GRADES 4–6 BY BOB KRECH NEW YORK • TORONTO • LONDON • AUCKLAND • SYDNEY MEXICO CITY • NEW DELHI • HONG KONG • BUENOS AIRES 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Dedication For two fun kids: Andrew and Faith! Scholastic Inc. grants teachers permission to photocopy the activity sheets from this book for classroom use. No other part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012. Edited by Joan Novelli Cover and interior design by Holly Grundon Interior illustrations by Mike Gordon and Mike Moran ISBN-13: 978-0-439-51753-9 / ISBN-10: 0-439-51753-2 Copyright © 2006 by Bob Krech and Joan Novelli All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. Published by Scholastic Inc. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 40 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Contents About This Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 What Are Fill-in Math Word Problems? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Why Use Fill-in Math Word Problems? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Meeting the Math Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Choosing Numbers and Checking Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 How to Use Fill-in Math Word Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Teaching Problem-Solving Skills: The Fantastic Five-Step Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fill-in Math Word Problems Number and Operations . . . 10 _______ball Season . . . . . . . 30 Patterns and Algebra . . . . . 47 The Old Legend . . . . . . . . . . 11 The Relatives’ Visit . . . . . . . 31 Getting Big. . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Election Report . . . . . . . . . . 12 Organizing My Room . . . . . . 32 Winner! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 The Pie-Eating Contest . . . . . 13 Uncle Joe’s Visit . . . . . . . . . 33 Invasion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Book Lover . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Going to the Movies. . . . . . . 34 Cool Stuff for Your Car . . . . . 51 The Unusual Spell . . . . . . . . 15 Pizza and Video Games . . . . . 35 A Scientific Lecture . . . . . . . 52 Getting in Shape . . . . . . . . . 16 Buying a New Skateboard . . . 17 Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 The Ice-Cream Sundae . . . . . 18 Science Fiction Movie. . . . . . 37 Birthday Cake . . . . . . . . . . . 54 The Perfect Host . . . . . . . . . 19 Olympic Report . . . . . . . . . . 38 New Desk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Historical Site . . . . . . . . . . . 20 The Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 The Tower. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 New Job. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Pet House. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Two Sandwiches . . . . . . . . . 57 Craft Sale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Classroom of the Future . . . . 41 Halloween Mask. . . . . . . . . . 58 Mr. Travel Smart . . . . . . . . . 23 The Apprentice . . . . . . . . . . 42 Souvenir Shopping . . . . . . . 24 A Long Day at School. . . . . . 43 Data Analysis and Fixing Up the House . . . . . . 25 Magic Potion. . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Probability . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 The Unusual Village . . . . . . . 26 Circus Strong Man . . . . . . . . 45 Plant Growth. . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Cleanliness . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Special Salad . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Shopping for Sneakers . . . . . 61 Baseball Hitters . . . . . . . . . 28 Goal! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Cruise Ship . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 The Fun Game . . . . . . . . . . . 63 The Cube . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
About This Book When we learn to read, we learn to recognize the letters of the alphabet, we practice letter-sound relationships, and we learn punctuation, but what it’s all about is eventually being able to read text. A similar situation exists in math. We learn how to recognize and write numerals, what the symbols mean, numerical order, and operations like addition and subtraction, but what it’s all about is what you can do with these skills––applying what you know to solve problems. Fill-in math word problems provide some very interesting problems to solve. What Are Fill-in Math Word Problems? A fill-in math word problem is a funny math story waiting to happen. Most of the word problem is already supplied, except for a few key words and numbers that have been removed and replaced with blanks. It’s up to students to fill in those blanks with missing nouns, verbs, and adjectives—just as they would in other word games. The difference is that this game is missing some numbers as well. When your students supply the missing numbers along with the words, you suddenly have a wacky math word problem that’s fun to read and solve! Why Use Fill-in Math Word Problems? M ath word problems can provide a meaningful context for students to apply their skills, but sometimes the problems can be a bit boring or dry. (Remember trying to figure out when the two trains would pass each other?) That won’t happen with fill-in math word problems. Students help create these problems, and once they get the hang of the process, the resulting word problems become more and more wild, interesting, and fun—all while providing good problem-solving practice with grade- appropriate math skills and concepts. Have fun while doing math? Absolutely! Meeting the Math Standards T o make it easy to select stories that correspond to the math skills you are teaching, this book is organized by content standards. The first 25 stories correspond to the Number and Operations standard, the next 10 to the Measurement standard, followed by five each for Patterns and Algebra, Geometry, and Data Analysis and Probability. The stories within each section are arranged by level of concept 4 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
