The Power of Numberless Word Problems: The Best Way to Teach Word Problems

Have you ever wondered how to teach word problems to 2nd graders in a way that doesn’t confuse or overwhelm them? I’ve found one of the most effective ways to teach word problems and problem solving is to use numberless word problems with your students.

What are Numberless Word Problems?

If you’ve never heard of them before, numberless word problems are just what they sound like. You take a word problem and remove the numbers from it. You might be wondering why in the world you would do this? The reason is, students tend to see mathematical numbered word problems and automatically look at the numbers first. They oftentimes don’t read the entire problem before trying to solve. In this blog post, we’re going to take a look at how we can change that when teaching word problems.

If you would like more details on this topic, you can head over to my YouTube channel where I talk about this topic.

Why You Should Use Numberless Word Problems

While you may not be used to using numberless word problems in your math lessons, they are very powerful in helping students increase their problem-solving skills. Let’s take a look at 3 reasons why you should use numberless word problems in your mathematical instruction.

1. Shifts Focus to Overall Understanding

When students only read the numbers within a word problem, they don’t actually read what the problem is asking them to do. They are so focused on locating the numbers and possibly the keywords at the end of the problem, that they forget about the overall understanding and sense of the problem. Students miss the action that is being taught.

There is so much more to math word problems than just addition problems, subtraction problems, etc. Research shows that there are 11 different word problem types! YES! You read that right – ELEVEN!!

When students race to find the numerical values within a word problem, they miss what is actually occurring within the text. Some examples include them learning to understand “Part-Part Whole”, “Add to Result Unknown”, and “Compare/Contrast.”

Giving students an opportunity to practice numberless word problems allows them to shift their focus to see what action is being asked of them so they can focus on using their math skills throughout the problem-solving process!

2. Allows for Differentiation

For some students, word problems are their worst nightmare. They see big numbers inside of a question and automatically shut down or become intimidated. By removing numbers from the word problem, you can help ease that transition into solving mathematical problems.

It can also help you differentiate your teaching because it gives you an opportunity to focus on specific student needs. Some students may need help on single digits while others are struggling with double digits with or without regrouping. Numberless word problems are powerful because they can open up doors to those mathematical conversations that you and your students need to have!

3. Encourages Higher Level Thinking

When we present students with numberless word problems, it forces them to slow down when reading. Since there is no mathematical operation for them to focus on, they must break down and analyze what the text says before solving. Once that has occurred, we can then use manipulatives such as dice and number cards to solve for the numerical value.

We don’t want to discourage students from math, so by using numberless word problems, we can work together to use higher level thinking and problem-solving strategies to focus on the overall meaning of the text.

How to Teach Word Problems to 2nd Graders

If you’ve every wondered how to teach word problems to 2nd graders and what the best way is to keep it fun and engaging, yet meaningful, then you’ve come to the right place!

If you need some ideas on how to incorporate numberless word problems and problem solving strategies into your lessons, check out my word problem math units here on TPT.

Looking for more resources and ideas for how to teach word problems to 2nd graders?

Check out these blog posts:

• 3 Reads Strategy to Problem Solve
• Confession: Why I Stopped Teaching Keywords in Word Problems

Feel free to pin the image below to save this post for later!