Solving word problems – Grade 3 math lesson
Lesson 3 of 15 in the Grade 3 math course
US version. US grades, US spelling and dollars ($). · UK Maths Department
A complete 45-minute lesson for grade 3 (ages 8–9) that runs on this page – at school or at home. Every answer is graded right away, with a worked explanation.
- Time
- 45 minutes + 15 min homework
- Grade
- Grade 3 (ages 8–9)
- You need
- Paper, a pencil and this page
- Graded
- Instantly, with explanations
For parents: how to use this lesson
You don't need to know this topic yourself. The lesson explains each step on screen, one tidy step at a time. Every answer is graded straight away with a worked explanation, so you never have to grade anything.
- Read what your child will learn and the big ideas together.
- Press Start the lesson below and sit with your child for the teaching and the worked examples (about 19 minutes).
- Let them do the practice on their own. They choose Getting started, On track or Challenge – start on On track and move up after a few right in a row.
- Finish with the exit ticket and the talk question: “How did you decide what to do with the remainder?”
- Later that day or the next day: the homework (15 minutes), then a practice test.
Watch out for
- Using every number in the question without thinking. Some numbers are not needed: ask what each one tells you.
- Giving a remainder when the answer must be a whole number (buses, boxes). Read the question again: do you need one more box for the leftovers?
Tip for home: Plan a trip or a party together: how many tables, how much food, how much change?
What your child will learn
Learning goal: solve one-step and multi-step word problems by choosing the right calculations.
Success looks like
- I can choose the right calculation.
- I can solve multi-step problems.
- I can check my answer makes sense.
Key words
- multi-step
- needs more than one calculation
- bar model
- a drawing of bars to show parts and the whole
- remainder
- what is left over after dividing
- units
- what the answer is measured in
What to have ready
- Paper and a pencil
- This page on a computer, tablet or phone
- For the hands-on part: Act out a shopping or packing problem with real objects, then write the calculations you used.
The big ideas (for the adult)
Read the problem twice. Underline the numbers and the question.
Decide which calculation each step needs. A bar model can show what is known and what is missing.
Work through the steps in order, then check the answer makes sense and has the right units. With remainders, think about what the question asks: round up, round down or keep the remainder.
The lesson, step by step
| Part | Time | How it is checked |
|---|---|---|
| Starter: quick recall | 5 min | Graded by Classfern |
| Teaching input | 10 min | Not assessed, self-checked |
| Worked examples and guided practice | 9 min | Not assessed, graded by Classfern |
| Independent practice | 15 min | Graded by Classfern |
| Closure and exit ticket | 6 min | Graded by Classfern, self-checked |
Starter, "your turn", practice and exit ticket are graded by Classfern. Worked examples and teaching are not assessed. The hands-on task and the reflection are self-assessed. Explanations in talk are judged by the parent and not recorded.
The lesson
It runs here on the page. No sign-up and no names – progress is kept only in this browser.
Homework and practice at home
15 minutes: 8 practice questions, 3 multiple-choice questions and 2 to remember from earlier work, then a short reflection. New questions every time, all graded instantly.
More practice
More Grade 3 math lessons
- Multiplication facts
- Multiplication and division
- Rounding to the nearest 10, 100 or 1,000
- Adding with the standard algorithm
- Subtracting with the standard algorithm
- Number lines
- Equivalent fractions
- Recognizing fractions
- Comparing and simplifying fractions
- Area of rectangles
- Perimeter
- Line plots
- Bar graphs, picture graphs and tables
- Elapsed time and schedules
Curriculum
Common Core State Standards 3.OA.D.8: “Solve two-step word problems using the four operations. Represent these problems using equations with a letter standing for the unknown quantity. Assess the reasonableness of answers using mental computation and estimation strategies including rounding.”
Common Core State Standards 3.NBT.A.2: “Fluently add and subtract within 1000 using strategies and algorithms based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction.”
Our lessons and questions are our own. They are not written or endorsed by any government department, testing agency or exam board.