Patterns and Algebra Finding a Missing Variable Name Date Invasion Flash! It appears there is a stuffed (name of animal) invasion! Don’t panic! Just get some (liquid) and spray it on them. We think this makes them (verb) and get (adjective) . They arrived in spaceships that were shaped like (plural noun) . There were (one-digit even number other than 6 or 8) spaceships. When the spaceships emptied out, there were aliens. (three-digit number with an even number in the hundreds place and zeros in both the tens and ones place) Question: If there was an equal number of aliens in each ship, how many did each ship carry? _____________________________ 50 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Patterns and Algebra Finding a Missing Variable Name Date Cool Stuff for Your Car I really wanted to buy a new (noun) for my car. They look so cool up on the hood, but they cost so much! I went to ’s Department Store. The thing cost (name of student in the class) (four-digit number) dollars if you want a good one made of (substance) .You can get cheaper ones made of (substance) for dollars, but who (three-digit number) wants that? All I had was (three-digit number) dollars, but guess what? My brother, (name) , came along and loaned me the rest to buy the good one. He is so (adjective) ! Question: How much did he give me? _____________________________ 51 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Patterns and Algebra Finding a Missing Variable Name Date A Scientific Lecture Dr. (noun) was giving a (first name of girl in the class) lecture at (noun) College. Her topic was “Measuring the Speed of (plural noun) .” She was very happy to be asked to speak at such a (adjective) place.“First,” she said,“you must use a (noun) to measure with. It must be (adjective) and made of (plural noun) .” She demonstrated measuring one in front of the students. She found that it was (two-digit even number less than 12) inches long.“I now know that the maximum speed would be 1,000 m.p.h. I simply multiply the length by the speed factor X.” Question: What is X? __________________________________________ 52 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Geometry The fill-in math word problems in this section include math content that supports the math standards for geometry 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: Analyze characteristics and properties of two- and three-dimensional geometric shapes and develop mathematical arguments about geometric relationships h properties of two- and three-dimensional shapes h subdividing, combining, and transforming shapes h congruence and similarity Apply transformations and use symmetry to analyze mathematical situations h sliding, flipping, and turning two-dimensional shapes h symmetry in two- and three-dimensional shapes and designs Use visualization, spatial reasoning, and geometric modeling to solve problems h build and draw geometric objects h create and describe mental images of objects, patterns, and paths h create two-dimensional representations of three-dimensional objects h use geometric models to solve problems Source: Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2000); my.nctm.org Tips for Teaching With This Section As students work to solve the problems in this section, consider the following strategies: h Students will benefit from having reference charts available, either personal sheets or large charts containing shape names and information (including diagrams). h Make students aware that people who work with geometric ideas, such as architects and designers (as well as mathematicians), are always writing and drawing as they solve problems. Encourage students to recognize that trying to solve a problem in their head can lead them to lose track of some of the requirements or data. Drawing a picture and recording information are always a good idea. (For more problem-solving strategies, see pages 7–8.) h Use of manipulatives, such as pattern blocks and attribute blocks, is also helpful for students who have difficulty visualizing combinations of shapes that might be required to solve some of these problems. Another useful manipulative both in measurement (with perimeter and area) and working on geometric- based problems is a geoboard and rubber bands. Students can follow the problem and create the shapes as they process the facts in each problem. 53 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Geometry Triangles Name Date Birthday Cake Baking a birthday cake is not (adjective) . You will need plenty of (plural noun) , (plural noun) , and (one-digit number greater than 1) gallons of .You (liquid) will also need a three-sided pan to mix these ingredients in. Each side of the pan should be (one-digit number greater than 1) inches long. The pan should be (one-digit number greater than 1) inches deep. Question: What type of triangle is the bottom of the pan? ____________________ Draw it. 54 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Geometry Quadrilaterals Name Date New Desk My woodshop teacher, Mr. (plural noun) , said I could make my own desk. It will be made of and (substance) (substance) . It will have room inside for all my (plural noun) . The top will have two sides that are feet long. The other two sides will be (one-digit number greater than 1) (one-digit number greater than 1) feet long. Question: What shape will the top of my new desk be? _________________________ 55 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Geometry Combining Geometric Shapes Name Date The Tower Well-known architect (first name of girl in the class) (animal) is finishing up plans for her newest design, the Tower of (plural noun) . She is well known for her earlier design of the famous (name of teacher) Shopping Mall. Her tower drawing shows a base made up of (one-digit number greater than 1) quadrilaterals. On top of that will be (one-digit number greater than 1) isosceles triangles. At the very top is a scalene triangle. Question: What does the tower look like? Draw it. 56 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Geometry Congruence and Similarity Name Date Two Sandwiches Bert and Bart are making (name of food) and (name of food) sandwiches on bread. (color) Bert made his sandwich so that it had two sides that were each (one-digit number greater than 1) inches long and two sides that were each (one-digit number greater than 1) inches long. Bart made his sandwich so that two sides were each (one-digit number greater than 1) inches long and two sides were each (one-digit number greater than 1) inches long. They put (name of food) on top. Question: Are the sandwiches