Word problems translate real situations into math. 'Maria has 5 apples. She gets 3 more. How many does she have now?' requires reading comprehension, identifying the operation (addition), and solving. Problems develop reasoning and show why math matters.
You already know how to add and subtract numbers within 20. A word problem is simply a real-life story that asks you to use that skill. The trick is figuring out which operation the story is describing. When a story is about getting more, combining things, or joining groups together, that's addition. When a story is about taking away, losing something, or finding the difference between two amounts, that's subtraction.
Read the problem one sentence at a time and ask: what do I know, and what am I trying to find? In "Maria has 5 apples. She gets 3 more. How many does she have now?" — you know the starting amount (5) and how many were added (3), and you need the total. That's 5 + 3 = 8. The phrase "gets more" is a signal that things are being combined. Other addition signal words include "in all," "altogether," "total," and "joined."
Now compare: "Marcus had 9 crayons. He gave 4 to a friend. How many does he have left?" The phrase "gave away" is a signal that something was removed. You start with 9 and take away 4: 9 − 4 = 5. Signal words like "left," "fewer," "gave away," and "how many more" tell you the story involves subtraction. Learning to notice these words is the key skill.
Some problems are trickier — they describe a comparison rather than an action. "Ava has 7 stickers. Ben has 3 stickers. How many more does Ava have?" No one gained or lost anything; you're comparing two amounts. Still, the answer comes from subtraction: 7 − 3 = 4. Any time a problem asks "how many more" or "how many fewer," think subtraction. The ability to connect real situations to the operations you already know is what makes math useful outside the classroom.
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