difficulty—for example, stories for Number and Types of Words Operations begin with addition and subtraction of three- and four-digit numbers, followed by work with Different kinds of words money, one- and two-digit multiplication and division, are required to fill in the and fractions. The sections on algebra (including blanks of the math problems. patterns and finding a missing variable), geometry Following are the main types (including shapes and symmetry), measurement, and students will use. Review data analysis and probability (including graphing, range, them and consider posting the median, and mode) are similarly arranged. You can descriptions and examples for follow the order in the book or select problems based on easy reference. concepts you are teaching at a given time. Adjectives: Words that Choosing Numbers and describe something, such as Checking Answers smelly, happy, fierce, silly, and huge S ome fill-in math word problems specify a range for numbers—for example, Shopping for Sneakers Adverbs: Words that tell how (page 61) invites children to fill in a one-digit number something is done, such as other than zero or one. The Pie-Eating Contest (page quickly, sadly, sleepily, and 13) specifies three-digit numbers, while Buying a New carefully Skateboard (page 17) asks for a three-digit number greater than 500 as well as one less than 500. Election Exclamations: Words such as Report (page 12) asks for numbers with five to seven ouch, yikes, wow, and oh digits. You may choose to let students fill in numbers according to the directions in the stories as is, or you Nouns: Words that name a can tighten the parameters to provide for person, place, or thing, such differentiation of instruction, individualizing the as refrigerator, dog, book, and problems for students by using the number ranges that sandwich. Sometimes plural make sense for them. (For example, instead of leaving nouns are asked for. This the direction at “a three-digit number,” you might means more than one, such as substitute “a three-digit number between 100 and refrigerators, dogs, books, and 500”). However, keep in mind that leaving the number sandwiches. size open-ended to some extent is an interesting option and will provide information about students’ ability to Verbs: Action words like work with different-size numbers. There is no answer run, catch, eat, and hop. key for fill-in math word problems, since answers will Sometimes past-tense verbs vary depending on the numbers students supply to fill are asked for, such as ran, in the blanks. You might set up a buddy system for caught, ate, and hopped. checking answers, or have students turn in their stories for you to check. 5 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
How to Use Fill-in Math Word Problems There are many ways to use fill-in math word problems in your classroom. Here are a few suggestions for lesson formats: Problem-Solving Partners: Have students pair up. Make copies of a fill-in math word problem and distribute to one student in each pair. These students are the Readers. Without revealing the title of the story (or the story), Readers ask their partners for the missing words in the order they appear in the story (for example, “a plural noun,” “an adjective,” “a two-digit number”) and fill in the appropriate blanks with responses. When all the blanks are filled in, the Reader reads back the finished story. The resulting story now contains a math word problem. Partners work together to solve the problem and then share answers and strategies. Class Problem Solvers: Choose a story and request the words or numbers in order from the class (students can also take over this role). Fill in the appropriate blanks with responses. When the story is complete, read it to the class. Have students take notes on the numbers used and the question being asked (or write this information on the chalkboard). Work together as a class to solve the problem. Class Copies: After completing a story with class responses, make copies of the finished story for each student. Have students read the problem and solve it on their own. Write answers and solution strategies on the chalkboard and discuss. Teaching Problem-Solving Skills: The Fantastic Five-Step Process P roblem solving is the first process standard listed in the NCTM Principles and Standards for Mathematics Teaching 2000. The accompanying statement reads “Problem solving should be the central focus of all mathematics instruction and an integral part of all mathematical activity.” In other words, in mathematics, problem solving is what it’s all about! What do you do when you first encounter a math word problem? This is what we need to help students deal with. We need to help them develop a process that they can use effectively to solve any type of math word problem. Word problems often intimidate students because there may be a lot of information, what is there is embedded in text, and, unlike a regular equation, it is not always clear exactly what you are supposed to do. When using fill-in math word problems, you may want to take some time to teach students how to use the Fantastic Five-Step Process to problem solve. 6 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
