3rd grade problem solving questions

35 math problems for 3 rd graders

In 3rd grade, students are introduced to important math concepts that become the building blocks for future mathematical learning. Let’s practice those concepts with this list of math problems for 3rd graders.

Author Katie Wickliff

Published September 25, 2023

• Key takeaways
• In 3rd grade math, students develop a deeper understanding of multiplication and division, fractions, and measurements.
• Word problems for 3rd graders require more advanced comprehension skills.
• Place Value: Understanding place value helps us read and write numbers correctly and compare their values.
• Look for opportunities for your child to practice their math at home–worksheets, math games , or a math practice app will help strengthen new mathematical knowledge. While consistency is key, math practice for 3rd graders should be engaging and fun.

Table of contents

• Subtraction
• Multiplication
• Measurement
• Multi-step word problems

Answer sheet

In addition to reviewing and strengthening the skills learned in previous years, 3rd graders learn multiplication and division, explore fractions, calculate measurements, and more. Also, word problems for 3rd graders are often multi-step, requiring students to understand what operations to perform and how to perform them correctly. 

This list of 3rd grade math problems is intended to reinforce concepts students have already been taught. The list is divided into sections: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, measurement, and multi-step problems. These sections allow students to specifically focus their practice, but feel free to skip around and choose the 3rd grade math practice problems that best suit your child’s needs. 

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Measurement and data

Sample questions, 35 third grade math problems, section 1: addition.

At the school carnival, Hattie won 25 tickets at ring toss and 40 tickets at balloon darts. How many tickets did she win altogether?

There are 15 baby chicks at the barn. 12 more chicks are born. How many baby chicks are at the barn now?

How can you represent the number line with an equation?

Using the number line, solve 7+ _ = 22

Amir practices basketball three days a week. On Tuesday, he practices basketball for 60 minutes. On Wednesday, he practices for 37 minutes. On Thursday, he practices for 15 minutes. Which expression shows how to find the total number of minutes Amir practiced? Circle the correct answer

Section 2: Subtraction

Using the number line, solve 17-6=

There are 224 Lions fans and 212 Tigers fans at the football game. How many more Lions fans than Tigers fans are at the game?

An animal shelter has 27 kittens available for adoption. On Friday, 8 kittens are adopted. How many kittens are left at the shelter?

Gemma has 130 beads for bracelets. She gives 75 beads to Piper and 6 beads to Claire. Which expression shows how to find the total number of beads Gemma has left? Circle the correct answer.

Using the number line, solve 30- _ = 14

Section 3: Multiplication

Using the picture below, write a multiplication equation to find the number of shapes

Francis and Jane are playing a card game. Francis has 7 cards. Jane has 3 times as many cards as Francis. How many cards does Jane have?

Using the number line to show hops, complete the multiplication sentence

Solve the equation

Mariela has 8 pages of math homework. There are 4 problems on each page. How many total problems does Mariela have for math homework?

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Section 4: Division

Connor has 80 crayons that he will put into crayon boxes. Each crayon box can hold 8 crayons. How many crayon boxes does he need?

Using the number line to show hops, complete the division sentence

Natalie divided 12 marbles into equal groups of 3. Draw a representation to show equal grouping.

Craig’s mom brought 12 cookies to the soccer game. She shared them equally among Craig and 3 teammates. Which expression will solve the problem correctly? Circle the answer.

Section 5: Fractions

Using the number line, work out what A, B and C represent.

Plot ¼ on this number line:

A cheese pizza has 8 slices. Marco ate 2 of the slices. His dad at the rest.  What fraction of the pizza did Marco eat? What fraction of the pizza did his dad eat?

There are 15 flowers in a garden. 10 flowers are yellow and the rest are red. What is the fraction of red flowers in the garden?

Using the number line, find the value of K and L. Which is bigger?

Section 6: Measurement

A school bus is 12 feet long and a car is 4 feet shorter than the bus. How long is the car?

John is 64 inches tall, Mabel is 59 inches tall, and Phoebe is 57 inches tall. How much taller is John than Phoebe?

Use the ruler provided to measure to the nearest ¼ inch:

Find the area of the square below

Find the perimeter of the rectangle below

Section 7: Multi-step word problems

Sarah has two $10 bills. Her sister has one $5 bill. They combine their money to buy a game that costs $22 dollars. How much change will they receive?