congruent and/or similar? Why? 57 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Geometry Shapes and Symmetry Name Date Halloween Mask My Halloween mask this year is going to be really (adjective) . I’m going to make it out of (substance) and (substance) . People will see it and say,“ (exclamation) !” It will have two eyes shaped like (type of polygon, plural) . The nose will be a (type of quadrilateral) . The mouth will be a trapezoid, the longest side of which will be (one-digit number greater than 1) inches. When I put it on, I will look a lot like (name of famous person) . Question: What does the mask look like? Draw the mask and a line of symmetry through it. 58 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Data Analysis and Probability The fill-in math word problems in this section include math content that supports the math standards for data analysis and probability 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: Formulate questions that can be addressed with data and collect, organize, and display relevant data to answer them h represent data using tables and graphs h recognize the differences in representing categorical and numerical data Select and use appropriate statistical methods to analyze data h use measures of center (such as median) h compare different representations of the same data Develop and evaluate inferences and predictions that are based on data h propose and justify conclusions and predictions based on data Understand and apply basic concepts of probability h describe events as likely or unlikely h predict probability and test predictions h understand that the measure of the likelihood of an event can be represented by a number from 0 to 1 Source: Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2000); my.nctm.org Tips for Teaching With This Section As students work on problems with data in this section, remind them to keep the following strategies in mind: h Make a list or table to organize information or data from the word problem. (For more problem-solving strategies, see pages 7–8.) This makes it easier to compare, arrange, and think about the facts. h Labeling data with units or word labels helps keep things organized and the numbers meaningful. If the problem talks about cats and dogs, label the numbers that appear as either being cats or dogs. When students write “naked numbers” on a page, they can easily forget what those numbers stand for. h Use tables and lists for probability problems, too. Try organizing the data as it appears by writing it down in list or table form. Also, think about how you can use numbers such as fractions to represent probabilities. For example, if there are four red marbles in a bag and one blue one, your chances of getting a blue marble can be described as being 1/5 or one out of five. Once again, labeling helps keep the data straight in these problems. 59 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Data Analysis and Probability Representing and Analyzing Data Name Date Plant Growth I have a very rare plant that I got from (place) . I named it (name) . I feed it (name of food) and give it plenty of (liquid) , so it’s growing really fast. On Monday it was centimeters in height. On Tuesday its height (one-digit number greater than 5) doubled. On Wednesday it doubled again. The same thing happened Thursday, but then Friday I forgot to feed it so it actually shrank (one-digit number greater than 1) centimeters. Question: What was the plant’s height on Friday? ___________________ Draw a line graph to show the growth. 60 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Data Analysis and Probability Representing and Analyzing Data Name Date Shopping for Sneakers A new sporting goods store, (adjective) ’s Sports, opened this weekend with a big (name of person in the class) sale. All kinds of sneakers were on sale, including the kind (name of famous person) wears! They had (one-digit number greater than 1) pairs of (color) ones at $100 a pair. They also had (one-digit number greater than 1) pairs of (name of famous person) ones at $70 a pair. My favorites, though, were the (different color) ones at $120 a pair. They had (one-digit number greater than 1) pairs of those. They’re so cool! They’re made of (substance) so you can really (verb) . Question: Now which to choose? Represent the data (sneaker cost) and identify the range, mode, and median. 61 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Data Analysis and Probability Finding Averages Name Date Goal! The new sport, (noun) ball, is a hit! And the best scorer in the league is (name of girl in the class) . She had a great month in July. In the first week she used her trusty stick, nicknamed “Old (noun) ,” to score (two-digit number) goals. She followed that the next week by doubling her previous week’s total. In the third week, even though she sprained her (body part) , she still scored (two-digit number) goals. In the final week she scored (two-digit number) goals and was awarded the Cup for most valuable player. (name of person in the class) Question: What is the average number of goals she scored in a week? ___________________________________________________ 62 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Data Analysis and Probability Probability Name Date The Fun Game At the boardwalk there is a game called (noun) -O. It is really fun and (adjective) . It only costs (two-digit number) cents to play. There is a spinner that has sections. Two sections are blue. The rest are (one-digit number greater than 2) (color other than blue) . If you spin and land on blue, you win a huge, fuzzy (noun) . If you land on the other color, all you get is a little rubber (noun) . Question: What is the chance of landing on blue? Use a fraction to describe your answer. ________________________________ 63 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Data Analysis and Probability Probability Name Date The Cube I have invented a new game I am calling (name of person in the class) ’s Roll.You have a cube made of (substance) . Each side of the cube has a number on it. The six numbers are ______, ______, ______, ______, ______, and ______. (six different one-digit numbers) You roll the cube once on a smooth, velvet (noun) . If you roll an odd number, you win! In fact, you win a (noun) ! Can’t beat that! If you roll an even number, you lose. (adjective) , right? Question: What are the chances of winning with a single roll? ________ 64 50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 © Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources
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