Problem Solving with Numbers up to 20
🕵️♀️ Let's combine our reading skills and our addition skills up to 20 to crack some real-world story mysteries!
Do this: Read the concept below, then try the quiz or activity.
Concept
Word problems up to 20 are just like the smaller ones, but the numbers are a little bigger! Use the same great strategies.
🎯 The 4-Step Plan: 1. Read & Understand: What is the story about? Are we grouping things together (addition)? 2. Find the Numbers: What are the important numbers? 3. Choose a Strategy: Does "Make 10" work best? Or "Count On"? 4. Solve & Check: Find the answer and see if it makes sense.
Example Story: "Emma has 8 shiny stickers. She buys 7 more at the store. How many stickers does she have in all?" * Numbers: 8 and 7. * Clue Words: "in all" (means addition!). * Sentence: 8 + 7 = ? * Strategy: I know the double 7+7 is 14. 8 is one more, so 15! * Answer: Emma has 15 stickers.
Try it
Let's crack these story mysteries!
Instructions: Read carefully, look for clues, and write the math sentence.
Story 1: Farmer Brown has 9 chickens. Farmer Smith gives him 6 more chickens. How many chickens does Farmer Brown have now? * Math sentence: ___ + ___ = ___ * Answer: ___ chickens
Story 2: There are 12 kids playing tag on the playground. 5 more kids join the game. How many kids are playing tag altogether? * Math sentence: ___ + ___ = ___ * Answer: ___ kids
Story 3: You eat 8 grapes with your lunch. Then you eat 8 more grapes for a snack. How many grapes did you eat in total? * Answer: ___ grapes