The below files link to a set of 126 word problems designed to be posed to intermediate-grades students. These problems can be used as bell ringers, start-of-the lesson exercises, or additional practice. They were initially written to be used with third graders to solve and discuss, but they may be just as beneficial for fourth- or fifth-grade students. The files are formatted to enable these problems to be printed on address labels (see below for details) that can then be easily placed in your students’ notebooks or math journals.
In this problem set, you will find a variety of types of word problems. These problems include multiplication and division problems and multistep joining and separating situations. They also include whole numbers, common fractions, and decimal fractions (including some involving dollars and cents).
Collectively, these word problems address standards and benchmarks related to the strands of Number Sense and Operations, Fractions, Algebraic Reasoning, Measurement, and Data Analysis and Probability. They are not intended to be comprehensive. Rather, they are intended to supplement a more comprehensive curriculum.
Multiplication problems and measurement-division types of problem—those in which we know the quantity of each group but not how many groups there are—assist with assessment and development of children’s understanding of multidigit numbers and base-ten concepts (especially when they involve groups of ten). Partitive division or equal-sharing problems, on the other hand, can support assessment and development of children’s understanding of fractions (and rational numbers in general). For more information about these types of problems, Children’s Mathematics: Cognitively Guided Instruction by Thomas P. Carpenter et al. and Extending Children’s Mathematics: Fractions and Decimals by Susan B. Empson and Linda Levi provide more information about the types of problems and how children’s solution strategies can yield insight into their mathematical understanding.
These files were formatted using Avery address labels templates and are compatible with both 8160 (for inkjet printers) and 5160 (for laser printers) templates. The same problems are offered in two formats. (See below for more details.) We recommend that you test print on plain paper first and use the word documents to make any adjustments if needed.
Many thanks go to Holly Eubanks and Robert Heath—two teachers in Bay County, Florida—for offering to share these problems with the TiPS community! They wrote the original versions of these problems and offered to allow us to share them with you.
These sets of problems have a Creative Commons License. That means that you may use these and adapt the problems and/or the layout to meet your own purposes or the needs of your classroom, and you may share them freely. It also means that you may not sell them or claim the intellectual property therein for you own.
You may use the Word files and adapt these problems to your preferences or the needs of your classroom. Future versions may be provided with blank spaces in the text of the problems and several combinations of numbers that students may choose to use in order to adjust the level of difficulty to an optimal level of challenge.
If you have suggestions or additional requests, e-mail them to Naomi Iuhasz-Velez at niuhaszvelez@fsu.edu.
Files Formatted with 29 Copies of 1 Problem Per Page
The files in this section have 29 problems per page, each problem appearing once. Print one page per student. Please note that prompt five only contains ten problems, and the remaining stickers are blank. You can use the blanks on the Word file to create your own problems!
| Math Journal Prompt 1 | Download as PDF | Download as Word |
| Math Journal Prompt 2 | Download as PDF | Download as Word |
| Math Journal Prompt 3 | Download as PDF | Download as Word |
| Math Journal Prompt 4 | Download as PDF | Download as Word |
| Math Journal Prompt 5 | Download as PDF | Download as Word |
Files Formatted with 3 Copies of 9 Problems Per Page
The files linked below have three columns of stickers, each column containing the same nine word problems per file. Adjust the number of printed pages you will need based on your number of students, given that each printed page offers enough stickers for three students.
| Math Journal Prompt 1 | Download as PDF | Download as Word |
| Math Journal Prompt 2 | Download as PDF | Download as Word |
| Math Journal Prompt 3 | Download as PDF | Download as Word |
| Math Journal Prompt 4 | Download as PDF | Download as Word |
| Math Journal Prompt 5 | Download as PDF | Download as Word |
| Math Journal Prompt 6 | Download as PDF | Download as Word |
| Math Journal Prompt 7 | Download as PDF | Download as Word |
| Math Journal Prompt 8 | Download as PDF | Download as Word |
| Math Journal Prompt 9 | Download as PDF | Download as Word |
| Math Journal Prompt 10 | Download as PDF | Download as Word |
| Math Journal Prompt 11 | Download as PDF | Download as Word |
| Math Journal Prompt 12 | Download as PDF | Download as Word |
| Math Journal Prompt 13 | Download as PDF | Download as Word |
| Math Journal Prompt 14 | Download as PDF | Download as Word |