Dad baked 36 cookies for the bake sale. Jonas baked 24 cookies for the bake sale. His brother ate 5 cookies before the bake sale started. How many cookies do they have left to sell?

The school bus seats 75 students in all. On Friday, the school bus was full. At the first stop, 7 students got off. At the second stop, 15 students got off. How many children were left on the bus?

George has 25 water balloons. He wants to divide the water balloons equally between himself and 2 friends. How many water balloons will each get? Will there be any water balloons left over?

On Monday, 5 inches of snow fell. On Tuesday, 3 inches of snow fell. On Wednesday, 7 inches of snow fell. The school will have a snow day if it snows 21 inches or more. How many more inches would it have to snow for the school to have a snow day?

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Addition answers

25+40= 65. Hattie won 65 tickets

15+12= 27. 27 baby chicks are at the barn

7+ 15= 22. This should be represented by 15 “hops” on the number line

Subtraction answers

17-6=11. This should be represented by 11 “hops” on the number line

224-212= 12. There are 12 more Lions fans than Tiger fans

27-8= 19. There are 19 kittens left at the shelter.

Multiplication answers

2×3=6; 3×2=6

7×3=21. Jane has 21 cards.

8×4= 32

Division answers

40÷8= 5. It will take Max 5 days to pay Bennett.

Drawing should show 3 groups of 4 marbles each.

Fractions answers

The ¼ should be plotted on the point between 0 and ½

Marco ate 2/8 (or ¼) of the pizza. His dad ate 6/8 (or ¾) of the pizza

5/15 (or ⅓)

K= ⅜, L= 6/8 (or ¾). L is larger.

Measurement answers

12-4=8. The car is 8 feet long.

64-57=7. John is 7 inches taller than Phoebe

8×8=64. The area is 64 yd2

8+8+2+2=20 cm

Multi-step word answer answers

$10+$10= $20. 

$20+$5=$25.

$25-$22= $3

 Sarah and her sister will receive $3 in change

They have 55 cookies left to sell

53 students are left on the bus

George and his friends each get 6 water balloons, with one left over.

• 5 in+ 3 in+ 7 in= 15 in

21 in- 15 in= 6 in

It must snow 6 more inches to get a snow day. 

Lesson credits

Katie Wickliff

Katie holds a master’s degree in Education from the University of Colorado and a bachelor’s degree in both Journalism and English from The University of Iowa. She has over 15 years of education experience as a K-12 classroom teacher and Orton-Gillingham certified tutor. Most importantly, Katie is the mother of two elementary students, ages 8 and 11. She is passionate about math education and firmly believes that the right tools and support will help every student reach their full potential.

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3rd Grade Addition and Subtraction

Word problems.

Welcome to our 3rd Grade Addition and Subtraction Word Problems page. Here is our selection of free addition and subtraction word problem worksheets, which will help your child practice solving a range of addition and subtraction problems using 3-digit and 4-digit numbers.

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• 3 Digit Addition & Subtraction Word Problems
• 4 Digit Addition & Subtraction Word Problems
• 2-Step Addition & Subtraction Word Problems
• Easier Addition & Subtraction Worksheets
• More related resources
• Addition & Subtraction Word Problems up to 1000 Online Quiz

3-digit and 4-digit Word Problems

Each sheet consists of a range of 5 addition and subtraction word problems with numbers up to thousands.

There is a space on each sheet for working out, so that your child can write out the problem and solve it.

We have split the worksheets up into 3-digit word problems and 4-digit word problems.

Using these sheets will help your child to:

• add and subtract numbers with 3-digit and 4-digit numbers;
• solve addition and subtraction word problems with and without regrouping.
• recognise the language used in addition and subtraction - sum, total, difference, how many more, etc.
• solve problems involving more than 1 step.

3rd Grade Addition and Subtraction Word Problems

3-digit addition and subtraction word problems.

There are two versions of each sheet.

The first version (version A) contains problems where no regrouping is needed.

The second version (version B) contains similar problems but regrouping is needed to solve them.

Answers have been provided with each sheet, along with the calculation needed to solve the problem.

The following sheets are all 1-step addition or subtraction word problems.