The Fantastic Five-Step Process helps students approach problem solving in a logical, systematic way. No matter what type of problem students encounter, these five steps will help them through it. Learning and using the five steps will help students organize their interpretation and thinking about the problem. This is the key to good problem solving––organizing for action. The best way to help students understand the process is to demonstrate it as you work through a problem on the chalkboard or overhead. Make a copy of the graphic organizer on page 9. You can enlarge this to poster size, or provide each student with a copy to follow along as you take them through an introductory lesson. Step 1: What Do I Know? Begin by writing this problem on the board or overhead: Zig just turned 13 and wants to make Cashew Crunch Cake for his birthday party. He bought 13 boxes of Cousin Cookie’s Crunchy Cashews. Each box has 10 cashews in it. The cake recipe calls for 113 cashews. Does Zig have enough cashews to make the cake? Ask students to read the problem carefully. Ask: “What are the facts?” Have students volunteer these orally. Write them on the chalkboard—for example: Zig is 13 years old. Zig bought 13 boxes of cashews. Each box has 10 cashews in it. Zig needs 113 cashews to make the cake. Encourage students to write down the facts themselves. This will help them focus on what’s important while looking for ways to put it in a more accessible form. Ask: “Can we arrange the facts in a way that will help us understand the problem?” For example, it might be good to draw a picture of what we know, put it in a list, or make a table. Sometimes it’s helpful to arrange numbers from lowest to highest or highest to lowest, especially when making comparisons. Step 2: What Do I Want to Know? What is the question in the problem? What are we trying to find out? It’s a good idea to have students state the question and also determine how the answer will be labeled. For example, if the answer is 72, 72 what? 72 cats? 72 coins? In this problem we want to know if Zig has enough cashews to make the cake. We know he needs 113. We know he has 13 boxes of 10, but is that at least 113? 7 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Step 3: What Can I Eliminate? Once we know what we are trying to find out, we can decide what is unimportant. You may need all the information, but often there is extra information that can be put aside to help focus on the facts. For example, we can eliminate the fact that Zig is 13 years old. We’re left with the following: Zig has 13 boxes of cashews. Each box has 10 cashews in it. Zig needs 113 cashews. Step 4: Choose a Strategy or Action and Solve. Is there an action in the story—for example, is something being “taken away” or is something being “shared” that will help decide on an operation or a way to solve the problem? We have to find out if Zig has enough cashews. We know he has some, but how many? In order to know this, we have to find out if 10 boxes of 13 cashews is at least 113. We need to multiply the 13 boxes by 10 cashews in each, and compare the resulting product to 113. When we do the multiplication, we find that 10 x 13 = 130, which is more than 113, and so the answer is yes, Zig does have enough cashews. Step 5: Does My Answer Make Sense? Reread the problem. Look at the answer. Is it reasonable? Is it a sensible answer given what we know? The answer does make sense. A quick estimate using the basic fact of 10 x 10 helps us know that our answer of 130 is in the right range. To check a little further, we know that 10 x 10 =100, and recall that there are actually 13 boxes, so 3 extra boxes of 10 cashews (3 x 10) makes 30 more, and 100 + 30 = 130. This is the answer we got when we multiplied, so using this other strategy of breaking the number apart and then adding confirms that our answer is correct. Try a couple of sample word problems using this “talk through” format with students. You might invite students to try the problem themselves first and then review step-by-step together, sharing solutions to see if all steps were considered and the solutions are in fact correct. Practicing the process in this way helps make it part of a student’s way of thinking mathematically. 8 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Name Date The Fantastic Five-Step Process 1. What do I KNOW? SaTnRdATSEOLGYVE. 2. TWOhaKtNdOo IW?WANT 3. What can I ELIMINATE? 4. Choose a 5. DoMesAKmEySaEnNsSwE?er or ACTION 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Number and Operations The fill-in math word problems in this section include math content that supports the math standards for number and operations across grades 4–6 (based on Principles and Standards for School Mathematics from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) and are organized to accommodate the range of levels you would find in your class. As students complete the blanks in each story, they will build and solve word problems that provide practice in the following areas: Understand numbers, ways of representing numbers, relationships among numbers, and number systems h place-value structure of the base-ten number system h represent and compare whole numbers and decimals h recognize equivalent representations for the same number; decompose and compose numbers h develop understanding of fractions as parts of a whole and parts of a collection Understand meanings of operations and how they relate to one another h multiply and divide whole numbers h use relationships between operations (such as division as the inverse of multiplication) to solve problems h understand properties of operations (such as the distributivity of multiplication over addition) h understand the meaning and effects of arithmetic operations with fractions, decimals, and integers h use the associative and commutative properties of addition and multiplication and the distributive property of multiplication over addition to simplify computations Compute fluently and make reasonable estimates h basic number combinations for multiplication and division h adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing whole numbers h estimate the results of whole-number computations; judge the reasonableness of such results h estimate computations involving fractions and decimals in situations relevant to students’ experience h use visual models, benchmarks, and equivalent forms to add and subtract commonly used fractions and decimals Source: Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2000); my.nctm.org Tips for Teaching With This Section Share the following reminders with students to assist them in comparing performing 23,180 operations (including with multiple addends) on large numbers in their stories. 