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Add 'Em Up!

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Lesson Plan

Add 'Em Up! Lesson Plan

Students will be able to solve addition word problems by identifying key information and applying appropriate strategies.

Understanding how to solve word problems helps students apply math skills to real-life situations, making math more relevant and useful beyond the classroom.

Audience

5th Grade Students

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Direct instruction, guided practice, and independent application.

Materials

Addition Word Problem Slides, Addition Word Problem Worksheet, and Addition Word Problem Answer Key

Prep

Teacher Preparation

15 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up: Brain Scramble

5 minutes

  • Display the 'Brain Scramble' slide from the Addition Word Problem Slides.
    - Ask students to quickly solve the mental math addition problem.
    - Discuss strategies used to solve quickly.

Step 2

Introduction: What's the Big Deal with Word Problems?

5 minutes

  • Use the 'What's the Big Deal?' slide to introduce the concept of word problems.
    - Explain that word problems are like puzzles that use numbers and words to describe real-life situations.
    - Ask students to share experiences with word problems.

Step 3

Direct Instruction: The 3-Step Solve Strategy

10 minutes

  • Present the '3-Step Solve Strategy' using the Addition Word Problem Slides:
    1. Read and Understand: What is the problem asking? What information is given?
    2. Plan and Solve: What operation should I use? How will I solve it?
    3. Check Your Work: Does my answer make sense?
    - Work through one example word problem together as a class, demonstrating each step clearly.
    - Encourage student participation in identifying keywords and setting up the problem.

Step 4

Guided Practice: Try It Together!

5 minutes

  • Distribute the Addition Word Problem Worksheet.
    - Guide students through the first two problems on the worksheet, applying the 3-step strategy.
    - Circulate to provide support and answer questions.

Step 5

Independent Practice: Show What You Know!

5 minutes

  • Have students complete the remaining problems on the Addition Word Problem Worksheet independently.
    - Remind them to use the 3-step strategy.
    - Collect worksheets at the end of class for assessment.

Step 6

Cool-Down: One Big Takeaway

5 minutes

  • Ask students to write down one important thing they learned about solving addition word problems on an exit ticket or in their notebooks.
    - Collect these as a quick check for understanding.
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Slide Deck

Brain Scramble!

What is 25 + 38?

Think fast! How did you solve it?

Greet students and prepare them for a quick mental math warm-up. Encourage them to think about different strategies to solve addition quickly.

What's the Big Deal with Word Problems?

Word problems are math stories!
They help us use math in real life.

  • Have you ever solved a real-life math problem?

Ask students what they think a word problem is. Discuss why word problems are important and how they connect to real life (e.g., calculating total groceries, combining scores in a game).

The 3-Step Solve Strategy

Step 1: Read & Understand

  • What is the problem asking you to find?
  • What important information (numbers, keywords) is given?

Introduce the first step of the strategy. Emphasize reading carefully and identifying what the question is asking and what numbers are important. Circle or underline keywords.

The 3-Step Solve Strategy

Step 2: Plan & Solve

  • What math operation should you use? (Hint: Today it's addition!)
  • How will you set up your problem?
  • Solve the problem!

Introduce the second step. Discuss how to choose the correct operation (in this case, addition) and how to set up the problem. Work through an example problem on the board, showing how to write the equation.

The 3-Step Solve Strategy

Step 3: Check Your Work

  • Does your answer make sense?
  • Did you answer the question that was asked?

Introduce the third step. Stress the importance of checking if the answer makes sense in the context of the problem. Does it answer the question? Is it a reasonable number?

Let's Practice Together!

Example: Sarah has 14 stickers. Her friend gave her 23 more stickers. How many stickers does Sarah have in total?

Let's use our 3-Step Solve Strategy!

Present an example problem for guided practice. Read it aloud, then ask students to identify keywords, choose the operation, solve, and check. Work through it together on the board or with student volunteers.

Your Turn! Worksheet Time!

Now it's your turn to be a word problem detective!

Transition to the worksheet. Explain that students will now apply the strategy to new problems. Remind them to refer back to the 3-step strategy if they get stuck.

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Worksheet

Addition Word Problem Worksheet

Instructions: Read each word problem carefully. Use the 3-Step Solve Strategy to find the answer. Show your work!

Problem 1

Maria bought 17 red apples and 25 green apples at the grocery store. How many apples did Maria buy in total?

Step 1: Read & Understand
What is the problem asking?



What information is given?


Step 2: Plan & Solve
What operation should you use?

Show your work:






Answer:


Step 3: Check Your Work
Does your answer make sense? Explain.


Problem 2

There are 32 students in Mrs. Davis's class and 29 students in Mr. Lee's class. How many students are there altogether in both classes?

Step 1: Read & Understand
What is the problem asking?



What information is given?


Step 2: Plan & Solve
What operation should you use?