• 3-Digit Addition and Subtraction Word Problems Sheet 1A (no regrouping)
• PDF version
• 3-Digit Addition and Subtraction Word Problems Sheet 1B
• 3-Digit Addition and Subtraction Word Problems Sheet 2A (no regrouping)
• 3-Digit Addition and Subtraction Word Problems Sheet 2B

4-digit Addition and Subtraction Word Problems

The word problems all involve either addition or subtraction (both with and without regrouping).

• 4-Digit Addition and Subtraction Word Problems Sheet 1
• 4-Digit Addition and Subtraction Word Problems Sheet 2

Harder 2-Step Addition and Subtraction Word Problems

These problems are trickier than those above.

Each problem involved two steps to solve, and may involve just addition, just subtraction or both operators.

There are 4 problems on each sheet, and more space to work out the solutions.

• 2-Step Addition Subtraction Problems up to 3-digits Sheet 1
• 2-Step Addition Subtraction Problems up to 4-digits Sheet 1

Looking for some easier worksheets?

Take a look at our Subtraction word problems for first graders.

On this page, your child will learn to work out basic subtraction word problems with numbers to 20.

• 2nd Grade Addition and Subtraction Word Problems (up to 100)

More Recommended Math Worksheets

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More 3rd Grade Addition and Subtraction Worksheets

Here you will find some more of our Addition and Subtraction Worksheet generators for creating your own bespoke addition and subtraction worksheets.

• Addition Subtraction Fact Worksheets (randomly generated)
• Column Addition and Subtraction Worksheets (randomly generated)

More 3rd Grade Math Word Problems

Using the 3rd Grade Math worksheets will help your child to:

• apply their addition, subtraction, and multiplication skills;
• develop their knowledge of fractions;
• apply their knowledge of rounding and place value;
• solve a range of 'real life' problems.

These sheets involve solving one or two more challenging longer problems.

• 3rd Grade Math Problems

These sheets involve solving many 'real-life' problems involving data.

• Math Word Problems for kids 3rd Grade

These sheets involve solving 3-digit and 4-digit addition word problems.

• Addition Word Problems 3rd Grade (3- and 4-digits)

These sheets involve solving 3-digit and 4-digit subtraction problems.

• Subtraction Word Problems 3rd Grade

These sheets involve solving a range of multiplciation problems.

• Multiplication Word Problem Worksheets 3rd Grade

These sheets involve solving a range of division problems.

• Division Worksheets Grade 3 Word Problems

Addition and Subtraction Word Problems to 1000 Online Quiz

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50 Third Grade Math Word Problems of the Day

The area of Happytown is 42 square miles.

Opening your daily math lesson with a Math Word Problem of the Day is an excellent way to set the stage for learning. We all know that word problems are difficult for young learners to grasp, even when the mathematical operation portion of the problem is basic. Incorporate these third grade math word problems one day at a time at the start of your math block to build confidence, critical thinking skills, and a learning community. Students will get used to reading slowly for meaning, while also identifying key information. Encourage students to write out equations and draw pictures to explain their thinking, since this helps them see the light when they are stuck!

Topics covered include addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, mixed operation, fractions, area and perimeter, and measurement. All you need to do is post one of these third grade math word problems on your whiteboard or projector screen, then let kids take it from there.

Want this entire set of word problems in one easy document? Get your free PowerPoint bundle by submitting your email here .

50 Third Grade Math Word Problems

1. gage went shopping and bought 19 cupcakes, 18 apple pies, and 47 glazed donuts. how many items did he buy altogether.

2. A shelter is taking care of 384 cats. 176 more arrive. How many cats are in the shelter now?

3. Gabby has 42 books on her bookshelf. Her dad gives her 23 more for her birthday. How many books does Gabby have now?

4. There were 823 people attending a soccer game after 37 people left. How many people were at the game before the people left?

5. Mr. Washington has 44 pencils. He found 37 pencils inside of the cubbies and opened a new pack of 60 pencils. How many pencils does Mr. Washington have in all?

6. Jeff plays Minecraft. On Monday he played for 67 minutes. On Tuesday he played for 32 minutes, and on Wednesday he played for 43 minutes. How many total minutes did Jeff play during the week?

7. Smith Elementary School has 286 boys and 241 girls. What is the total number of students that attend Smith Elementary?

8. Ashley rides her bike to school every day. The ride from her house to her school takes 21 minutes. If she has already been biking for 17 minutes, how much longer does she have to ride before she arrives at school?

9. Jason baked 93 cookies to sell at the school bake sale. He plans to take home whatever cookies he doesn’t sell. If he sold 77 cookies, how many cookies will he take home?

