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Building a mathematics vocabulary

Building a Mathematics Vocabulary

We cannot receive, hold and manipulate a concept without having either an image/schema or words for the concept. The image could be a picture, figure, drawing, or symbols. In the case of language it can be a word, expression, or an equation.

For effective communication of mathematics ideas, children need robust and rich images and vocabularies (language containers). Without appropriate language containers, children cannot retain and communicate mathematics ideas. Vocabulary—words, expressions, phrases—are the language containers for mathematics concepts.

Learning mathematics, then, is using, creating, extending, and modifying language containers—the vocabulary of mathematics. Students’ proficiency in mathematics is directly related to the size of the set of their vocabulary. Rote memorization of a collection of words is not enough to master the language of mathematics. Instead, one has to acquire the related schemas with understanding. Language proficiency refers to the degree to which learners exhibit control over their language.

The introduction of mathematics vocabulary and terminology should be contextual, but even direct study of quantitative and spatial vocabulary contributes significantly to improved mathematics conceptualization—learning new concepts, creating deeper and robust conceptual schemas, and more effective communication.

When children create and encounter a language container for a mathematics concept, they also create and invoke the related conceptual model in their minds. Each word and expression such as sum , product , rational number, least common multiple, denominator , rectangular solid , conic section , and asymptotic represents a concept with its related schema . For example, if a person understands the definition of multiplication as ‘repeated addition’ or ‘groups of’, then these expressions invoke the conceptual schema. The expression 43 ´ 3, will invoke: 43 repeated 3 times (43 + 43 + 43) or 3 groups of 43 (43 + 43 + 43). If multiplication is learned as the ‘area of a rectangle’, then 3 ´ 43 will invoke an image of a rectangle with dimensions 3 (vertical side) and 43 (horizontal side).

The development and mastery of mathematical vocabulary are the result of a long and continuous interactive process between native language, mathematics language and symbols, and their quantitative and spatial experiences. This begins with play and concrete experiences in children’s environment. Experiences are represented through pictorial and visual forms and means, which then may result in abstract mathematics formulations and problems that students solve. This mathematics formulation—devising of abstract symbols, formulas, and equations, is then applied to more problems, and the result of this process is communicated. Successful communications demonstrate that the child has mastered a concept. The process can be summarized as:

• Understanding the environment (concrete experiences and use of native language).
• Translation (native language to pictorial and linguistic forms).
• Representation (in the native language).
• Description and verbalization (in the native language).
• Discussion (in the native language).
• Mathematical formulation of the problem (in the mathematical language).
• Manipulation of mathematical language.
• Communication of the outcome of mathematics operations (in mathematics and native languages).

This communication furthers not only children’s mathematics achievement but also their language development.

Building the Vocabulary of Mathematics Many of children’s mathematics difficulties are due to their limited vocabulary—its size, level, and quality. A child’s size and level of vocabulary is the intersection of three language sets:

• The level and mastery of the native language and background the child brings to the mathematics task.
• The level and sophistication of language that the teacher uses and the questions she asks to teach mathematics.
• The language set of the mathematics textbook being used.

The intersection of these three language sets is the available language the child has to learn mathematics. A small intersection means the child has a limited vocabulary. The objective, then, is to increase the size of this intersection. A child’s limited mathematics vocabulary may be for many reasons.

• The mathematics problems of the child with English as a second language in a classroom where the medium of instruction is other than the child’s native language.
• The child’s and teacher’s economic, cultural, and geographical backgrounds differ. For example, the linguistic problems that many urban black children and immigrant children face are an example of a linguistic/cultural mismatch and the assumptions teachers make in instructing children.
• Textbook language sets differ from the language sets of the children and the teacher.

Whatever the reasons for limited language sets, we need to help children acquire a robust mathematics vocabulary. Properly acquired and used in context, a mathematics vocabulary has a profound effect on children’s mathematics achievement and their thinking. Planned activities for developing, expanding, and using vocabulary contribute significantly to better mathematical word problem-solving ability and support learning new concepts, deeper conceptual understanding, and more effective communication.

Although more textbooks are emphasizing the language of mathematics, there is still little attempt to develop a coherent and comprehensive mathematics vocabulary in school mathematics teaching. In one textbook, the expression “ find the sum ” is introduced quite early. In another series, the expression is introduced much later, and then the words “find the sum” and “add” are used interchangeably. In another text, the word “sum” is used sparingly. Consequently, a child may face different language sets from grade to grade and from school to school. Although the textbooks have a large number of common language terms and vocabulary, many words are not in common. Further, some textbooks use so much language without properly introducing the terms that many children find textbooks frustrating. Exercises do not provide enough practice in basic skills, which prevents children from automatizing the language or the conceptual skills associated with them.

Strategies for Enhancing the Mathematics Vocabulary Ways in which children’s failure to develop mathematical vocabulary may manifest as: (1) children have difficulty conceptualizing a mathematics idea; (2) they do not respond to questions in lessons; (3) they cannot perform a task; and/or (4) they do poorly on tests, particularly on word problems.

• Their lack of conceptualization of a mathematical idea may be because they do not have the language for the concept to receive it, comprehend it or express it, such as ‘find the sum of’, ‘union of two rays…,’ ‘evaluate…’
• Their lack of response may be because they do not understand spoken or written instructions such as ‘draw a line between…’, ‘touch the base of the triangle’, ‘place a positive sign next to the numeral,…’ or ‘find two different ways to…’
• They are not familiar with the mathematics vocabulary words such as ‘difference’, ‘subtract’, ‘quotient’, or ‘product.’
• They may be confused about mathematical terms such as ‘odd’ or ‘table’, which have different meanings in everyday English and have more precise meanings in mathematics.
• They may be confused about other words and symbols like ‘area’ and ‘perimeter’, ‘factor and multiply’, ‘and’.

To enhance children’s vocabulary, every school system should have a minimal mathematics vocabulary list at each grade level. Mastery of words from such lists will prepare children to communicate mathematics. This list can also be used to assess students’ grade level language of mathematics. This list should indicate the grade of introduction of words, terms, and definitions and the level where they are mastered. It should be developmentally and linguistically appropriate. The teacher should constantly identify, introduce, develop, and display the words and phrases that children need to understand and use.

The teacher should use the same techniques to introduce mathematics words as she teaches native language. She should have a Math Word Wall for every mathematics concept she teaches. When a new word related to the concept emerges in discussion, it is added to the Word Wall. With the introduction of each word, students are exposed to several words and concepts that contain it. Then students use it in their own words, with as many examples as they can. The teacher selects a word and then asks children to use it in mathematics context. The following exchange illustrates this process.

• “ Give me a sentence that uses the word ‘add.’”
• “ You have $5 and I have $14. Let us add both amounts.”
• “ That is great! Now use the word ‘sum’ in a sentence.”
• “ That is easy. If we add our monies, what is the sum of our monies?”
• “ That is great! Now I am going to write some words on the board. I want you to first to tell me and then write a sentence or two using each word. If you want, you can use more than one word in a sentence.”

The concepts are then reviewed in circular fashion, built upon, and tied into new ideas. This helps children construct a working vocabulary that is constantly augmented, and they are also learning skills to build it.

Once the key root words have been introduced to children, the teacher can begin to extend the mathematics vocabulary words. Among the easiest sets are the words formed with prefixes, suffixes and derivative words. The process is to introduce the math prefixes and roots casually and then formally. In a casual manner, parents and teachers can remark, “You know a tricycle has 3 wheels. Tri- means 3 and cycle means wheels.”

Teacher: What will be the name of the object that has three angles? Student:  A triangle. Teacher: Why? Student:  A triangle has 3 angles and tri- means 3. Teacher: Now draw a triangle on your paper. Children draw triangles on their papers.

Teacher: The word ‘lateral’ means a side. What will you call an object that has three sides? Student:  A trilateral. Teacher: Now draw a trilateral on a paper. Children draw a trilateral on their papers.

Teacher: If the word ‘gon’ means a corner, what will you call an object that has three corners? Student:  A trigon.

Teacher:   If ‘octo’ means eight, what does ‘octagon’ mean? Student: A figure with eight corners.

As with all language development, there is a sequence in moving from speech ability to writing ability: the input is auditory in its foundation (the child is immersed in oral linguistic experiences), then followed by speech ability (the child produces language) and later by reading and writing ability. When young children have this kind of foundation, they avoid the anxiety of making sense of key foreign words later on in a formal setting. They will be able to generalize and relate math concepts to their daily experiences.

Instructional Suggestions for Language Proficiency There are practical reasons children need to acquire rich and appropriate vocabulary for them to participate in classroom life—the learning activities and tests. There is, however, an even more important reason: vocabulary, as part of mathematical language, is crucial to children’s development of thinking not only in mathematics problem solving but in general problem solving. Once children have control over their language usage, they begin to have control over the meta-cognitive skills that produce insights into their learning and their interactions with learning tasks. Language and thinking are interwoven in reasoning, problem solving, and applications of mathematics in multiple forms—intra-mathematical, interdisciplinary, and extracurricular. If children do not have the vocabulary to talk about a concept, they cannot make progress in understanding its applications—therefore solving word problems.

Teachers often use informal, everyday language in mathematics lessons before or alongside technical mathematical vocabulary. This may help children’s initial grasp of the meaning of words; however, a structural approach to the teaching and learning of vocabulary is essential to move to higher mathematics using the correct mathematical terminology. This also applies to proficiency. The teacher needs to determine the extent of children’s informal mathematical vocabulary and the depth of their understanding and then build the formal vocabulary on it.

