Join me for a FREE, Guided Math workshop to discover how to easily incorporate Guided Math into your current schedule!
Looking for the Inner Circle Math Membership? 🎲 Click here to login.
Word problems… they can be a nightmare for students and teachers alike. Teaching students how to analyze word problems, determine which information is needed to solve, what operation is being used, and then actually solve the problem is no easy feat. But I’m here to make it easier (and less frustrating!) with one of my favorite strategies for tackling word problems with confidence. Read on to learn how to help your students master word problems with this simple Start Change Result word problem math solver strategy. Trust me – it’s a total game-changer!
If you’ve been searching for a word problem math solver that actually makes sense to young learners, the Start Change Result (SCR) strategy is it!
This simple, visual strategy helps students break down word problems into manageable parts so they can figure out what information they have and what they still need to find.
This strategy helps students identify three parts of a story problem:
By identifying these three parts, students can better understand what the problem is asking, which is something our kids often struggle with.
Even though there are 11 different types of word problems that students are exposed to in 2nd grade (yes, eleven!), the Start Change Result word problem math solver strategy works best with join and separate word problem types. Whether students are solving for the start, change, or result, this strategy helps clarify what action is happening in the story (AKA – which operation they’ll use to solve).
It’s important to note that the Start Change Result strategy isn’t ideal for all problem types. It doesn’t work well with part-part-whole or compare problems, since those don’t involve a direct action or change. There’s no increase or decrease happening — instead, students are identifying relationships between amounts or combining two parts to make a whole. Those situations call for different strategies.
The Start Change Result word problem math solver is best used when something is actively being added or taken away.
Using the Start Change Result strategy isn’t just a math trick — it’s a powerful tool that:
Students learn to think critically about the action in the word problem instead of just grabbing numbers and guessing which operation to use. Plus, they get comfortable recognizing whether the story involves addition or subtraction and what the numbers in the problem actually represent — which is half the battle!
Above all else, the SCR strategy gives students confidence to solve word problems. They don’t feel as overwhelmed when they have a set structure to follow.
Now, let’s break down how to use SCR as a word problem math solver in your classroom. For a detailed walkthrough of various examples, check out my YouTube video below, where I share exactly how to implement this strategy using 3 different levels of word problems with my daily word problem practice.
One of the great benefits of the Start Change Result strategy is that it can be used to easily differentiate with various word problem types. Let’s take a look at a few examples of this.
In these basic word problem examples from my April Daily Math Journal Prompts, students are using the Start Change Result strategy to solve for different numbers.
In the first example, they know the Start and Change. They are adding 3 + 5 to find the Result, which is 8.
In the second example, they also know the Start and Change. They are adding 9 + 4 to find the Result, which is 13.
In the third example on this page, students are using Start Change Result with slightly more challenging 2-digit numbers. They know the Start and Change, and from reading the word problem, they can tell that the operation being used is subtraction. They must subtract 15 – 5 = 10, which is the Result.
One of my favorite ways to differentiate the SCR strategy is with numberless word problems. These let students focus on what is happening in the problem — not just crunching numbers.
You can vary the difficulty by adding your own numbers or use them for class discussions to emphasize the operation involved.
In this example, we know the Start and the Change. By reading the problem first, without the numbers, you can tell that subtraction is the operation being set up.
Here’s what it looks like:
Start + Change = Result.
12 – 5 = ?.
12 – 5 = 7.
Result = 7.
One of the easiest ways to build consistency and incorporate this strategy is with my Daily Problem Solving Prompts.
Each month includes:
Each day, students glue a word problem strip right into their math journal. It’s one problem a day – a quick and simple strategy that’s super effective and keeps students engaged in problem solving practice all month long.
Check them out in my website store or on TPT.
You can also find these daily word problem prompts, along with ALL of my math resources for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade, inside the Inner Circle Math Membership.
The Inner Circle gives you instant access to all of my math resources — all for less than a venti coffee and a muffin at Starbucks each month. No more scrambling for last-minute materials. Everything is organized, easy to use, and ready to go at your fingertips!
The Start, Change, Result strategy isn’t just a catchy phrase — it’s a highly effective word problem math solver that gives students structure, clarity, and confidence.
Try it with your students this week and see how it transforms their approach to addition and subtraction word problems!
Leave a comment below and let me know how it goes and how you’re teaching word problems this year.