10. A school collects money for T-shirts. Third graders collected $327. Fourth graders collected 138 fewer dollars. How much money did fourth graders collect?

11. Hayden has 610 stickers. There are 250 in a white box and some in a yellow box. How many are in the yellow box?

12. The table shows students’ class points. Which two students’ scores have a difference of 15 points?

13. Ms. Brady has 356 tomato plants. She sells 91 of the plants and gives 49 of the plants away. How many tomato plants does Ms. Brady have left?

14. David’s mom buys apples for his class. There are 5 rows of 4 green apples. There is 1 row of 4 red apples. Fill in the blanks to complete the expressions.

15. A box of chocolates has 14 rows. There are 6 pieces of chocolate in each row. How many pieces of chocolate are in the box?

16. Christy and Jan are playing a card game. Christy has 4 cards and Jan has 4 times as many cards. How many cards do they have together?

17. Emerson is in charge of collecting the basketballs at the end of gym class. There are 6 bins, and 7 basketballs can fit in each bin. How many basketballs are there if each bin is full?

18. Luz had two pages of homework. Each page had five problems on it. How many total problems did she have to complete?

19. Keyanna was drawing on scrap paper. She could fit seven drawings on each page. If she has three pieces of paper, how many drawings can she make?

20. A bakery sells one sugar cookie for $2.00. How much will a dozen sugar cookies cost?

21. Mrs. Smith is getting her classroom ready for the first day of school. She has 25 students in her class. She wants 5 students to sit at every table. How many tables will she need?

22. Alex is organizing his school supplies. He has 141 index cards. He wants to split them into 3 piles.  How many cards will each pile get?

23. Mrs. Blackley’s class plays a review game. The class earns 5 points every time they answer a question correctly. On Monday, the class earns 50 points playing the game. How many questions did the class answer correctly?

24. Maria has 56 gummy bears. She will give all the gummy bears to 8 of her friends. Each friend will get the same number. How many gummy bears will each friend receive?

25. Daniel has 63 coins and 9 piggy banks. If each piggy bank has the same number of coins, how many coins are in each piggy bank?

26. Leslie has 32 dolls in 4 baskets. Each basket has the same number of dolls. How many dolls are in each basket?

27. Levi has 10 fish in his fish tank. 4 fish are goldfish and the rest are minnows. What fraction of the fish are goldfish?

28. Melanie has 8 colored pencils. 3 are green, 2 are yellow, and 3 are blue. What fraction of the pencils are blue?

29. Hannah has a bag of M&M’s. There are 24 M&M’s in the bag. 8 are red, 6 are green, 7 are yellow, and 3 are brown. What fraction of the M&M’s are brown?

30. Mr. Brown needs to order pizza for 18 students. He wants each student to have ¼ of a pizza. How many pizzas should he order?

31. The class took a survey about favorite animals. ¼ of students chose lions as their favorite animal, and ½ of the students chose elephants. The other students chose either sharks or whales. Partition a circle graph to show these results.

32. John wanted a chocolate cake for his birthday. After blowing out the candles, he cut the cake. Out of his 12 party guests, only 6 ate cake. John let his friend Jackson take half the remaining cake home. What fraction of the cake was left over?

33. The area of a rectangle is 72 square units. One side has a length of 9 units. What is the other side length?

34. Monico drew a shape. It was a quadrilateral, and all sides were the same length. Which shape did Monico draw?

35. Gloria is buying a new rug for her bedroom floor. If the floor measures 12 feet x 12 feet, which size rug does she need?

36. The area of Happytown is 42 square miles. If the length is 7 miles, what is the perimeter of the town?

37. Aiden read 2 pages in his chapter book every day for 7 days. The book has 32 total pages. How many pages does Aiden have left to read?

38. Sophia has a twenty dollar bill. She buys six pop-it fidget toys for $2 each. How much money does Sophia have left?

39. There are 10 people at a cookout. Each person will eat 2 hot dogs. There are 8 hot dogs in a package. How many packages are needed?

40. Mrs. Potter bought 160 index cards. She gave the first row 55 index cards, then the second row 72 index cards. How many does she have left to give to the last row?

41. Samantha has 38 markers. She gives 29 markers to her classmates. Then she opens a new pack of 15 markers. How many markers does she have now?