It is not just younger children who need regular, planned opportunity to develop their mathematical vocabulary. All students and adults returning to education need to experience a cycle of concrete work, oral work, reading, writing, and applications.

The teacher needs to introduce new words through a suitable context, for example, with relevant, real objects, mathematical apparatus, pictures, and/or diagrams. Referring to new words only once will do little to promote the learning of mathematics vocabulary. The teacher should use every opportunity to draw attention to new words or symbols with the whole class, in small groups or with individual students. Finally, the teacher should create opportunities for children to read and write new mathematics vocabulary in diverse circumstances and to use the word in sentences.

• Concrete work: Concrete materials/models develop images and the language for mathematics ideas. The concrete materials/models help children (a) generate the language, (b) understand the concept, and (c) arrive at an efficient procedure. Students should be encouraged to explore and solve problems using manipulative materials and asked to discuss and record the activity using pictures and symbols. The teacher or a student can also act the word out.
• Writing work: The teacher should explain the meanings of words carefully. The teacher should refer to a similar word; give the history and the derivation of the word and write it on the board. Children should copy it in their Math Notebook. The teacher should ask the children to say the word clearly and slowly. They should rehearse the pronunciation of the word. The teacher should ask them to spell the word and ask a child to say the word and spell it with eyes closed.
• listening to the teacher or other students using words correctly
• acquiring confidence and fluency in speaking, using complete sentences that include the new words and phrases, in chorus with others or individually
• discussing ways of solving a problem, collecting data, organizing data and discussing the properties of the data for a variety of reasons: to generate hypotheses, develop conjectures or make predictions about possible results or relationships between different elements and variables involved in the problem
• presenting, explaining, communicating, and justifying methods, results, solutions, or reasoning, to the whole class, a group, or partner
• generalizing or describing examples that match a general statement
• encouraging the use of the word in context and helping sort out any ambiguities or misconceptions students may have through a range of open and closed questions.

Because students cannot learn the meanings of words in isolation, I believe in the centrality of reading and conversation in mathematics lessons. Shared reading is a valuable context for learning and teaching not only mathematics language but also mathematics content. Strategies such as using children’s books, stories, DVDs, and videos as a vehicle for communicating mathematical ideas develops mathematical language. Reading word problems aloud and silently, as a whole class and individually, is equally important. During these readings, the teacher should ask questions involving mathematics concepts. This develops strong mathematics language and understanding. Students can be asked to read and explain:

• numbers, signs and symbols, expressions and equations in blackboard presentations
• instructions and explanations in workbooks, textbooks, and other multi-media presentations
• texts with mathematical references in fiction and non-fiction books, books of rhymes, children’s books during the literacy hour as well as mathematics lessons
• labels and captions on classroom displays, in diagrams, graphs, charts, and tables
• definitions in illustrated dictionaries, including dictionaries that the children have made themselves, in order to discover synonyms, origins of words, words that start with the same group of letters (e.g. triangle, tricycle, triplet, trisect…), words made by coding pre-fixes or suffixes, words derived from other words.

All students from K through 12 and adults returning to education need to work on developing their mathematics vocabulary.

Attend to precision

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Build Strong Math Vocabulary Skills Using These Simple Strategies

Learning new vocabulary is a fundamental part of understanding math concepts. Use these strategies to build both fluency and engagement.

Math class doesn’t seem like the most obvious choice for word walls, glossary lists, and word of the day games. But a strong understanding of math terms is essential for mastering concepts—meaning strategies for building robust vocabulary are surprisingly useful. 

Recently, fifth-grade math teacher Kathleen Palmieri began to wonder how well her students understood the complex terms used in textbooks and word problems. So she performed some action research by pulling out 10 key terms—including exponent, base, equivalent, and estimate—and asked students to define those terms using words or numbers, she writes in a recent piece for MiddleWeb . About 40 percent of her kids could write a basic definition, exposing significant gaps in conceptual fluency.

“What I discovered in my students’ responses was that learning math terminology is more than studying a list of words,” she said, concluding that regular practice with new math terminology facilitates mathematical discourse and understanding. “It is much more of an architecture of learning where concepts need to be explored and a pathway of understanding needs to be blazed before a mathematical term can be attached to establish true meaning.”

Here are a few of the ways Palmieri and other teachers “immerse students in the language of math”—while keeping student engagement high. 

1. Let students do the defining: Students need to contextualize words before they can understand them, and need repeated exposure to them before they sink in. 

As an alternative to Palmieri’s baseline assessment, have students pull out the key terms they think will be important later. Literacy specialist Rebecca Alber asked her students to skim a chapter from a textbook and identify their own vocabulary list . Students would then rate each term by whether they “know it,” “sort of know it,” or “don't know it at all.” Afterward, they wrote out a definition or took their best guess at the term’s meaning.

“Before they turn in these pre-reading charts, be sure to emphasize this is not about ‘being right,’” she advised. “They are providing you with information to guide next steps in class vocabulary instruction.”

Similarly, Palmieri provides some introductory context and asks students to add to an expanding glossary. Research has largely dispelled the practice of writing out memorized definitions from textbooks, so Palmieri takes a different tack. Students take an active role in coming up with definitions based on their learning. As students learn more about the terms and how they’re used, they update definitions. At the end of the lesson, to consolidate learning, it may prove helpful to review all the terms as a class.

2. Get creative with word walls: Instead of writing terms on a word wall and hanging it up for students to glance at, Palmieri has students write terms on colorful Post-Its and affix them to bulletin boards. She also gets great engagement from letting students use art supplies to creatively show what they’ve learned: “Bubble letters, examples of problems and definitions with graphics are truly fun ‘math’ activities,” she explains. “Students present and explain their term and then proudly display their poster in the classroom.” 

Unlike static word walls, these strategies involve principles of constructivism , an active and social learning theory where learners build on previous knowledge and create new learning themselves. As students learn new concepts, they can define terms in real-time, make adjustments as the concepts deepen, and hang them around the classroom for others to learn from.

3. Make it a game: Math instruction doesn’t have to be drab, says Palmieri. You can introduce familiar word games like Pictionary, where students draw out clues and others try to guess the concept. She also plays a game called “What’s My Term?” where “students verbally give clues as others listen.” 

Likewise, language specialist and Harvard lecturer Rebecca Rolland suggests a game where students show they know what terms mean by listing “non-examples” of things they are studying. For instance, acute angles can look “‘sharp’ but not ‘curvy’ or ‘wavy’ or ‘square,’” she says. Ask students to come up with creative non-examples and explain their thought processes. “That same acute angle might look like a door that’s partly shut, but not like a smile or a cloud.” 

Still others play match games with index cards face down on a table, or encourage students to create definitions that rhyme or fit to music. In these cases, the game itself is perhaps less important than the act of engaging students to commit the terms to memory. 

4. Word(s) of the day: To reinforce specific concepts, Palmieri has the class come up with a word of the day or week, depending on the duration of the lesson. Students count how often the word is used and in which contexts (e.g., in word problems, during class discussion, in small group activities). 

Inspired by research she had done that suggested students need to use a word between six and 30 times to truly learn it, sixth-grade teacher Megan Kelly began picking three words to focus on for a day and reviewing the terms at the start of class. During class, she emphasizes the words herself, and asks students to use the words as many times as they can with a partner. 

“I used the words a ton in my directions and made a big deal whenever I heard a student say one of our goal words,” she says. “Everyone wants to be in on the fun, so each time I praised someone for using the word, there was an increase in others using them too.”

5. Break down word problems: Word problems are notoriously difficult, especially when challenging language obscures the intent of the question. Before students solve word problems numerically, Palmieri has the whole class perform a close read for sense-making. Together they pull out key words and create a written response. Working out word problems as a group is a well-established strategy. Teachers at Concourse Village Elementary School in New York City use a 3-read protocol : First, they read the word problem aloud to the class without numbers, then students read the complete problem on their own and pull out key terms before reading it together as a class. The 3-read protocol clarifies “what they’re reading and helps to build their fluency,” says Blair Pacheco, a teacher who has used the strategy with her students.

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120 Math Word Problems To Challenge Students Grades 1 to 8

Written by Marcus Guido

Hey teachers! 👋

Use Prodigy to spark a love for math in your students – including when solving word problems!

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You sit at your desk, ready to put a math quiz, test or activity together. The questions flow onto the document until you hit a section for word problems.

A jolt of creativity would help. But it doesn’t come.

Whether you’re a 3rd grade teacher or an 8th grade teacher preparing students for high school, translating math concepts into real world examples can certainly be a challenge.

This resource is your jolt of creativity. It provides examples and templates of math word problems for 1st to 8th grade classes.

There are 120 examples in total.

The list of examples is supplemented by tips to create engaging and challenging math word problems.

120 Math word problems, categorized by skill

Addition word problems.

Best for: 1st grade, 2nd grade

1. Adding to 10: Ariel was playing basketball. 1 of her shots went in the hoop. 2 of her shots did not go in the hoop. How many shots were there in total?

2. Adding to 20: Adrianna has 10 pieces of gum to share with her friends. There wasn’t enough gum for all her friends, so she went to the store to get 3 more pieces of gum. How many pieces of gum does Adrianna have now?

3. Adding to 100: Adrianna has 10 pieces of gum to share with her friends. There wasn’t enough gum for all her friends, so she went to the store and got 70 pieces of strawberry gum and 10 pieces of bubble gum. How many pieces of gum does Adrianna have now?

4. Adding Slightly over 100: The restaurant has 175 normal chairs and 20 chairs for babies. How many chairs does the restaurant have in total?