Show your work:






Answer:


Step 3: Check Your Work
Does your answer make sense? Explain.


Problem 3

A baker made 45 chocolate chip cookies and 58 oatmeal cookies. How many cookies did the baker make in all?

Step 1: Read & Understand
What is the problem asking?



What information is given?


Step 2: Plan & Solve
What operation should you use?

Show your work:






Answer:


Step 3: Check Your Work
Does your answer make sense? Explain.


Problem 4

During a charity drive, students collected 76 cans of food in the morning and 89 cans of food in the afternoon. What is the total number of cans collected?

Step 1: Read & Understand
What is the problem asking?



What information is given?


Step 2: Plan & Solve
What operation should you use?

Show your work:






Answer:


Step 3: Check Your Work
Does your answer make sense? Explain.


Problem 5

A bookstore sold 115 fantasy novels and 97 mystery novels last week. How many novels did the bookstore sell combined?

Step 1: Read & Understand
What is the problem asking?



What information is given?


Step 2: Plan & Solve
What operation should you use?

Show your work:






Answer:


Step 3: Check Your Work
Does your answer make sense? Explain.


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Answer Key

Addition Word Problem Answer Key

Here are the answers and explanations for the Addition Word Problem Worksheet.

Problem 1

Maria bought 17 red apples and 25 green apples at the grocery store. How many apples did Maria buy in total?

Step 1: Read & Understand

  • What is the problem asking? The total number of apples Maria bought.
  • What information is given? Maria bought 17 red apples and 25 green apples.

Step 2: Plan & Solve

  • What operation should you use? Addition (keywords: "in total", "and").
  • Show your work: 17 + 25 = 42
  • Answer: Maria bought 42 apples in total.

Step 3: Check Your Work

  • Does your answer make sense? Yes, 17 is close to 20, and 25 is close to 20. 20 + 20 = 40, so 42 is a reasonable answer. The answer is greater than either number, which makes sense for addition.

Problem 2

There are 32 students in Mrs. Davis's class and 29 students in Mr. Lee's class. How many students are there altogether in both classes?

Step 1: Read & Understand

  • What is the problem asking? The total number of students in both classes combined.
  • What information is given? 32 students in Mrs. Davis's class, 29 students in Mr. Lee's class.

Step 2: Plan & Solve

  • What operation should you use? Addition (keyword: "altogether").
  • Show your work: 32 + 29 = 61
  • Answer: There are 61 students altogether in both classes.

Step 3: Check Your Work

  • Does your answer make sense? Yes, 32 is close to 30, and 29 is close to 30. 30 + 30 = 60, so 61 is a reasonable answer. The answer is greater than either number, which makes sense for addition.

Problem 3

A baker made 45 chocolate chip cookies and 58 oatmeal cookies. How many cookies did the baker make in all?

Step 1: Read & Understand

  • What is the problem asking? The total number of cookies the baker made.
  • What information is given? 45 chocolate chip cookies and 58 oatmeal cookies.

Step 2: Plan & Solve

  • What operation should you use? Addition (keyword: "in all").
  • Show your work: 45 + 58 = 103
  • Answer: The baker made 103 cookies in all.

Step 3: Check Your Work

  • Does your answer make sense? Yes, 45 is close to 50, and 58 is close to 60. 50 + 60 = 110, so 103 is a reasonable answer. The answer is greater than either number, which makes sense for addition.

Problem 4

During a charity drive, students collected 76 cans of food in the morning and 89 cans of food in the afternoon. What is the total number of cans collected?

Step 1: Read & Understand

  • What is the problem asking? The total number of cans of food collected.
  • What information is given? 76 cans in the morning, 89 cans in the afternoon.

Step 2: Plan & Solve

  • What operation should you use? Addition (keywords: "total number", "and").
  • Show your work: 76 + 89 = 165
  • Answer: The total number of cans collected is 165.

Step 3: Check Your Work

  • Does your answer make sense? Yes, 76 is close to 80, and 89 is close to 90. 80 + 90 = 170, so 165 is a reasonable answer. The answer is greater than either number, which makes sense for addition.

Problem 5

A bookstore sold 115 fantasy novels and 97 mystery novels last week. How many novels did the bookstore sell combined?

Step 1: Read & Understand

  • What is the problem asking? The total number of novels sold by the bookstore.
  • What information is given? 115 fantasy novels and 97 mystery novels.

Step 2: Plan & Solve

  • What operation should you use? Addition (keyword: "combined").
  • Show your work: 115 + 97 = 212
  • Answer: The bookstore sold 212 novels combined.

Step 3: Check Your Work

  • Does your answer make sense? Yes, 115 is close to 100, and 97 is close to 100. 100 + 100 = 200, so 212 is a reasonable answer. The answer is greater than either number, which makes sense for addition.
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