 3/4 mile. His goal is 1 mile. What fraction is left?
4
A rectangle has perimeter 24 cm. If width is 5 cm, what's the length?
5
Emma bought 3 books at $8 each and a pen for $2. Total spent?
6
A movie starts at 2:45 PM and lasts 1 hour 30 min. When does it end?
7
An area is 42 sq ft. If length is 7 ft, what's the width?
8
25 students in class. 3/5 are girls. How many boys?
9
Sam has 156 cards. He buys 78 more, then gives away 50. How many now?
10
A garden is 8m × 6m. Fence costs $3/meter. Total fence cost?