5. Adding to 1,000: How many cookies did you sell if you sold 320 chocolate cookies and 270 vanilla cookies?

6. Adding to and over 10,000: The hobby store normally sells 10,576 trading cards per month. In June, the hobby store sold 15,498 more trading cards than normal. In total, how many trading cards did the hobby store sell in June?

7. Adding 3 Numbers: Billy had 2 books at home. He went to the library to take out 2 more books. He then bought 1 book. How many books does Billy have now?

8. Adding 3 Numbers to and over 100: Ashley bought a big bag of candy. The bag had 102 blue candies, 100 red candies and 94 green candies. How many candies were there in total?

Subtraction word problems

Best for: 1st grade, second grade

9. Subtracting to 10: There were 3 pizzas in total at the pizza shop. A customer bought 1 pizza. How many pizzas are left?

10. Subtracting to 20: Your friend said she had 11 stickers. When you helped her clean her desk, she only had a total of 10 stickers. How many stickers are missing?

11. Subtracting to 100: Adrianna has 100 pieces of gum to share with her friends. When she went to the park, she shared 10 pieces of strawberry gum. When she left the park, Adrianna shared another 10 pieces of bubble gum. How many pieces of gum does Adrianna have now?

Practice math word problems with Prodigy Math

Join millions of teachers using Prodigy to make learning fun and differentiate instruction as they answer in-game questions, including math word problems from 1st to 8th grade!

12. Subtracting Slightly over 100: Your team scored a total of 123 points. 67 points were scored in the first half. How many were scored in the second half?

13. Subtracting to 1,000: Nathan has a big ant farm. He decided to sell some of his ants. He started with 965 ants. He sold 213. How many ants does he have now?

14. Subtracting to and over 10,000: The hobby store normally sells 10,576 trading cards per month. In July, the hobby store sold a total of 20,777 trading cards. How many more trading cards did the hobby store sell in July compared with a normal month?

15. Subtracting 3 Numbers: Charlene had a pack of 35 pencil crayons. She gave 6 to her friend Theresa. She gave 3 to her friend Mandy. How many pencil crayons does Charlene have left?

16. Subtracting 3 Numbers to and over 100: Ashley bought a big bag of candy to share with her friends. In total, there were 296 candies. She gave 105 candies to Marissa. She also gave 86 candies to Kayla. How many candies were left?

Multiplication word problems

Best for: 2nd grade, 3rd grade

17. Multiplying 1-Digit Integers: Adrianna needs to cut a pan of brownies into pieces. She cuts 6 even columns and 3 even rows into the pan. How many brownies does she have?

18. Multiplying 2-Digit Integers: A movie theatre has 25 rows of seats with 20 seats in each row. How many seats are there in total?

19. Multiplying Integers Ending with 0: A clothing company has 4 different kinds of sweatshirts. Each year, the company makes 60,000 of each kind of sweatshirt. How many sweatshirts does the company make each year?

20. Multiplying 3 Integers: A bricklayer stacks bricks in 2 rows, with 10 bricks in each row. On top of each row, there is a stack of 6 bricks. How many bricks are there in total?

21. Multiplying 4 Integers: Cayley earns $5 an hour by delivering newspapers. She delivers newspapers 3 days each week, for 4 hours at a time. After delivering newspapers for 8 weeks, how much money will Cayley earn?

Division word problems

Best for: 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade

22. Dividing 1-Digit Integers: If you have 4 pieces of candy split evenly into 2 bags, how many pieces of candy are in each bag?

23. Dividing 2-Digit Integers: If you have 80 tickets for the fair and each ride costs 5 tickets, how many rides can you go on?

24. Dividing Numbers Ending with 0: The school has $20,000 to buy new computer equipment. If each piece of equipment costs $50, how many pieces can the school buy in total?

25. Dividing 3 Integers: Melissa buys 2 packs of tennis balls for $12 in total. All together, there are 6 tennis balls. How much does 1 pack of tennis balls cost? How much does 1 tennis ball cost?

26. Interpreting Remainders: An Italian restaurant receives a shipment of 86 veal cutlets. If it takes 3 cutlets to make a dish, how many cutlets will the restaurant have left over after making as many dishes as possible?

Mixed operations word problems

27. Mixing Addition and Subtraction: There are 235 books in a library. On Monday, 123 books are taken out. On Tuesday, 56 books are brought back. How many books are there now?

28. Mixing Multiplication and Division: There is a group of 10 people who are ordering pizza. If each person gets 2 slices and each pizza has 4 slices, how many pizzas should they order?

29. Mixing Multiplication, Addition and Subtraction: Lana has 2 bags with 2 marbles in each bag. Markus has 2 bags with 3 marbles in each bag. How many more marbles does Markus have?

30. Mixing Division, Addition and Subtraction: Lana has 3 bags with the same amount of marbles in them, totaling 12 marbles. Markus has 3 bags with the same amount of marbles in them, totaling 18 marbles. How many more marbles does Markus have in each bag?

Ordering and number sense word problems

31. Counting to Preview Multiplication: There are 2 chalkboards in your classroom. If each chalkboard needs 2 pieces of chalk, how many pieces do you need in total?

32. Counting to Preview Division: There are 3 chalkboards in your classroom. Each chalkboard has 2 pieces of chalk. This means there are 6 pieces of chalk in total. If you take 1 piece of chalk away from each chalkboard, how many will there be in total?

33. Composing Numbers: What number is 6 tens and 10 ones?

34. Guessing Numbers: I have a 7 in the tens place. I have an even number in the ones place. I am lower than 74. What number am I?

35. Finding the Order: In the hockey game, Mitchell scored more points than William but fewer points than Auston. Who scored the most points? Who scored the fewest points?

Fractions word problems

Best for: 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, 6th grade

36. Finding Fractions of a Group: Julia went to 10 houses on her street for Halloween. 5 of the houses gave her a chocolate bar. What fraction of houses on Julia’s street gave her a chocolate bar?

37. Finding Unit Fractions: Heather is painting a portrait of her best friend, Lisa. To make it easier, she divides the portrait into 6 equal parts. What fraction represents each part of the portrait?

38. Adding Fractions with Like Denominators: Noah walks ⅓ of a kilometre to school each day. He also walks ⅓ of a kilometre to get home after school. How many kilometres does he walk in total?

39. Subtracting Fractions with Like Denominators: Last week, Whitney counted the number of juice boxes she had for school lunches. She had ⅗ of a case. This week, it’s down to ⅕ of a case. How much of the case did Whitney drink?

40. Adding Whole Numbers and Fractions with Like Denominators: At lunchtime, an ice cream parlor served 6 ¼ scoops of chocolate ice cream, 5 ¾ scoops of vanilla and 2 ¾ scoops of strawberry. How many scoops of ice cream did the parlor serve in total?

41. Subtracting Whole Numbers and Fractions with Like Denominators: For a party, Jaime had 5 ⅓ bottles of cola for her friends to drink. She drank ⅓ of a bottle herself. Her friends drank 3 ⅓. How many bottles of cola does Jaime have left?

42. Adding Fractions with Unlike Denominators: Kevin completed ½ of an assignment at school. When he was home that evening, he completed ⅚ of another assignment. How many assignments did Kevin complete?

43. Subtracting Fractions with Unlike Denominators: Packing school lunches for her kids, Patty used ⅞ of a package of ham. She also used ½ of a package of turkey. How much more ham than turkey did Patty use?

44. Multiplying Fractions: During gym class on Wednesday, the students ran for ¼ of a kilometre. On Thursday, they ran ½ as many kilometres as on Wednesday. How many kilometres did the students run on Thursday? Write your answer as a fraction.

45. Dividing Fractions: A clothing manufacturer uses ⅕ of a bottle of colour dye to make one pair of pants. The manufacturer used ⅘ of a bottle yesterday. How many pairs of pants did the manufacturer make?

46. Multiplying Fractions with Whole Numbers: Mark drank ⅚ of a carton of milk this week. Frank drank 7 times more milk than Mark. How many cartons of milk did Frank drink? Write your answer as a fraction, or as a whole or mixed number.

Decimals word problems

Best for: 4th grade, 5th grade

47. Adding Decimals: You have 2.6 grams of yogurt in your bowl and you add another spoonful of 1.3 grams. How much yogurt do you have in total?

48. Subtracting Decimals: Gemma had 25.75 grams of frosting to make a cake. She decided to use only 15.5 grams of the frosting. How much frosting does Gemma have left?

49. Multiplying Decimals with Whole Numbers: Marshall walks a total of 0.9 kilometres to and from school each day. After 4 days, how many kilometres will he have walked?

50. Dividing Decimals by Whole Numbers: To make the Leaning Tower of Pisa from spaghetti, Mrs. Robinson bought 2.5 kilograms of spaghetti. Her students were able to make 10 leaning towers in total. How many kilograms of spaghetti does it take to make 1 leaning tower?

51. Mixing Addition and Subtraction of Decimals: Rocco has 1.5 litres of orange soda and 2.25 litres of grape soda in his fridge. Antonio has 1.15 litres of orange soda and 0.62 litres of grape soda. How much more soda does Rocco have than Angelo?

52. Mixing Multiplication and Division of Decimals: 4 days a week, Laura practices martial arts for 1.5 hours. Considering a week is 7 days, what is her average practice time per day each week?

Comparing and sequencing word problems

Best for: Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade

53. Comparing 1-Digit Integers: You have 3 apples and your friend has 5 apples. Who has more?

54. Comparing 2-Digit Integers: You have 50 candies and your friend has 75 candies. Who has more?

55. Comparing Different Variables: There are 5 basketballs on the playground. There are 7 footballs on the playground. Are there more basketballs or footballs?

56. Sequencing 1-Digit Integers: Erik has 0 stickers. Every day he gets 1 more sticker. How many days until he gets 3 stickers?

