“With multi-step problems, key words don’t work 90 percent of the time,” said Sarah Powell, a professor at the University of Texas in Austin who studies word problems and whose research has ...

Word problem “key words” charts abound on lesson-sharing sites like Teachers Pay Teachers. These graphic organizers are designed to remind students which math words signal different operations.

Too many teachers, particularly in the early grades, rely on key words to introduce math problems. Posters displaying the terms — sum, minus, fewer, etc. — tied to operations including ...

Relying too much on key words can lead students astray, particularly because word problems get more complex as students go through school. Because these types of math problems require so many skills ...

Word problems tend to be complicated in part because of their descriptive language. Students often don’t understand what exactly they’re being asked, especially when the problem includes ...

Intervention based on science of reading, math boosts comprehension, word problem-solving skills. ScienceDaily . Retrieved June 2, 2025 from www.sciencedaily.com / releases / 2024 / 04 ...

Teachers avoid emphasizing key words and ask students instead to identify first the conceptual type of word problem (or schema, as many practitioners and researchers refer to it) they are dealing with ...

RI EDUCATION Schools are teaching math word problems all wrong. But some educators have found a better way. In Central Falls, R.I., teachers are trying new strategies that move away from focusing ...