Word Problems
Ages 8–12Difficulty adapts to you
Word Problems
A word problem describes a situation and asks you to find an unknown value. Decide what is happening, choose the operation that represents it, solve, and read your answer in the situation.
Your goals
- ✓You can apply operations to real-life situations.
- ✓You can use known, unknown correctly.
- ✓You can read your answer in the original sentence.
Words to know
- known:
- Information the problem gives you.
- unknown:
- The value you need to find.
Examples
- 1“Aisha has 15 sweets and gives away 6. How many remain?” → 15 − 6 = 9 sweets.
- 2“Tomi saves ₦500 each week for 8 weeks. How much is saved?” → 500 × 8 = ₦4,000.
Check these
- • Do not use a keyword without thinking about what is happening.
- • Keep every number, symbol, label, and unit in its correct place.
- • Show enough working to check how you reached your answer.
Helpful habits
- • Read the whole question before choosing what to do.
- • Show one clear step at a time and check each step.
- • If you are stuck, draw a model, try smaller numbers, or revisit the example.
Now try your own
Create your own word problems example, solve it, and explain how you checked it.
Shield
Safety & Digital Confidence“It is okay to not know — asking for help is brave!”