57. Skip-Counting by Odd Numbers: Natalie began at 5. She skip-counted by fives. Could she have said the number 20?

58. Skip-Counting by Even Numbers: Natasha began at 0. She skip-counted by eights. Could she have said the number 36?

59. Sequencing 2-Digit Numbers: Each month, Jeremy adds the same number of cards to his baseball card collection. In January, he had 36. 48 in February. 60 in March. How many baseball cards will Jeremy have in April?

Time word problems

66. Converting Hours into Minutes: Jeremy helped his mom for 1 hour. For how many minutes was he helping her?

69. Adding Time: If you wake up at 7:00 a.m. and it takes you 1 hour and 30 minutes to get ready and walk to school, at what time will you get to school?

70. Subtracting Time: If a train departs at 2:00 p.m. and arrives at 4:00 p.m., how long were passengers on the train for?

71. Finding Start and End Times: Rebecca left her dad’s store to go home at twenty to seven in the evening. Forty minutes later, she was home. What time was it when she arrived home?

Money word problems

Best for: 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade

60. Adding Money: Thomas and Matthew are saving up money to buy a video game together. Thomas has saved $30. Matthew has saved $35. How much money have they saved up together in total?

61. Subtracting Money: Thomas has $80 saved up. He uses his money to buy a video game. The video game costs $67. How much money does he have left?

62. Multiplying Money: Tim gets $5 for delivering the paper. How much money will he have after delivering the paper 3 times?

63. Dividing Money: Robert spent $184.59 to buy 3 hockey sticks. If each hockey stick was the same price, how much did 1 cost?

64. Adding Money with Decimals: You went to the store and bought gum for $1.25 and a sucker for $0.50. How much was your total?

65. Subtracting Money with Decimals: You went to the store with $5.50. You bought gum for $1.25, a chocolate bar for $1.15 and a sucker for $0.50. How much money do you have left?

67. Applying Proportional Relationships to Money: Jakob wants to invite 20 friends to his birthday, which will cost his parents $250. If he decides to invite 15 friends instead, how much money will it cost his parents? Assume the relationship is directly proportional.

68. Applying Percentages to Money: Retta put $100.00 in a bank account that gains 20% interest annually. How much interest will be accumulated in 1 year? And if she makes no withdrawals, how much money will be in the account after 1 year?

Physical measurement word problems

Best for: 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade

72. Comparing Measurements: Cassandra’s ruler is 22 centimetres long. April’s ruler is 30 centimetres long. How many centimetres longer is April’s ruler?

73. Contextualizing Measurements: Picture a school bus. Which unit of measurement would best describe the length of the bus? Centimetres, metres or kilometres?

74. Adding Measurements: Micha’s dad wants to try to save money on gas, so he has been tracking how much he uses. Last year, Micha’s dad used 100 litres of gas. This year, her dad used 90 litres of gas. How much gas did he use in total for the two years?

75. Subtracting Measurements: Micha’s dad wants to try to save money on gas, so he has been tracking how much he uses. Over the past two years, Micha’s dad used 200 litres of gas. This year, he used 100 litres of gas. How much gas did he use last year?

76. Multiplying Volume and Mass: Kiera wants to make sure she has strong bones, so she drinks 2 litres of milk every week. After 3 weeks, how many litres of milk will Kiera drink?

77. Dividing Volume and Mass: Lillian is doing some gardening, so she bought 1 kilogram of soil. She wants to spread the soil evenly between her 2 plants. How much will each plant get?

78. Converting Mass: Inger goes to the grocery store and buys 3 squashes that each weigh 500 grams. How many kilograms of squash did Inger buy?

79. Converting Volume: Shad has a lemonade stand and sold 20 cups of lemonade. Each cup was 500 millilitres. How many litres did Shad sell in total?

80. Converting Length: Stacy and Milda are comparing their heights. Stacy is 1.5 meters tall. Milda is 10 centimetres taller than Stacy. What is Milda’s height in centimetres?

81. Understanding Distance and Direction: A bus leaves the school to take students on a field trip. The bus travels 10 kilometres south, 10 kilometres west, another 5 kilometres south and 15 kilometres north. To return to the school, in which direction does the bus have to travel? How many kilometres must it travel in that direction?

Ratios and percentages word problems

Best for: 4th grade, 5th grade, 6th grade

82. Finding a Missing Number: The ratio of Jenny’s trophies to Meredith’s trophies is 7:4. Jenny has 28 trophies. How many does Meredith have?

83. Finding Missing Numbers: The ratio of Jenny’s trophies to Meredith’s trophies is 7:4. The difference between the numbers is 12. What are the numbers?

84. Comparing Ratios: The school’s junior band has 10 saxophone players and 20 trumpet players. The school’s senior band has 18 saxophone players and 29 trumpet players. Which band has the higher ratio of trumpet to saxophone players?

85. Determining Percentages: Mary surveyed students in her school to find out what their favourite sports were. Out of 1,200 students, 455 said hockey was their favourite sport. What percentage of students said hockey was their favourite sport?

86. Determining Percent of Change: A decade ago, Oakville’s population was 67,624 people. Now, it is 190% larger. What is Oakville’s current population?

87. Determining Percents of Numbers: At the ice skate rental stand, 60% of 120 skates are for boys. If the rest of the skates are for girls, how many are there?

88. Calculating Averages: For 4 weeks, William volunteered as a helper for swimming classes. The first week, he volunteered for 8 hours. He volunteered for 12 hours in the second week, and another 12 hours in the third week. The fourth week, he volunteered for 9 hours. For how many hours did he volunteer per week, on average?

Probability and data relationships word problems

Best for: 4th grade, 5th grade, 6th grade, 7th grade

89. Understanding the Premise of Probability: John wants to know his class’s favourite TV show, so he surveys all of the boys. Will the sample be representative or biased?

90. Understanding Tangible Probability: The faces on a fair number die are labelled 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. You roll the die 12 times. How many times should you expect to roll a 1?

91. Exploring Complementary Events: The numbers 1 to 50 are in a hat. If the probability of drawing an even number is 25/50, what is the probability of NOT drawing an even number? Express this probability as a fraction.

92. Exploring Experimental Probability: A pizza shop has recently sold 15 pizzas. 5 of those pizzas were pepperoni. Answering with a fraction, what is the experimental probability that he next pizza will be pepperoni?

93. Introducing Data Relationships: Maurita and Felice each take 4 tests. Here are the results of Maurita’s 4 tests: 4, 4, 4, 4. Here are the results for 3 of Felice’s 4 tests: 3, 3, 3. If Maurita’s mean for the 4 tests is 1 point higher than Felice’s, what’s the score of Felice’s 4th test?

94. Introducing Proportional Relationships: Store A is selling 7 pounds of bananas for $7.00. Store B is selling 3 pounds of bananas for $6.00. Which store has the better deal?

95. Writing Equations for Proportional Relationships: Lionel loves soccer, but has trouble motivating himself to practice. So, he incentivizes himself through video games. There is a proportional relationship between the amount of drills Lionel completes, in x , and for how many hours he plays video games, in y . When Lionel completes 10 drills, he plays video games for 30 minutes. Write the equation for the relationship between x and y .

Geometry word problems

Best for: 4th grade, 5th grade, 6th grade, 7th grade, 8th grade

96. Introducing Perimeter:  The theatre has 4 chairs in a row. There are 5 rows. Using rows as your unit of measurement, what is the perimeter?

97. Introducing Area: The theatre has 4 chairs in a row. There are 5 rows. How many chairs are there in total?

98. Introducing Volume: Aaron wants to know how much candy his container can hold. The container is 20 centimetres tall, 10 centimetres long and 10 centimetres wide. What is the container’s volume?

99. Understanding 2D Shapes: Kevin draws a shape with 4 equal sides. What shape did he draw?

100. Finding the Perimeter of 2D Shapes: Mitchell wrote his homework questions on a piece of square paper. Each side of the paper is 8 centimetres. What is the perimeter?

101. Determining the Area of 2D Shapes: A single trading card is 9 centimetres long by 6 centimetres wide. What is its area?

102. Understanding 3D Shapes: Martha draws a shape that has 6 square faces. What shape did she draw?

103. Determining the Surface Area of 3D Shapes: What is the surface area of a cube that has a width of 2cm, height of 2 cm and length of 2 cm?

104. Determining the Volume of 3D Shapes: Aaron’s candy container is 20 centimetres tall, 10 centimetres long and 10 centimetres wide. Bruce’s container is 25 centimetres tall, 9 centimetres long and 9 centimetres wide. Find the volume of each container. Based on volume, whose container can hold more candy?

105. Identifying Right-Angled Triangles: A triangle has the following side lengths: 3 cm, 4 cm and 5 cm. Is this triangle a right-angled triangle?

106. Identifying Equilateral Triangles: A triangle has the following side lengths: 4 cm, 4 cm and 4 cm. What kind of triangle is it?

107. Identifying Isosceles Triangles: A triangle has the following side lengths: 4 cm, 5 cm and 5 cm. What kind of triangle is it?

108. Identifying Scalene Triangles: A triangle has the following side lengths: 4 cm, 5 cm and 6 cm. What kind of triangle is it?

109. Finding the Perimeter of Triangles: Luigi built a tent in the shape of an equilateral triangle. The perimeter is 21 metres. What is the length of each of the tent’s sides?

110. Determining the Area of Triangles: What is the area of a triangle with a base of 2 units and a height of 3 units?

111. Applying Pythagorean Theorem: A right triangle has one non-hypotenuse side length of 3 inches and the hypotenuse measures 5 inches. What is the length of the other non-hypotenuse side?

