Teaching students other words for addition and subtraction are the first steps in the tricky business of learning to solve word problems. Finding out what operation the problem requires is key. In my resource room, I like to make it a game.
Create Clue Cards
We use clue cards to sleuth. These are just index cards that students have written or glued a list of words onto and decorated! Students use their cards to find out what the operation is in any word problem.
I start by giving my students a quick cheat sheet. Depending on their ability students write or cut out and glue their clues onto the inside of the card. Then, students fold their cards in half and decorate the outside. Students can use these cards to learn to look for clues within the text. I have found that this helps my students feel more confident with the task of breaking down the text in a word problem.
You can read more about the strategies and resources we use to solve word problems in my classroom here. (We also use this same simple style “clue card” for signal words for cause and effect, transition words, and tons more. Students love them so feel free to get creative!)
Other Words for Addition
- Sum
- Combine
- Plus
- Total
- Add
- In All
Other Words for Subtraction
- Take Away
- Minus
- Difference
- Less Than
- Fewer
FREE Resource for teaching students to Solve Word Problems
Here is a free resource to help your students learn to solve word problems!