10,175 h Use commas in numbers with four or more digits to keep all those digits organized. h When comparing numbers—for example, to see which one is greater—write down 99,868 the numbers one on top of the other, with the digits aligned, in order to make an + 11,749 accurate visual comparison. h When performing operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division), align digits properly to avoid mistakes in computation. h When solving equations, check the final answer and ask yourself if it makes sense. (For more problem- solving strategies, see pages 7–8.) To do a good number-sense check, round the numbers in question to get a good, reasonable estimate of what the answer should be. This provides a point of comparison to determine whether the actual answer does indeed make sense. 10 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Number and Operations Comparing Numbers Name Date The Old Legend An old legend tells of the Cave of (name of student in the class) . The cave was (adjective) and (adjective) . There were three secret rooms in the cave. The legend says each room was filled with beautiful, sparkling (plural noun) , a rare treasure. The first room had (four-digit number) , the second room had (four-digit number) , and the third room had (four-digit number) . No one has ever been in any of these rooms because of the legend. The legend says if anyone enters the cave, his or her (body part) will (verb) (adverb) . And no one wants that! Question: Which room has the most treasure? ___________________________ 11 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Number and Operations Comparing Numbers Name Date Election Report Here’s your up-to-the-minute election report! It has been a very (adjective) election, but the results are in. In the race for (occupation) , has (five-digit number) votes, while (name of student in the class) has (six-digit number) . The third (name of student in the class) candidate, (name of student in the class) , has (different six-digit number) votes. The three candidates have all spent more than (seven-digit number) (plural noun) on this race. Question: Who finished in second place? ___________________________ 12 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Number and Operations Three-Digit Addition Name Date The Pie-Eating Contest The (ordinal number) Annual (place) County Fair just had its pie-eating contest. The favorite pie was, of course, (noun) pie. (name of famous woman) ate (three-digit number) pies. She used her (body part) to eat with, but that’s actually legal. Her (adjective) competitor, (name of famous man) , ate (three-digit number) . He ate while sitting on a (noun) . He says it helps his digestion. Question: How many pies did they eat altogether? _________________ 13 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Number and Operations Four-Digit Addition Name Date Book Lover I love books! When I’m not reading books, I can usually be found (verb ending in -ing) them. I like a glass of (liquid) when I’m reading and a little (noun) to munch on. This weekend I read a new book,“The Mystery of the (adjective) (noun) .” It had (four-digit number) pages. That was really (adjective) ! I also read “The Beginner’s Guide to (plural noun) .” That had (verb ending in -ing) (four-digit number) pages. Question: How many pages did you read this weekend? _______________ 14 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Name Number and Operations Three Addends Date The Unusual Spell There once was a sorcerer who always wore a pointed (noun) on his head. His name was (name of boy in the class) , and he lived in a (noun) high above (place) . He cast a spell on (name of girl in the class) because she would not marry his (noun) . She slept for (three-digit number) years. She was awakened by the kiss of a (adjective) prince, . Unfortunately, the sorcerer found out and put (name of boy in the class) her to sleep again for (three-digit number) more years. Luckily, the prince found her once more and kissed her again. She woke up briefly, but then she fell right back asleep for (two-digit number) more years because she watched too much of (television show) . Question: How many years did she sleep altogether? _______________ 15 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Number and Operations Three Addends Name Date Getting in Shape If you want to get in (adjective) shape, you must exercise every (time measurement) . Eat plenty of fresh (plural noun) and drink lots of (liquid) . (number) glasses a day is good to start. Lifting (plural noun) is very (adjective) for you also.You should lift (five-digit number) pounds in the morning, (five-digit number) in the afternoon, and (five-digit number) pounds right before bed.You should sleep like a (noun) after that. Question: How many pounds should you lift a day? __________________ 16 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Number and Operations Three-Digit Subtraction Name Date Buying a New Skateboard There are lots of (adjective) skateboards out there.You want to make sure you get one with wheels made of (plural noun) so you will go (adverb) . The deck should be made of (substance) , and the coolest colors are (color) and (color) . This means you need a new (name of student in the class) model. It sells for dollars, but since you are so (three-digit number greater than 500) (adjective) , you get a discount of (three-digit number less than 500) dollars. Question: How much will the skateboard cost you? ___________________ 17 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Number and Operations Four-Digit Subtraction Name Date The Ice-Cream Sundae Our favorite place to go for an ice- cream sundae is (name of teacher) ’s Ice-Cream Emporium and (noun) Store. This store has every flavor including (noun) . When I order mine I get (one-digit number) scoops of (noun) ice cream. I like to put (plural noun) on top and (noun) nuts, too. The clerk had nuts, in the container, and he put (four-digit number greater than 3,000) on mine. It was (adjective) ! (four-digit number less than 2,000) I had to eat it with a (noun) . Question: How many nuts did the clerk have left in the container? ______________________ 18 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Number and Operations Three-Digit Addition and Subtraction Name Date The Perfect Host When you have guests over, you want to make a (adjective) impression. For example, when you your guests, be sure to shake their (verb) (body part, plural) (adverb) .You may want to offer your guests some (adjective) snacks, too. (noun) crackers and (noun) -flavored pretzels are good choices. Plan on (three-digit number greater than 500) snacks before dinner and (three-digit number) after dinner. This will help your guests be very (adjective) . If you use this plan, you usually have about (three-digit number less than 500) left over for next time. Question: How many snacks will your guests eat? _____________________ 19 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Number and Operations Four-Digit Addition and Subtraction Name Date Historical Site You will surely enjoy visiting the historic mansion. It was built in (first and last name of person in the class) (year) out of (plural noun) . One very interesting feature of the house is the windows, because they are made of (plural noun) . This makes the mansion look very (adjective) . There were originally (four-digit number) windows on the first floor and (four-digit number greater than 2,000) on the second floor. When the mansion was renovated, however, windows were covered over with (four-digit number less than 2,000) (plural noun) . Question: How many windows does the mansion have now? ___________ 20 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Number and Operations Addition With Money Name Date New Job I just got a great new job! I am going to (verb) for a big New York company. I have my own (adjective) (noun) and a desk made out of 100-percent (substance) . I got paid (three-digit number) dollars and (two-digit number) cents for my first week of work. I also worked on Saturday, so I got an extra (three-digit number) dollars and (two-digit number) cents. My boss, (name of famous person) , said that I’m the most (adjective) employee the company has ever seen. Question: How much money have you made so far? __________________ 21 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Number and Operations Addition With Money Name Date Craft Sale I got up at (time) and went to the City Craft Fair. It is so (adjective) . (first name of student in the class) I bought a (noun) made out of clay for (three-digit number) dollars and (two-digit number) cents. The lady who sold it to me said it was probably made by (famous historical figure) . I also got a (adjective) (noun) made from real (plural noun) . That cost me (three-digit number) dollars and (two-digit number) cents. Question: How much did you spend? _______________________________ 22 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Number and Operations Subtraction With Money Name Date Mr. Travel Smart Mr. Travel Smart here with some advice: When traveling to places such as (place) , make sure you bring (adjective) (plural noun) , and plenty of money. dollars is a good amount.You might (four-digit number greater than 5,000) want to travel by (noun) . That will cost (three-digit number) dollars and (two-digit number) cents round trip. When you get there, you will want to stay in a (adjective) hotel. Make sure it has a (noun) in every room. That will cost dollars a night. (three-digit number) Question: How much money would you have left if you stayed for one night? ___________________________________ 23 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Name Number and Operations Subtraction With Money Date Souvenir Shopping (name of girl in the class) went to (place) and bought a souvenir to help her remember the trip. She looked at the (plural noun) , but they were too (adjective) and expensive. She had only (four-digit number) dollars. She also thought about the (plural noun) , but they would be hard to carry home. She finally decided on a (adjective) miniature (noun) that cost only (three-digit number) dollars and (two-digit number) cents. She was so happy, she (past-tense verb) (adverb) all the way home. Question: How much money did she have left? ______________________ 24 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Name Number and Operations Addition and Subtraction With Money Date Fixing Up the House Mr. knew it was time to fix up the house (name of boy in the class) when (plural noun) came pouring in through the roof during the last storm. He knew it would be a (adjective) job. He bought a bag of (plural noun) for (four-digit number) dollars. He also bought a new (noun) to hammer them in with. That cost (four-digit number) dollars. When he was finished, he was able to sell some of the building material he had left over to his neighbor, (name of girl in the class) , for (three-digit number) dollars. Question: How much money did he end up spending on the roof? ________________________________________________________ 25 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Name Number and Operations One-Digit Multiplication Date The Unusual Village There is an unusual village called (name of student in the class) ville. It is north of (place) and west of (place) . The people there live in houses made of (plural noun) and (plural noun) . Each family has a house, and each family has (one-digit number greater than 1) people. They are well known for making (plural noun) out of marble. There are houses in the village. King (one-digit number greater than 1) recently wanted to find out how many (name of boy in the class) people live in the village. Question: How many people live in the village? _____________________ 26 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Number and Operations One-Digit Multiplication Name Date Cleanliness It is very important to keep your teeth clean, especially since you have only (one-digit number