112. Finding a Circle’s Diameter: Jasmin bought a new round backpack. Its area is 370 square centimetres. What is the round backpack’s diameter?

113. Finding a Circle's Area: Captain America’s circular shield has a diameter of 76.2 centimetres. What is the area of his shield?

114. Finding a Circle’s Radius: Skylar lives on a farm, where his dad keeps a circular corn maze. The corn maze has a diameter of 2 kilometres. What is the maze’s radius?

Variables word problems

Best for: 6th grade, 7th grade, 8th grade

115. Identifying Independent and Dependent Variables: Victoria is baking muffins for her class. The number of muffins she makes is based on how many classmates she has. For this equation, m is the number of muffins and c is the number of classmates. Which variable is independent and which variable is dependent?

116. Writing Variable Expressions for Addition: Last soccer season, Trish scored g goals. Alexa scored 4 more goals than Trish. Write an expression that shows how many goals Alexa scored.

117. Writing Variable Expressions for Subtraction: Elizabeth eats a healthy, balanced breakfast b times a week. Madison sometimes skips breakfast. In total, Madison eats 3 fewer breakfasts a week than Elizabeth. Write an expression that shows how many times a week Madison eats breakfast.

118. Writing Variable Expressions for Multiplication: Last hockey season, Jack scored g goals. Patrik scored twice as many goals than Jack. Write an expression that shows how many goals Patrik scored.

119. Writing Variable Expressions for Division: Amanda has c chocolate bars. She wants to distribute the chocolate bars evenly among 3 friends. Write an expression that shows how many chocolate bars 1 of her friends will receive.

120. Solving Two-Variable Equations: This equation shows how the amount Lucas earns from his after-school job depends on how many hours he works: e = 12h . The variable h represents how many hours he works. The variable e represents how much money he earns. How much money will Lucas earn after working for 6 hours?

How to easily make your own math word problems & word problems worksheets

Armed with 120 examples to spark ideas, making your own math word problems can engage your students and ensure alignment with lessons. Do:

• Link to Student Interests:  By framing your word problems with student interests, you’ll likely grab attention. For example, if most of your class loves American football, a measurement problem could involve the throwing distance of a famous quarterback.
• Make Questions Topical:  Writing a word problem that reflects current events or issues can engage students by giving them a clear, tangible way to apply their knowledge.
• Include Student Names:  Naming a question’s characters after your students is an easy way make subject matter relatable, helping them work through the problem.
• Be Explicit:  Repeating keywords distills the question, helping students focus on the core problem.
• Test Reading Comprehension:  Flowery word choice and long sentences can hide a question’s key elements. Instead, use concise phrasing and grade-level vocabulary.
• Focus on Similar Interests:  Framing too many questions with related interests -- such as football and basketball -- can alienate or disengage some students.
• Feature Red Herrings:  Including unnecessary information introduces another problem-solving element, overwhelming many elementary students.

A key to differentiated instruction , word problems that students can relate to and contextualize will capture interest more than generic and abstract ones.

Final thoughts about math word problems

You’ll likely get the most out of this resource by using the problems as templates, slightly modifying them by applying the above tips. In doing so, they’ll be more relevant to -- and engaging for -- your students.

Regardless, having 120 curriculum-aligned math word problems at your fingertips should help you deliver skill-building challenges and thought-provoking assessments.

The result?

A greater understanding of how your students process content and demonstrate understanding, informing your ongoing teaching approach.

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Mathematical vocabulary

The purpose of this book, from the National Numeracy Strategy, is to identify the words and phrases that students need to understand and use if they are to make good progress in mathematics. It was designed to support the National Numeracy Strategy alongside the Framework for Teaching Mathematics.

There are four pages of vocabulary checklists for each year group. The first three pages for each year cover mathematical vocabulary relating to the Framework for Teaching Mathematics, organised according to its five strands:

Numbers and the number system Calculations Solving problems Handling data Measures, shape and space

Using and applying mathematics  is integrated throughout.

The fourth page for each year group lists the language commonly used when giving instructions about mathematical problems, both in questions in national tests and in published resources.

The words listed for each year include vocabulary from the previous year, with new words for the year printed in red from Year One onwards. Some words may appear under different strands in different years, as their meaning is expanded or made more specific.

A section on questioning skills includes a classification of types of questions, open and closed questions and a set of questions that can help students at different times during a lesson or investigation.

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Math Vocabulary

Be consistent.

Students should be exposed to the same vocabulary year after year. The name of a strategy shouldn’t change from one grade to the next as this causes confusion.

Vocabulary and strategy names should be mathematical in nature. For example, “The turtle strategy for two digit by two digit multiplication” has students follow these steps: Draw the turtle’s head. Multiply by the number in its neck. Check off carried numbers. Draw a collar and lay a turtle egg (zero). Multiply by the other number. We don’t “lay eggs” when multiplying. Putting a collar on the turtle is not mathematical. This “strategy” can’t be transfered beyond two digit by two digit multiplication. They aren’t solving the question with any mathematical understanding of how multiplication works nor applying their understanding of place value.

Alberta Education has provided a document containing and explaining Directing Words for Mathematics . Although this document was prepared for Grade 12 students as a support for Diploma Exams, the  directing words and their explanations can be used at earlier grade levels. By utilizing them in earlier grades, teachers can build consistent language use with their students.

Rocky View School Division created a list of vocabulary words by grade using the Alberta K-9 Math Program of Studies (including Achievement indicators).

Caution: Teaching “Key Words”

When students are working with word problems, they are often introduced the acronym “C.U.B.E.S.” or another acronym that essentially follows the same format:

• C ircle all key numbers.
• U nderline the question.
• B ox any key words.
• E liminate unnecessary information.
• S olve and check.

These same students are often taught that “in total” or “more” means you will add and “less” means you will subtract.  Consider the following question:  Your garden has 3 rows of carrots. There are 15 carrots in each row. How many carrots are there in total?

The phrase “in total” can be used for all four operations, not just addition.  This blog post explores the reasoning for avoiding teaching students that a key word has a specific operation attached to it and provides an idea for teaching students to understand the word problem.

Alberta Education’s Directing Words for Mathematics for Math 30-1 and 30-2.

Alberta Regional Professional Development Consortia developed the Elementary Professional Learning site. They have included vocabulary documents for:

• Equality : Equality, Attribute, Conservation of number, Mathematical Reasoning, Mathematical Connections, Mathematical Problem Solving, Symbolically, Concretely, Pictorially, Equation, Variable, Preservation of Equality
• Additive Thinking : Addend, Associative Property, Commutative Property, Compensation, Constant Difference, Decomposing Numbers, Difference, Friendly Numbers, Inverse Operation, Minuend, Partitioning, Subtrahend, Sum
• Multiplicative Thinking : Area Model / Rectangular Array, Associative Property, Cartesian Product, Commutative Property, Composite Number Distributive Property / Partitioning, Factor, Greatest Common Divisor/Factor, Inverse Operation, Iteration, Least/Lowest Common Multiple, Multiple, Multiplicative Comparison, Multiplicand, Multiplier, Product, Dividend, Divisor, Quotient, Rate, Ratio, Prime Number
• Assessment : Criteria for Success, Evaluation, Feedback, Formative assessment (assessment for learning), Including, Learning intention, Learning outcomes, Peer Feedback, Self-evaluation/self-assessment, such as, Summative assessment (assessment of learning)
• Instructional Practices :  Additional Support Resources, Algorithm, Approved Resource, Authorized Resource, Classroom Culture, Conceptual Understanding, Concrete Stage, Constructivism, Critical Thinking, Differentiated Instruction, Direct Instruction, Discourse, Discover Learning, Effective Strategy, Efficient Strategy, Fixed Mindset, Flipped Classroom, General Outcomes, Growth Mindset, Inclusion, Inquiry-based Learning, Instruction, Instructional Practices, Instructional Strategies, Manipulatives, Mathematical Processes, Mathematical Strategies, Outcome, Pictorial Stage, Programming Principles, Resource, Responsive Instruction, Required Resource, Specific Outcome, Symbolic Stage, Virtual Manipulatives

Math is Fun – Illustrated Mathematics Dictionary – Mathematics Vocabulary & Illustrations 

Mathematics Glossary – LearnAlberta.ca

• Example Link – Associative Property

Rocky View School Divisions: Vocabulary by Grade

5 Fun activities for teaching math vocabulary

• March 8, 2024
• Rebekah Bergman
• Education Tips & Tricks

Why is teaching math vocabulary important?

Success in math isn’t only a matter of numbers; math vocabulary plays a huge role too! For students to gain true mastery of math, they need to become fluent in the language of mathematics. Becoming fluent means building a vocabulary that includes words from “addend” to the “y-axis,” understanding those words, and then being able to use them and apply them to new scenarios. Plus, a word can have one meaning inside the math classroom and an entirely different one outside of it, think of “odd” and “plane.” Math vocab also includes words and phrases that are also symbols that students need to learn how to recognize, read, and use (e.g., ℼ and √).

With many skills and standards to master, it can be tricky for math teachers to find time and opportunities to devote to vocabulary instruction . Keep reading to explore five fun ideas to teach math vocabulary.

Flocabulary for math vocabulary

At Flocabulary , vocabulary is key to our lessons and activities. Our belief in the power of vocabulary informs our approach to learning across subjects. Our hip-hop songs and engaging videos are centered around vocabulary and threaded through all the activities in each lesson. Here’s a mashup of some of the math videos Flocabulary has to offer!

