Beware of Key Words!!

Many U.S. students are taught to use key words to solve word problems. Can real understanding be fostered if the child is looking for one word to tell what operation is to be used or to accept their first impression before they make a decision or judgement? Key word strategies work only for a narrow range of word problems.

In the Children’s Math Worlds Curriculum:

1) Children learn to understand key words as situational descriptions; and

2) Children learn that key words do not necessarily tell you what operation to do.

Examples:

(a) Jason has sixteen candies. Laura has seven candies. How many more candies does Jason have?

(b) Deshae has nine pencils. Her friend Lucy gave her eight more. How many pencils does Deshae now have?

The first problem is solved through subtraction and the second through addition. The word more in the second problem does not tell what operation to do.

(c) David had twelve CDs. He then bought six CDs at Trax and was given four CDs as birthday gifts. How many CDs does David have in all?

(d) Tomison rode on twelve rides at the carnival. In all, he spent $9.00 for the rides and $3.50 on snacks. How much did each ride cost?

The first problem is typical “in all”- add the total. What does “in all” mean in the second problem? What operation is used?

(e) I have some buttons on my shirt. Five of them fell off. There are now eight left on my shirt. How many buttons were on my shirt to start with?

- 5 = 8 The key word “left” might suggest a student solve the problem 8-5=3.

(f) There were seven nuts in the hollow tree. The squirrel put in some more. Now there are fourteen nuts in the tree. How many nuts did the squirrel put in?

7 + = 14 The key word “more” might suggest a student solve

the problem 7 + 14 = 21.