greater than 1) of them. You know you look better when they are (adjective) and (adjective) .You should brush them every day with (substance) , using a sturdy (noun) . In fact, you should do this times a day. If you do this, people will (one-digit number greater than 1) see you and say,“ (exclamation) !” Question: How many times should you brush your teeth every week? _______________________________________________________ 27 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Number and Operations Two-Digit by One-Digit Multiplication Name Date Baseball Hitters The New York (plural noun) have some really (adjective) hitters. In the first week of this season, (name of boy in the class) got hits using his (two-digit number less than 30) famous (noun) bat. (name of girl in the class) came back from a broken (body part) to get the same number of hits. Surprisingly, (name of a teacher) also got that number of hits. This terrific trio did this (one-digit number greater than 1) weeks in a row. QQuueessttiioonn:: How many hits did they get altogether? ___________________ 28 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Number and Operations Two-Digit by One-Digit Multiplication Name Date Cruise Ship Welcome aboard the cruise ship (adjective) (noun) . We know you will have a (adjective) time. Our two pools are filled with crystal clear (liquid) and heated to a comfortable (two-digit number) degrees.You will no doubt enjoy our (two-digit number) beautiful dining rooms. Each dining room has seats, so we have plenty of room. (two-digit number) We serve baked (plural noun) and broiled (plural noun) every day. It’s all you can (verb) at every meal. Question: How many people can sit in the dining rooms altogether? ________________________________________________________ 29 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Number and Operations Two-Digit by Two-Digit Multiplication Name Date ball Season (noun) The (name of city) (plural noun) are off to a (adjective) start. (adjective) slugger is really (name of student in the class) hitting the old (noun) . For the last two weeks, the team has played every day, and in each game our hero has hit (two-digit number) times. Question: How many hits does our hero have so far? _________________ 30 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Number and Operations One-Digit Division Name Date The Relatives’ Visit We are going to have a lot of fun because my relatives are coming to visit from (place) . They usually take a (noun) to get here and stay for about (two-digit number) days. There is my uncle (name of boy in the class) , my aunt , and my three cousins: (name of girl in the class) (name of girl in the class) , (name of girl in the class) , and . I’m baking my famous (adjective) (name of girl in the class) (noun) muffins for them, which I make with fresh (plural noun) topped with chocolate-covered (plural noun) . I’m making (two-digit number ending in zero) . Question: How many muffins can you give each relative and have none left over? _________________________________ 31 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Number and Operations One-Digit Division Name Date Organizing My Room My mom made me clean up my room, just because I left my (plural noun) on the floor and didn’t put away my (noun) . It took (two-digit number) (adjective) hours. First, I (past-tense verb) the carpet, and then I (past-tense verb) my bed. Then, I put away my (plural noun) . I found (two-digit even number) of them. They had to be put evenly into two drawers. Question: How many did you put in each drawer? ___________________ 32 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Number and Operations Two-Digit Division Name Date Uncle Joe’s Visit Uncle Joe came all the way from (place) to visit. He had to take a (noun) to get here. He is very rich and very (adjective) . He has lots of money because he owns a company that makes (plural noun) . My brothers, (name of boy in the class) and , as well as my (name of boy in the class) sisters, (name of girl in the class) and (name of girl in the class) , were just as happy as I was to see Uncle Joe. He always gives us a present. Last time it was (three-digit number) (plural noun) . That was so cool! This time he gave us (three-digit number with zero in the tens place and zero in the ones place) (adjective) (plural noun) ! He said each of us had to pick a friend and then share the gifts evenly among all of us. Question: How many of the gifts should each of you get? _____________ 33 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Number and Operations Fractions of a Set Name Date Going to the Movies I went with my friends to see that cool new movie, “I Married a Teenage (noun) .” I went there with (name of girl in the class) , (name of boy in the class) , and . At the snack bar I bought a large cup (name of teacher in the school) of to drink. It cost (one-digit number) (liquid) dollars. I also bought a bag of 24 chocolate (plural noun) candy and shared it evenly with my friends. Question: What fraction of the bag did you get? _____________________ How many pieces of candy did you get? ___________________ 34 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Number and Operations Fractions of a Whole Name Date Pizza and Video Games We are having pizza from ’s Pizzeria PIZZA, PLEASE! (name of person in the class) tonight. I love their pizza. It is so ! (adjective) I like to get it with (plural noun) and (plural noun) on top. They cut it into 24 slices. I have (one-digit odd number greater than 1 and less than 9) friends coming over to share the pizza with me. We are going to play a new video game, Super (name of person in the class) ! Question: If we divide the pizza evenly, what fraction of the pizza will you get? _________________________ 35 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Measurement The fill-in math word problems in this section include math content that supports the math standards for measurement across grades 4–6 (based on