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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
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 The Old Legend.......... 11 Election Report.......... 12 The Pie-Eating Contest..... 13 Book Lover............. 14 The Unusual Spell........ 15 Getting in Shape......... 16 Buying a New Skateboard... 17 The Ice-Cream Sundae..... 18 The Perfect Host......... 19 Historical Site........... 20 New Job............... 21 Craft Sale.............. 22 Mr. Travel Smart......... 23 Souvenir Shopping....... 24 Fixing Up the House...... 25 The Unusual Village....... 26 Cleanliness............. 27 Baseball Hitters......... 28 Cruise Ship............. 29 ball Season....... 30 The Relatives Visit....... 31 Organizing My Room...... 32 Uncle Joe s Visit......... 33 Going to the Movies....... 34 Pizza and Video Games..... 35 Measurement........... 36 Science Fiction Movie...... 37 Olympic Report.......... 38 The Trip............... 39 Pet House.............. 40 Classroom of the Future.... 41 The Apprentice.......... 42 A Long Day at School...... 43 Magic Potion............ 44 Circus Strong Man........ 45 Special Salad........... 46 Patterns and Algebra..... 47 Getting Big............. 48 Winner!............... 49 Invasion............... 50 Cool Stuff for Your Car..... 51 A Scientific Lecture....... 52 Geometry............. 53 Birthday Cake........... 54 New Desk.............. 55 The Tower.............. 56 Two Sandwiches......... 57 Halloween Mask.......... 58 Data Analysis and Probability............. 59 Plant Growth............ 60 Shopping for Sneakers..... 61 Goal!................. 62 The Fun Game........... 63 The Cube.............. 64
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 operations (including with multiple addends) on large numbers in their stories. h Use commas in numbers with four or more digits to keep all those digits organized. h h h When comparing numbers for example, to see which one is greater write down the numbers one on top of the other, with the digits aligned, in order to make an accurate visual comparison. When performing operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division), align digits properly to avoid mistakes in computation. 23,180 10,175 99,868 + 11,749 When solving equations, check the final answer and ask yourself if it makes sense. (For more problemsolving 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
Number and Operations Comparing Numbers Name Date The Old Legend An old legend tells of the Cave of. The cave was and. There were three secret rooms in the cave. The legend says each room was filled with beautiful, sparkling treasure. The first room had (plural noun) (four-digit number), a rare, 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
Number and Operations Comparing Numbers Name Date Election Report Here s your up-to-the-minute election report! It has been a very election, but the results are in. In the race for (occupation), has (five-digit number) votes, while has (six-digit number). The third candidate,, 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
Number and Operations Three-Digit Addition Name Date The Pie-Eating Contest The (ordinal number) (place) Annual County Fair just had its pie-eating contest. The favorite pie was, of course, (noun) pie. (name of famous woman) ate (three-digit number) (body part) pies. She used her to eat with, but that s actually legal. Her competitor, (name of famous man), ate (three-digit number) (noun). He ate while sitting on a. He says it helps his digestion. Question: How many pies did they eat altogether? 13