Five pages of two-step story problems. On page 1 each story has a bar model with a ? for the answer: students multiply or divide first, then add or subtract, writing a number sentence for each step. Page 2 turns it around (add or subtract first, then multiply or divide), and students draw the bar model themselves. Page 3 is about equations with a letter for the unknown: circle the equation that matches a story, then write one equation for each story, such as (34 + 38) ÷ 9 = n, and solve it. On page 4 children have already given their answers: students round each number to the nearest ten, estimate, and circle Yes or No for whether the answer is reasonable. Page 5 mixes six two-step stories, with a line for each step. Pages 1 to 4 start with a worked example.
Read a story from page 1 aloud and stop after the first two sentences: what can we find out already? Write that step, then read on. On page 3, ask why the equation for the apples needs parentheses and the one for the theater does not. On page 4, let partners argue for Yes or No before anyone works the exact answer, then check together.
Make two-step stories from the day: we have 3 packs of 6 juice boxes and drink 4, how many are left? Ask your child what to find first. When your child gives an answer, ask "about how much should it be?" and round the numbers together to check.
This pack supports the following Common Core State Standards for Mathematics:
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Story problems that take two steps, with all four operations: multiplying and dividing within 100, adding and subtracting within 1,000. Students read and draw bar models, write a number sentence for each step, write one equation with a letter for the unknown and estimate to check whether an answer is reasonable.
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