42. There were 18 volleyballs in a bag and 13 volleyballs in a basket. 10 of these were used at recess. How many volleyballs were not used?

43. Mrs. Horton has 1 gallon of milk. She poured out 3 cups of milk. How many cups of milk does she have left?

44. Mark needs to buy yarn for 5 friends to do a science activity. Each friend needs 2 feet of green yarn and 1 foot of purple yarn. How many yards of yarn does Mark need to buy?

45. Nadine’s new jump rope is 4 inches longer than her old jump rope. Her old jump rope was 32 inches long. How long is Nadine’s new jump rope?

46. Dervin lined paper clips up in two rows. Each row was 18 feet long. How many feet of paper clips did Dervin have if he added the two rows together?

47. London started looking for her missing dog at 2:10 pm. It took her 43 minutes to find him. What time did London find her dog?

48. Damon took a train from his house to downtown. The train left the station at 1:08 pm and traveled 33 minutes before arriving downtown. What time did the train arrive?

49. Hannah worked on her homework for 37 minutes. If she started at 7:14 pm, what time did she finish her homework?

50. Kevin started cleaning his room at 6:03 pm. If he finally finished at 6:40 pm, how long did Ned spend cleaning his room?

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Math Word Problem Worksheets for 3rd Graders

Third graders will be challenged with single-step and two-step word problems. They will need to use basic multiplication for some problems along with thinking and addition or substraction skills. Taking real life situations kids will need to find solutions that make sense. The beauty of these questions is that multiple choices are not provided so kids will need to show not only the answer but how they thought through the word problem to arrive at a solution.

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Word Problems Activities for 3rd Grade

Strengthen your child's word problems skills with interactive educational resources for word problems for 3rd graders online. These learning resources include fun games and worksheets with eye-catching visuals and characters. Get started to help your 3rd grader master this concept by engaging their critical thinking.

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Third Grade Problem-Solving Activities and Exercises

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It's important for kids to learn problem-solving skills because they'll use them in various school subjects, as well as in life in general. Keep reading for sample activities and exercises that you and your child can do at home to improve his or her problem-solving skills.

What Types of Activities Promote Third Grade Problem-Solving Skills?

Giving your child genuine problems to solve can help him or her to see how schoolwork applies to real life. For example, if you're planning a party, you might have your child use his newly developed skills in multiplication and division to figure out the logistics, such as how many tables and chairs will be needed, based on the number of anticipated guests.

Your child also can apply his or her third-grade math skills during everyday events, like visiting the grocery store. While shopping, you can have your child calculate the price of the items you're purchasing to determine if you're staying within a budget. For instance, would it bust your $18 budget if you bought five boxes of cereal that were priced at $4 a box? Your child could practice his or her multiplication skills by determining that $4 x 5 = $20 and then his or her problem-solving skills by noting that this would, indeed, put you over budget.

Additionally, you might challenge your child to complete fun experiments. For example, you could work with your child to design a container that will protect an egg that's dropping from the top of your house. Your child will have to use creative thinking in order to create a safe container.

Problem-Solving Exercises and Solutions

1. A room has an area of 400 feet. What are some possible dimensions for this room?

2. Ken has to be at work by 8:30 am. His office is 30 minutes away, and he wants to stop for coffee, which typically takes 10 minutes. What time should Ken leave his house in the morning?

3. There are too many guests at Karla's party. There are 44 people present, but Karla only has 22 pieces of cake. How can Karla give each of her guests a piece of cake?

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It's important to understand the components of your child's reading skill requirements, so that you can monitor their progress and be aware of their strengths and weaknesses. Read on to learn more about the reading concepts that should be mastered by third graders.

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Third Grade (Grade 3) Problem Solving Strategies Questions

You can create printable tests and worksheets from these Grade 3 Problem Solving Strategies questions! Select one or more questions using the checkboxes above each question. Then click the add selected questions to a test button before moving to another page.

• The bells have red bows tied to them.
• A box holds 4 rows of bells.
• Each row has 5 bells.
• How many bells are in the box?

• 8 snowmen have red mittens.
• 5 snowmen have green mittens.
• 7 snowmen have blue mittens.
• How many more snowmen have red mittens than green mittens?

• A toy store has 4 shelves of Santa toys.
• Each of the Santa toys is 5 inches tall.
• There are a total of 28 Santa toys.
• How many Santa toys are on each shelf?