Captivate students and make learning experiences memorable and interesting through Flocabulary.  Teachers can sign up below to access video lessons and activities shared in this blog post. Administrators can contact us below to learn more about the power of Flocabulary Plus.

5 Fun activities and tips for teaching math vocabulary

1. incorporate vocabulary into number talks, do nows, and your other rituals and routines..

Vocabulary instruction doesn’t have to occur in an isolated vacuum; researchers say it shouldn’t be ( File, Kieran & Adams, Rebecca, 2010 )! Exposing students to math words as they are used authentically in context is an effective strategy to build their vocabulary. It can be relatively simple to do this: you can use your existing classroom rituals and routines–like Number Talks or Do Nows–as opportunities to integrate vocabulary learning.

Exposing students to a word will not be enough to grow their vocabulary. Repetition and context are key.  As a word is used, take a moment to examine it with students. How is that vocabulary word being used in this problem or example? If the vocab word is relatively new to your students, you might provide direct instruction about its meaning and usage. If it’s a word students have seen many times already, you might pause for a quick check for understanding to reinforce the meaning and usage.

Here are some specific vocabulary activities you can implement into your classroom routines:

• Make a game of spotting the vocabulary. Ask students to keep an eye out for their math vocabulary words throughout the class. Consider creating a gesture or other signal that students can make if they see or hear one of the words used in a Number Talk or Do Now. Turn it into a friendly competition and offer prizes. Keep it easy and quick for you to implement, and this game can become its own vocabulary ritual that will foster engagement and keep the learning going and growing. 
• Use Flocabulary to spot vocabulary words in a song. Flocabulary creates standards-aligned hip-hop infused videos for K-12 subjects. Every Flocabulary lesson includes 3-10 vocabulary words. Pause the video, or have students raise their hand for you to pause the video, whenever a vocab word is used. Look at the lyrics and visuals on the screen that represent the word or phrase, and discuss the vocabulary before you continue playing the song!

2. Have students speak, write, and draw their math vocabulary words.

Math teachers know the importance of manipulatives for gaining first-hand experience with abstract mathematical concepts. Similarly, students need opportunities to practice speaking, writing and drawing new words to fully incorporate those words into their vocabulary and make them their own.

Here are a few activities that provide students with this opportunity:

• Have students apply the word to a new scenario by writing a sentence or creating their own example problem.
• Ask students to draw a visual representation of a word.
• Pair students up or put them in small groups to have conversations using their vocabulary.
• Use a Frayer model graphic organizer . This typically includes four boxes for each vocabulary word with space for students to create a definition, list examples, list non-examples, and describe features or facts.
• Assign students Flocabulary’s Vocab Cards. Inspired by the Frayer model, Vocab Cards feature a definition in student-friendly language, words, parts of speech, an image, synonyms, antonyms, and an example sentence. There is room for students to practice writing an example and drawing the word, too. Assign these Vocab Cards and have students share their work, or you can complete them front-of-class together.

3. Have students keep a journal with examples and definitions of their vocabulary words.

In a vocabulary journal, you can have students log any new words they have encountered incidentally while solving word problems, the vocabulary words you introduced, or provided direct instruction around, or a combination of both!

How much and what you have students record for each word is up to you! But again, knowing the importance of exposing students to a word in multiple contexts, you might have students create a running log with space for additional examples of the word used in context as they come across them. Having a journal is especially useful during test prep season because students can refer back to what they’ve learned.

Here’s a breakdown of how students can create a vocabulary journal:

• Adding words to the journal will help students commit the new vocabulary to memory. For each entry, students can write the word, a predicted definition from context, the real definition they find, and examples.
• Students can use the journal to self-assess. Have them set up the page with the words on one side and the definitions on the other. When they fold the page in half, they can quiz themselves!
• Use Read & Respond to record new words in their journal. After students watch a Flocabulary video, have them complete the Read & Respond accompanying activity. Instruct them to write down any additional vocabulary words from the text passages in their journal.
• Seeing this journal grow can be hugely motivational , especially for students who might struggle in other areas of mathematics. Over time, the vocabulary journal will also serve as a comprehensive and living record of their learning.

4. Gamify vocab instruction for added fun, competition, and collaboration.

Earlier, we discussed ways to create a game for math vocabulary words used throughout class time. You can also play games with students using the math terms in new contexts to test their knowledge.

Gameplay can be one round or many. Educational games can be especially significant when students need to reset their energy level or get up and move a bit before they’re ready to sit still or quietly focus on a different kind of task. It also creates opportunities to build classroom community through friendly competition and student collaboration. These games do not take much time away from the other math learning and practice. They also don’t require many materials or time to set up.

Here are some vocabulary games and activities students can do:

• Charades: Students can work in partners or teams to act out a vocabulary word and have their teammates guess it correctly.
• Pictionary: Students can draw a vocabulary word and have their teammates guess it correctly.
• Fil-in-the-blanks: Students can come up with a fill-in-the-blank sentence for their teammates to compete or race to identify which vocab word is being defined or described.
• Flocabulary’s Vocab Game : In this game, students complete fill-in-the-blank sentences and match definitions, images, synonyms, and antonyms with the right vocabulary word. Correct answers add new instruments to build a Flocab beat! By the end of the game, students will be able to listen to a beat they’ve created by completing the fill-in-the-blanks. Flocabulary’s Vocab Game is available in every lesson.

5. Allow room for students to get creative!

“Creating” is at the very top of Bloom’s Taxonomy and is considered to require higher-order thinking skills. While most tips on this list won’t take much time to implement, this one can take longer, but we feel the investment can be well worth the time. With that in mind, you can consider a creative vocab assignment.

You can use vocabulary activities to encourage freedom, expression, and creativity. After all, we know that students can do a lot more than write sentences and draw pictures. Often, they crave opportunities to engage more creatively with their learning.

Here are a few ways to get creative with vocab instruction with students:

• Create a picture book or other visual that could teach younger students about one or more math vocab terms while telling a story.
• Create and perform a skit that uses math vocab in a real-world context. 
• Create a poem that uses examples or definitions of math vocabulary words.
• Use Lyric Lab to have students create their own songs using their vocabulary words. Lyric Lab is a rhyme-writing tool available in every Flocabulary lesson. It includes a rhyming dictionary and beats that students can use to help them write their rap or poem. It also consists of a word bank that keeps track of which vocabulary words they’ve used. You can have students write songs in Lyric Lab and perform them to celebrate the end of a unit!

Start using these tips in your math classroom

Across all subject areas, vocabulary is essential to comprehension. It’s estimated that students need to know more than 90% of words in a text to understand it ( Schmitt et al., 2011 ). In math, this means that students need opportunities to learn the language of math to understand the problems they are solving. Fortunately, there are lots of fun and easy-to-implement ways you can build students’ math vocabulary, and Flocabulary’s videos and lesson activities can help!

Captivate students and make learning experiences memorable and interesting through Flocabulary.  Teachers can sign up below to access video lessons and activities shared in this blog post. Administrators can contact us below to learn more about the power of Flocabulary Plus.

Interested in reading more about this topic? Check out this blog post: Tips for math instruction with Flocabulary

• How to enhance your elementary STEM curriculum
• Test Prep activities and video lessons from Flocabulary

Math Glossary: Mathematics Terms and Definitions

Look Up the Meaning of Math Words

• Math Tutorials
• Pre Algebra & Algebra
• Exponential Decay
• Worksheets By Grade
• Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville
• B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College

This is a glossary of common mathematical terms used in arithmetic, geometry, algebra, and statistics.

Abacus : An early counting tool used for basic arithmetic.

Absolute Value : Always a positive number, absolute value refers to the distance of a number from 0.

Acute Angle : An angle whose measure is between 0° and 90° or with less than 90° (or pi/2) radians.

Addend : A number involved in an addition problem; numbers being added are called addends.

Algebra : The branch of mathematics that substitutes letters for numbers to solve for unknown values.

Algorithm : A procedure or set of steps used to solve a mathematical computation.

Angle : Two rays sharing the same endpoint (called the angle vertex).

Angle Bisector : The line dividing an angle into two equal angles.

Area : The two-dimensional space taken up by an object or shape, given in square units.

Array : A set of numbers or objects that follow a specific pattern.

Attribute : A characteristic or feature of an object—such as size, shape, color, etc.—that allows it to be grouped.

Average : The average is the same as the mean. Add up a series of numbers and divide the sum by the total number of values to find the average.

Base : The bottom of a shape or three-dimensional object, what an object rests on.

Base 10 : Number system that assigns place value to numbers.

Bar Graph : A graph that represents data visually using bars of different heights or lengths.

BEDMAS or PEMDAS Definition : An acronym used to help people remember the correct order of operations for solving algebraic equations. BEDMAS stands for "Brackets, Exponents, Division, Multiplication, Addition, and Subtraction" and PEMDAS stands for "Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, and Subtraction".

Bell Curve : The bell shape created when a line is plotted using data points for an item that meets the criteria of normal distribution. The center of a bell curve contains the highest value points.

Binomial : A polynomial equation with two terms usually joined by a plus or minus sign.

Box and Whisker Plot/Chart : A graphical representation of data that shows differences in distributions and plots data set ranges.

Calculus : The branch of mathematics involving derivatives and integrals, Calculus is the study of motion in which changing values are studied.

Capacity : The volume of substance that a container will hold.

Centimeter : A metric unit of measurement for length, abbreviated as cm. 2.5 cm is approximately equal to an inch.

Circumference : The complete distance around a circle or a square.

Chord : A segment joining two points on a circle.

Coefficient : A letter or number representing a numerical quantity attached to a term (usually at the beginning). For example, x is the coefficient in the expression x (a + b) and 3 is the coefficient in the term 3 y.