the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) and are organized to accommodate the range of levels you would find in your class. As students complete the blanks in each story, they will build and solve word problems that provide practice in the following areas: Understand measurable attributes of objects and the units, systems, and processes of measurement h length, area, weight, volume, and size of angle h measure with standard units h carry out simple unit conversions Apply appropriate techniques, tools, and formulas to determine measurements h estimate the perimeter, areas, and volumes of regular and irregular shapes h measure length, area, volume, weight, time, temperature, and the size of angles h select and use benchmarks to estimate measurements Source: Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2000); my.nctm.org Tips for Teaching With This Section The problems in this section emphasize an understanding of how to combine various standard measurement units such as pints, quarts, inches, ounces, and other common measurements. It’s probably not necessary to have measuring tools such as scales and rulers for everyone, but you may want to have one or two appropriate tools to use for demonstrations and to enable students to prove that their answers are correct. It’s also helpful when students are working on these problems to supply them with individual measurement reference charts showing names of units of measure, abbreviations, and equivalencies. Or, display a poster containing this information for reference. Don’t forget, time is very much at home in a study of measurement. Help students understand how with time measurements, they can’t just add the numbers together and get a sensible answer. For example, if we say John started violin practice at 7:25 on Thursday and practiced for one hour and 45 minutes, to figure out when he finished we can’t simply add those numbers, or we would get 8:70! There is no such time. Remind students that with measurements of time, once they have sixty minutes, they need to convert to an hour, very similar to regrouping tens and ones when adding. 36 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Measurement Linear Measurement Name Date Science Fiction Movie Have you seen the (adjective) new movie, “Return of the (noun) ?”There is a giant grasshopper in it that attacks (place) . I was so excited, I ate (number greater than 1) bags of (name of food) . The grasshopper was originally only (two-digit number) centimeters long, but then this mad scientist, Dr. (name of person in the class) , gave the grasshopper a growth ray. The grasshopper became ten times longer. Question: What is the grasshopper’s length in meters?_______________ 37 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Measurement Linear Measurement Name Date Olympic Report Welcome back, sports fans, to Olympic Report! I’m your host, (first name of student in the class) (noun) , broadcasting from high atop the (adjective) Mountains in (adjective) (place) . We just had an amazing record set in the (object) throw. (name of male teacher) threw (one-digit number) and (fraction) inches on his first throw. On his second throw he threw (one-digit number) and (fraction) inches. Added together these throws set a new world record! Question: What is the new world record? ___________________________ 38 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Measurement Linear Measurement Name Date The Trip We are leaving today on a trip to ville. (name of food) I hear they have lots of (plural noun) there. I can’t wait to see them! Our travel agent said we have to take a bus for (two-digit number) inches. Then we take a boat for feet. Finally, we get on a plane and go (one-digit number greater than 1) yards. Then we’re there! It’s a great place for (one-digit number greater than 1) (type of insect, plural) like us to go! Question: How far is the whole trip there and back? ________________ 39 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Measurement Perimeter Name Date Pet House I am building a new house for my pet (name of animal) , (name) . He is very (adjective) and (adjective) , so I really want to make him a new house. I am making it out of (plural noun) . The house will have three sides. One side will be (two-digit number between 30 and 50) centimeters long. The other two sides will each be (two-digit number less than 30) centimeters long. Question: What will be the perimeter of your pet’s new house? ____________________ 40 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Measurement Area Name Date Classroom of the Future The Classroom of the Future will be very exciting and (adjective) . There will not be books. Instead students will get information from (plural noun) . There will be no pencils. Instead students will write with (plural noun) . The ideal Classroom of the Future will have a large chalkboard made of (noun) . It will be (two-digit number) yards long and (two-digit number) yards wide. Question: What will be the area of the board? _______________________ 41 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Measurement Time Name Date The Apprentice Good morning! Today you will begin your new job as apprentice (job) for .You will start the (name of famous person) day by meeting with the (plural noun) for (two-digit number) minutes. Then you will work on filing your (plural noun) in your (adjective) office for (one-digit number greater than 1) hours. Have lunch for (two-digit number) minutes in the (type of room) . After lunch, write a report on (plural noun) . This will take about (one-digit number greater than 1) hours. Then you can go home. Question: How much time will you spend at your new job? ___________ 42 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Measurement Elapsed Time Name Date A Long Day at School spends a lot of time in classes. He has (name of boy in the class) Mathematics of (plural noun) from (time) A.M. until noon. Then he has History of (plural noun) from noon until (time) P.M. Finally, he has Scientific Investigation