• Taylor's family has 6 stockings hanging by the chimney.
• Cedric's family has 4 stockings hanging by the chimney.
• All of the stockings are red and green.
• How many total stockings are hanging by the chimneys?

• Julia hangs 12 candy canes on the tree.
• Clare hangs 8 snowmen on the tree.
• Alex hangs 9 candy canes on the tree.
• How many candy canes were hung on the tree?
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Two step word problems

Two-step word problems

Here you will learn about two-step word problems, including how to solve a two-step word problem, how to represent these problems using equations, and how to assess the reasonableness of answers.

Students will first learn about two-step word problems as part of operations and algebraic thinking in 3 rd grade and will continue using this skill throughout elementary and middle school.

What are two-step word problems?

Two-step word problems are word problems or story problems that require two steps to find the answer. These two steps can involve the same operation or two different operations.

To solve a two-step word problem, you must read the problem carefully before identifying each of the two steps. After identifying the two steps, you can write an equation for each step. Then you will need to solve each equation in order before arriving at the final answer.

For example,

Sarah had \$15. She spent \$8 on a new book. Then her mom gave her \$5. How much money does she have now?

We can break down the problem into steps and write an equation.

Sarah starts with \$15, so this is the starting number.

Then she spends \$8 on a new book. This means you need to subtract \$8. This is step one .

x represents the amount of money Sarah has after buying the book.

Next, Sarah receives \$5 from her mom. This needs to be added to the remaining amount from step one. This is step two .

t represents the total of money Sarah has after her mom gave her \$5 .

Sarah has \$12 now.

You can also write an equation showing both steps and use the order of operations rules to solve.

After solving the problem, you should ask yourself: Is my answer reasonable?

You can use quick mental math or estimation to see if your answer is reasonable.

You can round the \$8 to \$10 to make the estimation easier.

\$15-\$10 + \$5 = \$10, so Sarah has about \$10 left. This means the answer of \$12 is reasonable.

Common Core State Standards

How does this relate to 3 rd grade math and 4 th grade math?

• Grade 3 – Operations and Algebraic Thinking (3.OA.D.8) Solve two-step word problems using the four operations. Represent these problems using equations with a letter standing for the unknown quantity. Assess the reasonableness of answers using mental computation and estimation strategies including rounding.
• Grade 4 – Operations and Algebraic Thinking (4.OA.A.3) Solve multistep word problems posed with whole numbers and having whole-number answers using the four operations, including problems in which remainders must be interpreted. Represent these problems using equations with a letter standing for the unknown quantity. Assess the reasonableness of answers using mental computation and estimation strategies including rounding.

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How to solve two-step word problems

In order to solve two-step word problems:

Identify the first step and write an equation.

Identify the second step and write an equation.

Solve the equations in order.

Assess the reasonableness of your answer.

Two-step word problems examples

Example 1: two-step addition (same operation).

Hannah bought 2 bags of candy for trick-or-treaters. One bag had 78 pieces of candy and the other had 92 pieces of candy. Hannah’s friend came over and dumped another bag of candy in the bowl. This bag had 124 pieces of candy. How many pieces of candy are in the bowl altogether?

First, you need to find out the total number of pieces Hannah dumped into the bowl from her two bags.

2 Identify the second step and write an equation.

Next, you need to add the total pieces that Hannah’s friend dumped into Hannah’s total from the previous step.

3 Solve the equations in order.

There are a total of 294 pieces of candy in the bowl.

4 Assess the reasonableness of your answer.

You can use mental math or estimation to see if your answer is reasonable.

You can quickly round each number to 100, which gives you a total of 300 pieces of candy. This is close to the actual answer of 294, so the answer is reasonable.

Example 2: two-step problem (different operation)

A teacher ordered 8 new boxes of pencils for her classroom. Each box of pencils had 16 pencils. She decided to combine all of the pencils, and then split them evenly between the 4 student tables in the room. How many pencils will each table get?

First, you need to find the total number of pencils in all the boxes.

8 \times 16=x

Next, you need to divide the total number of pencils by the number of tables.

Each table will get 32 pencils.

8 \times 20= about 160 total pencils divided by 4 tables = about 40 pencils on each table. So the answer of 32 is reasonable.

Example 3: solving two-step word problems with fractions

A cookie recipe calls for \cfrac{1}{2} cup of white sugar and \cfrac{3}{4} cup of brown sugar.

