#1409. Word Problems: Cutting to the Chase

Mathematics, level: Middle
Posted Tue Nov 23 16:56:24 PST 1999 by Steven Hess (srbh@worldnet.att.net).
Hackensack Middle School, Hackensack, NJ, USA
Materials Required: Large-print word problems for each student, black crayons or markers
Activity Time: 10-20 minutes
Concepts Taught: Discerning the important data in word problems

My Title I math classes have fundamental problems with
picking out the basic facts in a word problem. I have
given them each a set of large-print (16-point type) word
problems and guided them through blacking out the
extraneous information, leaving only the essential numbers,
operational clue words, and requested results legible. This
way, they come to see only those parts of the problem that
matter to the solution!