Created by Mrs. Hutchins

Operations: Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, and Division Addition words Add Sum Subtraction words Minus Difference Multiplication words Product Multiply Division words Divide Quotient

First, read the problem looking for key words that signal the operation to use. Next, determine which operation to perform first in a multi-step problem. Use order of operations unless the problem tells you to do another part first. Think! Think! Think!

Terry is an oceanographer. One day he picks up a bottle floating near his ship. Inside the bottle is a map, which describes the location of a buried treasure. Here are the directions on the map: Start by the Big Oak Tree. Walk 15 steps North. Walk 30 steps South. Walk South a third of the steps you just walked South. Start digging!

Either way you choose to solve step 3, you get 10 as your answer. Because those steps are also to the south, you would have the equation = - 25 The treasure is located at - 25, or 25 steps south of the big oak tree.

The temperature on Tuesday was 7ºF. Wednesday, it was 3º lower. It was 1º higher on Thursday than it was on Wednesday. It was 10º lower on Friday. What was the temperature on Friday? First, subtract Wednesday’s temperature from Tuesday’s temperature: 7ºF - 3º = 4ºF Next, add Thursday’s temperature (1º) to Wednesday’s temperature (4º): 4º + 1º = 5ºF Now, subtract 10º from Thursday’s temperature To find the temperature on Friday: 5º - 10º = - 5ºF

From school, Ramon walks 2 blocks north, 4 blocks east, and 7 blocks south. How can he get back to school walking only west and north? First, draw out the problem. Here is the school. For the purposes of this problem, the school is at point 0.

Ramon starts 0, the school. He walks 2 blocks North (0 + 2) and then 4 blocks East (0 + 4). From that point Ramon walks 7 blocks south (2(N) – 7 (S). How can he get back to school if he can only walk West and North?

Problem solved!

Read the problem carefully Look for operation words If there are many operation words, decide which operation to do first, which to do second, etc. Remember to follow Order of Operations unless the problem tells you to do something differently.