The baker is making 6 batches of cookies. What is the total amount of sugar (white and brown) that will be used?

First, you need to add the amounts of sugar to find the total amount of sugar needed for 1 batch.

\cfrac{1}{2}+\cfrac{3}{4}=x

Next, you need to multiply the total amount of sugar by the number of batches being made.

x \times 6=s

7 \cfrac{1}{2} total cups of sugar will be needed for 6 batches of cookies.

\cfrac{1}{2} and \cfrac{3}{4} is a little more than 1 cup.

Since there will be 6, the answer will be more than 6 cups.

Therefore, the answer of 7 \cfrac{1}{2} cups is reasonable.

Example 4: solving two-step word problems with decimals

Chris makes \$12.50 an hour at his job at the roller skating rink. He worked 25 hours. After he got his paycheck, he spent \$65 on a new pair of shoes. How much money does he have left from his paycheck?

First, you need to find out how much money Chris’s paycheck was by multiplying the hourly rate by the number of hours he worked.

12.50 \times 25=x

Next, you need to subtract \$65 from the total paycheck amount.

Chris has \$247.50 left from his paycheck.

To estimate the amount of Chris’s paycheck, you can multiply 12 by 25. You could also multiply 12 by 30, but note this will be a high estimate.

12 \times 25=300-65 = \$235 which makes \$247.50 a reasonable answer.

Example 5: interpreting remainders in two-step division word problem

Five 5 th grade classes each have 24 students and 2 teachers attending a field trip. Each bus can hold 48 people. How many buses are needed to carry all of the students and teachers to the field trip?

First, you need to find out how many students and teachers are attending the field trip altogether. To do this, you will need to multiply 5 \times 26.

5 \times 26=x

Next, you need to divide the total number of people by the number of people each bus can carry.

x \div 48=b

Now that you have identified the steps, you can solve the equations in order.

For this problem, you will need to refer back to the question in order to interpret the remainder. It asks: How many buses are needed to carry all of the students and teachers to the field trip?

So in this word problem, the answer 2 \; R \, 34 represents 2 full buses with 34 people leftover. Since those 34 people also need a bus to ride to the field trip, you would round up the answer to 3 so that all people can attend the field trip.

3 buses are needed to carry all of the students and teachers to the field trip.

There are about 125 people attending the field trip (about 25 people \times 5 classes) and about 50 people can fit on a bus. 125 \div 50=2.5, so the answer of 3 buses is reasonable.

Example 6: interpreting remainders in two-step division word problems

Haruki had 39 books. He got 7 more books for his birthday. His bookshelf has 4 shelves. He wants to put the same number of books on each shelf and put the remaining books on top of his bookshelf. How many books will go on top of Haruki’s bookshelf?

First, you need to determine how many books Haruki has altogether.

So step 1 is to add to find the total number of books.

Next, you will need to divide the total number of books by the number of shelves Haruki has.

For this problem, you will need to refer back to the question in order to interpret the remainder. It asks: How many books will go on top of Haruki’s bookshelf?

So in this word problem, the remainder is your answer.

2 books will go on top of Haruki’s bookshelf.

Haruki has about 45 books that he wants to divide equally between 4 shelves, which means there would be about 11 books on each shelf with about 1 left over. So the answer of 2 books is reasonable.

Teaching tips for two-step word problems

• Begin with simple 2 -step word problems on math worksheets that involve familiar situations and basic operations. Gradually increase the complexity as learners gain confidence and understanding.
• Lesson plans should involve step-by-step problem-solving strategies, such as underlining important information, identifying keywords, and breaking the problem into smaller parts. Model how to solve each step before tackling the problem as a whole.
• Connect math word problems to real-life scenarios that are relevant and interesting to students. This can help them see the practical application of math and reasoning skills and increase engagement on word problem worksheets.
• Provide students with a template if needed to help them break down the problem into steps. You can also provide students with a printable answer key to check their work. If their answers do not match, they can go back to investigate and find the correct steps.
• Start with simple two-step word problems with 1 -digit numbers to allow students to focus on identifying the two steps. Then advance to 2 -digit and 3 -digit problems.

