Two Mathematical Word Problems That Fit The Grade 4 Curriculum
Both of these mathematical word problems fit the grade 4 mathematics curriculum, and are part of a cross-curricular activity or theme.
Problem 1
Michael and his friend wanted to donate money to help some endangered animals on Earth Day. Michael had decided to donate $56.21 and his best friend, Andrew, decided to donate $14.89. In addition, Michael’s younger sister, Samantha, made a last-minute decision to donate $36.11.
1. Write down the mathematical equation:
2. Show your work to find out how much money the three children donate altogether:
3. Use full sentences to explain the solution that you had come up with to question number 2:
4. Why did these three children donate their funds to Earth Day? Why do you think that it is a good idea to donate funds to Earth Day? (1 paragraph answer)
Problem 2
Melissa just got home from her shopping trip with four amazing Christmas gifts for her family. She found a smart looking blue tie for her father that she bought for $23.75. Melissa also found a very pretty blouse for her mother that she had bought for $44.56. For her siblings, Melissa had found a great bargain on 2 Nintendo DS consoles; they had cost her $86.23 each.
1. Write down the mathematical equation:
2. Show your work to find out how much money Melissa had spent on the Christmas gifts altogether:
3. Use full sentences to explain the solution that you had come up with to question number 2:
4. Are the amounts that Melissa had spent on the Christmas gifts reasonable? Do you think that the main focus of the Christmas season is to buy gifts or enjoy the time with your family? Why? (1 paragraph answer)
Explanations For Problems
The only preparation that these problems require is the associated mathematical lesson being taught prior to presenting the students with the word problem. In addition, both of these mathematical problems integrate with the language arts portion of the grade 4 curriculum because the problems are asking the students to write their mathematical answer using full sentences, and answer a theme-related question with a single paragraph answer.
These two mathematical word problems are also part of cross-curricular themes that have focus in the grade 4 curricula. The first word problem is based on children donating their money to help the animals on Earth Day, and the second word problem is based on an individual spending her money on Christmas gifts. I would definitely try to present the children with these mathematical word problems around those specific days; I would present the students with the first word problem when Earth Day is approaching, and the second word problem when Christmas break is approaching.
I did have the opportunity to present my grade 4 students with these mathematical word problems; however, it was not as close to Earth Day and Christmas break as I had wanted. I had allowed them to work in pairs for the first word problem in order to get the hang of those types of word problems, and had them work on the second mathematical word problem individually. Some of the students had ended up solving it by using some of the “play money” that we had lying around in the classroom, and other students had solved it by simply adding the numbers together as decimal numbers. I was definitely surprised at their strategy because they had figured out how to use their strategies to effectively solve the problems rather quickly; I had allotted them 35 minutes per word problem, and they had managed to get the solution in nearly half of that time.
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