of (plural noun) for an hour and a half. Question: How much time does he spend in classes? ________________ 43 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Measurement Liquid Measurement Name Date Magic Potion Dr. (noun) here, magician (first name of girl in the class) extraordinaire! Today I’ll be teaching you how to make my most (adjective) potion—the one that changes people into (plural noun) . First, you must take a (container) and pour in (one-digit number greater than 1) cups of (liquid) . Then, add (one-digit number greater than 1) quarts of (liquid) . Now stir with a (noun) . Finally, add a gallon of (color) (liquid) . Ready to serve! Question: How much potion will these directions make? _____________ 44 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Measurement Weight Name Date Circus Strong Man Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the (adjective) Brothers Circus! In the center ring today, we have the (adjective) strong man, . He will lift a (name of boy in the class) (noun) weighing tons. On top of that (one-digit number greater than zero) he will place a (adjective) (noun) weighing (one-digit number greater than 1) pounds. And finally, he will place a (adjective) (noun) weighing (two-digit number) ounces on the very top! Question: How much will he lift? ___________________________________ 45 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Measurement Weight Name Date Special Salad We are having a lot of guests over tonight to celebrate (special event or holiday) . We will all wear (type of clothing, plural) , of course, and say,“ (expression) !” to anyone who comes to the door. We are also going to make a special salad for dinner. The recipe says to put in (three-digit number) grams of (name of food) and then add (one-digit number greater than 1) kilograms of (name of food) . Finally, you top it off with (four-digit number) grams of (plural noun) . Question: How much will the special salad weigh? _________________ 46 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Patterns and Algebra The fill-in math word problems in this section include math content that supports the math standards for algebra across grades 4–6 (based on the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) and are organized to accommodate the range of levels you would find in your class. As students complete the blanks in each story, they will build and solve word problems that provide practice in the following areas: Understand patterns, relations, and functions h describe, extend, and make generalizations about geometric and numeric patterns h represent and analyze patterns and functions Represent and analyze mathematical situations and structures using algebraic symbols h use commutativity, associativity, and distributivity to compute with whole numbers h represent the idea of a variable as an unknown quantity and solve for that variable h express mathematical relationships using equations Source: Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2000); my.nctm.org Tips for Teaching With This Section Finding patterns helps students make predictions If someone asked how many points you might about what comes next. When working on score in game 6, we could answer 192 because problems that involve patterns and algebra, we’ve seen the relationship between the number of students will find using lists and tables helpful for baskets and the number of points. Using algebra, organizing information. Review the following (n x 2) x 2 = points scored. This is a growing pattern, strategies and examples as students work on where the numbers increase. stories in this section: h A table or chart with labels is also helpful for h Organize numbers in rows, columns, or streams arranging and keeping track of information about that are near each other so that you can easily patterns that repeat, too, as with the teacher who detect relationships between the numbers. For wears blue sneakers on odd days and red example, let’s say you make three two-point sneakers on even days. To find out what color baskets in your first basketball game of the sneakers this teacher will be wearing on Thursday season, and double that number in the next if Monday is March 10, you might make a chart game. In each of the next three games, you like this: double the number of baskets from the previous game. How many points will you have scored after Date Color five games? To figure out the answer, you could Mon. 3/10 red organize the data like this: Tues. 3/11 blue Wed. 3/12 red Game Baskets Points 1 3 6 Thurs. 3/13 blue 2 6 12 3 12 24 (answer = blue, because Thursday would be 4 24 48 March 13, which is an odd numbered day). 5 48 96 47 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Patterns and Algebra Patterns Name Date Getting Big My pet (noun) is getting big. I named him (name of famous male person) because he’s very (adjective) . I’ve had my pet three years now. The first year I had him, I gave him (two-digit number) ounces of (name of food) every day. After one year, he was (two-digit number) inches. Now I give him twice as much food, and he has grown three times larger! Question: How much do you feed him now? _______________________ How big is he now? ____________________________________ 48 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Patterns and Algebra Patterns Name Date Winner! (first name of boy in the class) was feeling (last name of famous person) pretty (adjective) ! He won the big prize for (verb ending in -ing) the most (plural noun) . The prize was one hundred dollars! Well, the first week he spent half of it on a new (noun) . Of course, he needed some (plural noun) for it, so he spent half of what was left the second week. Then the third week he spent half of that on a trading card of (name of famous person) . Question: If he keeps going like this, how much money will he have left at the end of the fourth week? _____________________ 49 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
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