Easy mistakes to make

• Incorrect order of operations Students might perform operations in the wrong order, leading to incorrect solutions. It is imperative that students write their equations correctly to ensure the operations are performed in the correct order.
• Not checking the solution Sometimes, students may not take the time to review their solution to ensure it makes sense in the context of the problem. Checking the answer against the problem statement or using estimation to verify reasonableness can help catch errors.
• Missing a step or performing the steps in the wrong order Sometimes, students may misinterpret the problem statement, causing them to miss a step or mix up the order of steps. It’s crucial to carefully read and understand what the problem is asking for before attempting to solve it.

Related arithmetic lessons

• Skip counting
• Number sense
• Inverse operations
• Money word problems
• Calculator skills

Practice two-step word problem questions

1. Frankie has \$287 in her checking account. She spent \$56 on her phone bill and then spent \$39 at dinner. How much money is left in her account?

This is a two-step subtraction word problem, meaning each of the two steps involves subtraction.

1 st step: Subtract the amount spent on the phone bill.

2 nd step: Subtract the amount spent at dinner from what is left after step 1.

2. Elliot has 145 marbles in his collection. He lost 18 marbles and then bought 27 more. How many marbles does he have now?

154 marbles

190 marbles

136 marbles

100 marbles

This two-step word problem involves two different operations.

1 st step: Subtract the number of marbles Elliot lost.

2 nd step: Add the number of marbles Elliot bought to the total remaining marbles from step 1.

127 + 27 = 154 marbles

3. Mrs. Smith baked 24 cookies in the morning and 18 cookies in the afternoon. If she wants to pack them into bags of 6 cookies each, how many bags of cookies will she have in total?

1 st step: Find the total number of cookies Mrs. Smith baked.

2 nd step: Divide the total number of cookies by the number of cookies per bag to find the total number of bags.

42 \div 6=7 bags

4. Sarah has 15 comic books. She decides to buy 5 more comic books at the store. Each comic book costs \$3.50. If she also buys a poster for \$8, how much money will Sarah spend in total?

This two-step word problem involves two different operations. Also note that there is an extra bit of unnecessary information in the word problem (Sarah has 15 comic books).

1 st step: Determine the total cost of the comic books Sarah buys.

2 nd step: Add the amount spent on the poster to the total from step 1.

5. Libby is selling boxes of cookies for a fundraiser at her school. So far, she has sold 29 boxes of cookies for \$12 each. If she has a goal of raising \$400, how much more money does she need to earn?

1 st step: Multiply to find the amount Libby earned from selling 29 boxes of cookies.

2 nd step: Determine how much more money Libby needs to earn to reach her goal by subtracting the total from step 1 from her goal amount.

6. Georgio has 128 complete fossils in his collection. He donated 19 fossils to a local museum. He wants to arrange the rest of his fossils in a display case in his house. The display case has 7 shelves. If he wants to put the same number of fossils on each shelf, how many will go on each shelf?

1 st step: Subtract to find the number of fossils remaining after donating to the museum.

2 nd step: Determine how many fossils Georgio can put on each shelf by dividing the remaining fossils by the number of shelves.

Two-step word problems FAQs

To solve a two-step word problem, you must read the problem carefully before identifying each of the two steps. After identifying the two steps, you can write an equation. Then you will need to perform each step in the correct order before arriving at the final answer.

The next lessons are

• Properties of equality
• Types of numbers
• Rounding numbers
• Factors and multiples

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Unit 4: Get ready for patterns and problem solving

About this unit.

Let's build a solid foundation of addition and subtraction word problems so that we'll be ready for patterns and problem solving in third grade. In this unit, you will tackle word problems from every angle—adding, subtracting, number lines, and even 2-step word problems!

Addition and subtraction word problems (1-step)

• Addition word problem: horses (Opens a modal)
• Subtraction word problem: crayons (Opens a modal)
• Subtraction word problem: basketball (Opens a modal)
• Addition word problems within 100 Get 3 of 4 questions to level up!
• Subtraction word problems within 100 Get 3 of 4 questions to level up!

Addition and subtraction word problems (2-step)

• Adding and subtracting on number line word problems (Opens a modal)
• Adding two digit numbers on a number line (Opens a modal)
• Multi step addition word problem (Opens a modal)
• Multi-step subtraction word problem (Opens a modal)
• Add and subtract on the number line word problems Get 3 of 4 questions to level up!
• 2-step addition word problems within 100 Get 3 of 4 questions to level up!
• 2-step subtraction word problems within 100 Get 3 of 4 questions to level up!

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