Common Factors : A factor shared by two or more numbers, common factors are numbers that divide exactly into two different numbers.

Complementary Angles: Two angles that together equal 90°.

Composite Number : A positive integer with at least one factor aside from its own. Composite numbers cannot be prime because they can be divided exactly.

Cone : A three-dimensional shape with only one vertex and a circular base.

Conic Section : The section formed by the intersection of a plane and cone.

Constant : A value that does not change.

Coordinate : The ordered pair that gives a precise location or position on a coordinate plane.

Congruent : Objects and figures that have the same size and shape. Congruent shapes can be turned into one another with a flip, rotation, or turn.

Cosine : In a right triangle, cosine is a ratio that represents the length of a side adjacent to an acute angle to the length of the hypotenuse.

Cylinder : A three-dimensional shape featuring two circle bases connected by a curved tube.

Decagon : A polygon/shape with ten angles and ten straight lines.

Decimal : A real number on the base ten standard numbering system.

Denominator : The bottom number of a fraction. The denominator is the total number of equal parts into which the numerator is being divided.

Degree : The unit of an angle's measure represented with the symbol °.

Diagonal : A line segment that connects two vertices in a polygon.

Diameter : A line that passes through the center of a circle and divides it in half.

Difference : The difference is the answer to a subtraction problem, in which one number is taken away from another.

Digit : Digits are the numerals 0-9 found in all numbers. 176 is a 3-digit number featuring the digits 1, 7, and 6.

Dividend : A number being divided into equal parts (inside the bracket in long division).

Divisor : A number that divides another number into equal parts (outside of the bracket in long division).

Edge : A line is where two faces meet in a three-dimensional structure.

Ellipse : An ellipse looks like a slightly flattened circle and is also known as a plane curve. Planetary orbits take the form of ellipses.

End Point : The "point" at which a line or curve ends.

Equilateral : A term used to describe a shape whose sides are all of equal length.

Equation : A statement that shows the equality of two expressions by joining them with an equals sign.

Even Number : A number that can be divided or is divisible by 2.

Event : This term often refers to an outcome of probability; it may answers question about the probability of one scenario happening over another.

Evaluate : This word means "to calculate the numerical value".

Exponent : The number that denotes repeated multiplication of a term, shown as a superscript above that term. The exponent of 3 4 is 4.

Expressions : Symbols that represent numbers or operations between numbers.

Face : The flat surfaces on a three-dimensional object.

Factor : A number that divides into another number exactly. The factors of 10 are 1, 2, 5, and 10 (1 x 10, 2 x 5, 5 x 2, 10 x 1).

Factoring : The process of breaking numbers down into all of their factors.

Factorial Notation : Often used in combinatorics, factorial notations requires that you multiply a number by every number smaller than it. The symbol used in factorial notation is ! When you see x !, the factorial of x is needed.

Factor Tree : A graphical representation showing the factors of a specific number.

Fibonacci Sequence : A sequence beginning with a 0 and 1 whereby each number is the sum of the two numbers preceding it. "0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34..." is a Fibonacci sequence.

Figure : Two-dimensional shapes.

Finite : Not infinite; has an end.

Flip : A reflection or mirror image of a two-dimensional shape.

Formula : A rule that numerically describes the relationship between two or more variables.

Fraction : A quantity that is not whole that contains a numerator and denominator. The fraction representing half of 1 is written as 1/2.

Frequency : The number of times an event can happen in a given period of time; often used in probability calculations.

Furlong : A unit of measurement representing the side length of one square acre. One furlong is approximately 1/8 of a mile, 201.17 meters, or 220 yards.

Geometry : The study of lines, angles, shapes, and their properties. Geometry studies physical shapes and the object dimensions.

Graphing Calculator : A calculator with an advanced screen capable of showing and drawing graphs and other functions.

Graph Theory : A branch of mathematics focused on the properties of graphs.

Greatest Common Factor : The largest number common to each set of factors that divides both numbers exactly. The greatest common factor of 10 and 20 is 10.

Hexagon : A six-sided and six-angled polygon.

Histogram : A graph that uses bars that equal ranges of values.

Hyperbola : A type of conic section or symmetrical open curve. The hyperbola is the set of all points in a plane, the difference of whose distance from two fixed points in the plane is a positive constant.

Hypotenuse : The longest side of a right-angled triangle, always opposite to the right angle itself.

Identity : An equation that is true for variables of any value.

Improper Fraction : A fraction whose numerator is equal to or greater than the denominator, such as 6/4.

Inequality : A mathematical equation expressing inequality and containing a greater than (>), less than (<), or not equal to (≠) symbol.

Integers : All whole numbers, positive or negative, including zero.

Irrational : A number that cannot be represented as a decimal or fraction. A number like pi is irrational because it contains an infinite number of digits that keep repeating. Many square roots are also irrational numbers.

Isosceles : A polygon with two sides of equal length.

Kilometer : A unit of measure equal to 1000 meters.

Knot : A closed three-dimensional circle that is embedded and cannot be untangled.

Like Terms : Terms with the same variable and same exponents/powers.

Like Fractions : Fractions with the same denominator.

Line : A straight infinite path joining an infinite number of points in both directions.

Line Segment : A straight path that has two endpoints, a beginning and an end.

Linear Equation : An equation that contains two variables and can be plotted on a graph as a straight line.

Line of Symmetry : A line that divides a figure into two equal shapes.

Logic : Sound reasoning and the formal laws of reasoning.

Logarithm : The power to which a base must be raised to produce a given number. If nx = a , the logarithm of a , with n as the base, is x . Logarithm is the opposite of exponentiation.

Mean : The mean is the same as the average. Add up a series of numbers and divide the sum by the total number of values to find the mean.

Median : The median is the "middle value" in a series of numbers ordered from least to greatest. When the total number of values in a list is odd, the median is the middle entry. When the total number of values in a list is even, the median is equal to the sum of the two middle numbers divided by two.

Midpoint : A point that is exactly halfway between two locations.

Mixed Numbers : Mixed numbers refer to whole numbers combined with fractions or decimals. Example 3 1 / 2 or 3.5.

Mode : The mode in a list of numbers are the values that occur most frequently.

Modular Arithmetic : A system of arithmetic for integers where numbers "wrap around" upon reaching a certain value of the modulus.

Monomial : An algebraic expression made up of one term.

Multiple : The multiple of a number is the product of that number and any other whole number. 2, 4, 6, and 8 are multiples of 2.

Multiplication : Multiplication is the repeated addition of the same number denoted with the symbol x. 4 x 3 is equal to 3 + 3 + 3 + 3.

Multiplicand : A quantity multiplied by another. A product is obtained by multiplying two or more multiplicands.

Natural Numbers : Regular counting numbers.

Negative Number : A number less than zero denoted with the symbol -. Negative 3 = -3.

Net : A two-dimensional shape that can be turned into a two-dimensional object by gluing/taping and folding.

Nth Root : The n th root of a number is how many times a number needs to be multiplied by itself to achieve the value specified. Example: the 4th root of 3 is 81 because 3 x 3 x 3 x 3 = 81.

Norm : The mean or average; an established pattern or form.

Normal Distribution : Also known as Gaussian distribution, normal distribution refers to a probability distribution that is reflected across the mean or center of a bell curve.

Numerator : The top number in a fraction. The numerator is divided into equal parts by the denominator.

Number Line : A line whose points correspond to numbers.

Numeral : A written symbol denoting a number value.

Obtuse Angle : An angle measuring between 90° and 180°.

Obtuse Triangle : A triangle with at least one obtuse angle.

Octagon : A polygon with eight sides.

Odds : The ratio/likelihood of a probability event happening. The odds of flipping a coin and having it land on heads are one in two.

Odd Number : A whole number that is not divisible by 2.

Operation : Refers to addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division.

Ordinal : Ordinal numbers give relative position in a set: first, second, third, etc.

Order of Operations : A set of rules used to solve mathematical problems in the correct order. This is often remembered with acronyms BEDMAS and PEMDAS.

Outcome : Used in probability to refer to the result of an event.

Parallelogram : A quadrilateral with two sets of opposite sides that are parallel.

Parabola : An open curve whose points are equidistant from a fixed point called the focus and a fixed straight line called the directrix.

Pentagon : A five-sided polygon. Regular pentagons have five equal sides and five equal angles.

Percent : A ratio or fraction with the denominator 100.

Perimeter : The total distance around the outside of a polygon. This distance is obtained by adding together the units of measure from each side.

Perpendicular : Two lines or line segments intersecting to form a right angle.

Pi : Pi is used to represent the ratio of a circumference of a circle to its diameter, denoted with the Greek symbol π.

Plane : When a set of points join together to form a flat surface that extends in all directions, this is called a plane.

Polynomial : The sum of two or more monomials.

Polygon : Line segments joined together to form a closed figure. Rectangles, squares, and pentagons are just a few examples of polygons.

Prime Numbers : Prime numbers are integers greater than 1 that are only divisible by themselves and 1.

Probability : The likelihood of an event happening.

Product : The sum obtained through multiplication of two or more numbers.

Proper Fraction : A fraction whose denominator is greater than its numerator.

Protractor : A semi-circle device used for measuring angles. The edge of a protractor is subdivided into degrees.

Quadrant : One quarter ( qua) of the plane on the Cartesian coordinate system. The plane is divided into 4 sections, each called a quadrant.

Quadratic Equation : An equation that can be written with one side equal to 0. Quadratic equations ask you to find the quadratic polynomial that is equal to zero.

Quadrilateral : A four-sided polygon.

Quadruple : To multiply or to be multiplied by 4.

Qualitative : Properties that must be described using qualities rather than numbers.

Quartic : A polynomial having a degree of 4.

Quintic : A polynomial having a degree of 5.

Quotient : The solution to a division problem.

Radius : A distance found by measuring a line segment extending from the center of a circle to any point on the circle; the line extending from the center of a sphere to any point on the outside edge of the sphere.

Ratio : The relationship between two quantities. Ratios can be expressed in words, fractions, decimals, or percentages. Example: the ratio given when a team wins 4 out of 6 games is 4/6, 4:6, four out of six, or ~67%.

Ray : A straight line with only one endpoint that extends infinitely.

Range : The difference between the maximum and minimum in a set of data.

Rectangle : A parallelogram with four right angles.

Repeating Decimal : A decimal with endlessly repeating digits. Example: 88 divided by 33 equals 2.6666666666666...("2.6 repeating").

Reflection : The mirror image of a shape or object, obtained from flipping the shape on an axis.

Remainder : The number left over when a quantity cannot be divided evenly. A remainder can be expressed as an integer, fraction, or decimal.

Right Angle : An angle equal to 90°.

Right Triangle : A triangle with one right angle.

Rhombus : A parallelogram with four sides of equal length and no right angles.

Scalene Triangle : A triangle with three unequal sides.

Sector : The area between an arc and two radii of a circle, sometimes referred to as a wedge.

Slope : Slope shows the steepness or incline of a line and is determined by comparing the positions of two points on the line (usually on a graph).

Square Root : A number squared is multiplied by itself; the square root of a number is whatever integer gives the original number when multiplied by itself. For instance, 12 x 12 or 12 squared is 144, so the square root of 144 is 12.

Stem and Leaf : A graphic organizer used to organize and compare data. Similar to a histogram, stem and leaf graphs organize intervals or groups of data.

Subtraction : The operation of finding the difference between two numbers or quantities by "taking away" one from the other.

Supplementary Angles : Two angles are supplementary if their sum is equal to 180°.

Symmetry : Two halves that match perfectly and are identical across an axis.

Tangent : A straight line touching a curve from only one point.

Term : Piece of an algebraic equation; a number in a sequence or series; a product of real numbers and/or variables.

Tessellation : Congruent plane figures/shapes that cover a plane completely without overlapping.

Translation : A translation, also called a slide, is a geometrical movement in which a figure or shape is moved from each of its points the same distance and in the same direction.

Transversal : A line that crosses/intersects two or more lines.

Trapezoid : A quadrilateral with exactly two parallel sides.

Tree Diagram : Used in probability to show all possible outcomes or combinations of an event.

Triangle : A three-sided polygon.

Trinomial : A polynomial with three terms.

Unit : A standard quantity used in measurement. Inches and centimeters are units of length, pounds and kilograms are units of weight, and square meters and acres are units of area.

Uniform : Term meaning "all the same". Uniform can be used to describe size, texture, color, design, and more.

Variable : A letter used to represent a numerical value in equations and expressions. Example: in the expression 3 x + y , both y and x are the variables.

Venn Diagram : A Venn diagram is usually shown as two overlapping circles and is used to compare two sets. The overlapping section contains information that is true of both sides or sets and the non-overlapping portions each represent a set and contain information that is only true of their set.

Volume : A unit of measure describing how much space a substance occupies or the capacity of a container, provided in cubic units.

Vertex : The point of intersection between two or more rays, often called a corner. A vertex is where two-dimensional sides or three-dimensional edges meet.

Weight : The measure of how heavy something is.

Whole Number : A whole number is a positive integer.

X-Axis : The horizontal axis in a coordinate plane.

X-Intercept : The value of x where a line or curve intersects the x-axis.

X : The Roman numeral for 10.

x : A symbol used to represent an unknown quantity in an equation or expression.

Y-Axis : The vertical axis in a coordinate plane.

Y-Intercept : The value of y where a line or curve intersects the y-axis.

Yard : A unit of measure that is equal to approximately 91.5 centimeters or 3 feet.

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Translating Word Problems: Keywords

Keywords Examples

The hardest thing about doing word problems is using the part where you need to take the English words and translate them into mathematics. Usually, once you get the math equation, you're fine; the actual math involved is often fairly simple. But figuring out the actual equation can seem nearly impossible. What follows is a list of hints and helps. Be advised, however: To really learn "how to do" word problems, you will need to practice, practice, practice.

How do I convert word problems into math?

• Read the entire exercise.
• Work in an organized manner.
• Look for the keywords.
• Apply your knowledge of "the real world".

Content Continues Below

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Algebra Word Problems

Step 1 in effectively translating and solving word problems is to read the problem entirely. Don't start trying to solve anything when you've only read half a sentence. Try first to get a feel for the whole problem; try first to see what information you have, and then figure out what you still need.

Step 2 is to work in an organized manner. Figure out what you need but don't have. Name things. Pick variables to stand for the unknows, clearly labelling these variables with what they stand for. Draw and label pictures neatly. Explain your reasoning as you go along. And make sure you know just exactly what the problem is actually asking for. You need to do this for two reasons:

• Working clearly will help you think clearly, and
• figuring out what you need will help you translate your final answer back into English.

Regarding point (a) above:

It can be really frustrating (and embarassing) to spend fifteen minutes solving a word problem on a test, only to realize at the end that you no longer have any idea what " x " stands for, so you have to do the whole problem over again. I did this on a calculus test — thank heavens it was a short test! — and, trust me, you don't want to do this to yourself. Taking fifteen seconds to label things is a better use of your time than spending fifteen minutes reworking the entire exercise!

Step 3 is to look for "key" words. Certain words indicate certain mathematica operations. Some of those words are easy. If an exercise says that one person "added" her marbles to the pile belonging to somebody else, and asks for how many marbles are now in the pile, you know that you'll be adding two numbers.

What are common keywords for word problems?

The following is a listing of most of the more-common keywords for word problems:

increased by more than combined, together total of sum, plus added to comparatives ("greater than", etc)

Subtraction:

decreased by minus, less difference between/of less than, fewer than left, left over, after save (old-fashioned term) comparatives ("smaller than", etc)

Multiplication:

of times, multiplied by product of increased/decreased by a factor of (this last type can involve both addition or subtraction and multiplication!) twice, triple, etc each ("they got three each", etc)

per, a out of ratio of, quotient of percent (divide by 100) equal pieces, split average

is, are, was, were, will be gives, yields sold for, cost

Note that "per", in "Division", means "divided by", as in "I drove 90 miles on three gallons of gas, so I got 30 miles per gallon". Also, "a" sometimes means "divided by", as in "When I tanked up, I paid $12.36 for three gallons, so the gas was $4.12 a gallon".

Warning: The "less than" construction, in "Subtraction", is backwards in the English from what it is in the math. If you need, for instance, to translate " 1.5 less than x ", the temptation is to write " 1.5 −  x ". Do not do this!

You can see how this is wrong by using this construction in a "real world" situation: Consider the statement, "He makes $1.50 an hour less than me." You do not figure his wage by subtracting your wage from $1.50 . Instead, you subtract $1.50 from your wage. So remember: the "less than" construction is backwards.

(Technically, the "greater than" construction, in "Addition", is also backwards in the math from the English. But the order in addition doesn't matter, so it's okay to add backwards, because the result will be the same either way.)

Also note that order is important in the "quotient/ratio of" and "difference between/of" constructions. If a problems says "the ratio of x and y ", it means " x divided by y ", not " y divided by x ". If the problem says "the difference of x and y ", it means " x  −  y ", not " y  −  x ".

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Some times, you'll be expected to bring your "real world" knowledge to an exercise. For instance, suppose you're told that "Shelby worked eight hours MTThF and six hours WSat". You would be expected to understand that this meant that she worked eight hours for each of the four days Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday; and six hours for each of the two days Wednesday and Saturday. Suppose you're told that Shelby earns "time and a half" for any hours she works over forty for a given week. You would be expected to know that "time and a half" means 1.5 times her base rate of pay; if her base rate is twelve dollars an hour, then she'd get 1.5 × 12 = 18 dollars for every over-time hour.

You'll be expected to know that a "dozen" is twelve; you may be expected to know that a "score" is twenty. You'll be expected to know the number of days in a year, the number of hours in a day, and other basic units of measure.

Probably the greatest source of error, though, is the use of variables without definitions. When you pick a letter to stand for something, write down explicitly what that latter is meant to stand for. Does " S " stand for "Shelby" or for "hours Shelby worked"? If the former, what does this mean, in practical terms? (And, if you can't think of any meaningful definition, then maybe you need to slow down and think a little more about what's going on in the word problem.)

In all cases, don't be shy about using your "real world" knowledge. Sometimes you'll not feel sure of your translation of the English into a mathematical expression or equation. In these cases, try plugging in numbers. For instance, if you're not sure if you should be dividing or multiplying, try the process each way with regular numbers. For instance, suppose you're not sure if "half of (the unknown amount)" should be represented by multiplying by one-half, or by dividing by one-half. If you use numbers, you can be sure. Pick an easy number, like ten. Half of ten is five, so we're looking for the operation (that is, multiplication or division) that gives us an answer of 5 . First, let's try division:

ten divided by one-half:

10/(1/2) = (10/1)×(2/1) = 20

Well, that's clearly wrong. How about going the other way?

ten multiplied by one-half:

(10)×(1/2) = 10 ÷ 2 = 5

That's more like it! You know that half of ten is five, and now you can see which mathematical operations gets you the right value. So now you'd know that the expression you're wanting is definitely " (1/2) x ".

You have experience and knowledge; don't be afraid to apply your skills to this new context!

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