GRADES 46

BY BOB KRECH

NEW YORK TORONTO LONDON AUCKLAND SYDNEY

MEXICO CITY NEW DELHI HONG KONG BUENOS AIRES

50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Dedication
For two fun kids: Andrew and Faith!

Scholastic Inc. grants teachers permission to photocopy the activity sheets from this book for classroom use. No other
part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the
publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.
Edited by Joan Novelli
Cover and interior design by Holly Grundon
Interior illustrations by Mike Gordon and Mike Moran
ISBN-13: 978-0-439-51753-9 / ISBN-10: 0-439-51753-2
Copyright 2006 by Bob Krech and Joan Novelli
All rights reserved.
Printed in the U.S.A.
Published by Scholastic Inc.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 40 13 12 11 10 09 08 07

50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Contents
About This Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
What Are Fill-in Math Word Problems? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Why Use Fill-in Math Word Problems? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Meeting the Math Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Choosing Numbers and Checking Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
How to Use Fill-in Math Word Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Teaching Problem-Solving Skills:
The Fantastic Five-Step Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Fill-in Math Word Problems

Number and Operations . . . 10

_______ball Season . . . . . . . 30

Patterns and Algebra . . . . . 47

The Old Legend . . . . . . . . . . 11

The Relatives Visit . . . . . . . 31

Getting Big. . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Election Report . . . . . . . . . . 12

Organizing My Room . . . . . . 32

Winner! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

The Pie-Eating Contest . . . . . 13

Uncle Joes Visit . . . . . . . . . 33

Invasion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Book Lover . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Going to the Movies. . . . . . . 34

Cool Stuff for Your Car . . . . . 51

The Unusual Spell . . . . . . . . 15

Pizza and Video Games . . . . . 35

A Scientific Lecture . . . . . . . 52

Buying a New Skateboard . . . 17

Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

The Ice-Cream Sundae . . . . . 18

Science Fiction Movie. . . . . . 37

Birthday Cake . . . . . . . . . . . 54

The Perfect Host . . . . . . . . . 19

Olympic Report . . . . . . . . . . 38

New Desk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Historical Site . . . . . . . . . . . 20

The Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

The Tower. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

New Job. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Pet House. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Two Sandwiches . . . . . . . . . 57

Craft Sale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Classroom of the Future . . . . 41

Halloween Mask. . . . . . . . . . 58

Mr. Travel Smart . . . . . . . . . 23

The Apprentice . . . . . . . . . . 42

Souvenir Shopping . . . . . . . 24

A Long Day at School. . . . . . 43

Data Analysis and

Fixing Up the House . . . . . . 25

Magic Potion. . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Probability . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

The Unusual Village . . . . . . . 26

Circus Strong Man . . . . . . . . 45

Plant Growth. . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Cleanliness . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Special Salad . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Shopping for Sneakers . . . . . 61

Getting in Shape . . . . . . . . . 16

Baseball Hitters . . . . . . . . . 28

Goal! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Cruise Ship . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

The Fun Game . . . . . . . . . . . 63

The Cube . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

About This Book

hen we learn to read, we learn to recognize the letters of the alphabet,

we practice letter-sound relationships, and we learn punctuation, but what
its all about is eventually being able to read text. A similar situation exists
in math. We learn how to recognize and write numerals, what the symbols mean,
numerical order, and operations like addition and subtraction, but what its all about is
what you can do with these skillsapplying what you know to solve problems. Fill-in
math word problems provide some very interesting problems to solve.

What Are Fill-in Math

Word Problems?

fill-in math word problem is a funny math story

waiting to happen. Most of the word problem is
already supplied, except for a few key words and
numbers that have been removed and replaced with
blanks. Its up to students to fill in those blanks with
missing nouns, verbs, and adjectivesjust as they
would in other word games. The difference is that
this game is missing some numbers as well. When
your students supply the missing numbers along
with the words, you suddenly have a wacky math
word problem thats fun to read and solve!

Why Use Fill-in Math Word

Problems?

M skills, but sometimes the problems can be a bit boring or dry. (Remember trying
ath word problems can provide a meaningful context for students to apply their

to figure out when the two trains would pass each other?) That wont happen with
fill-in math word problems. Students help create these problems, and once they get
the hang of the process, the resulting word problems become more and more wild,
interesting, and funall while providing good problem-solving practice with gradeappropriate math skills and concepts. Have fun while doing math? Absolutely!

Meeting the Math Standards

T teaching, this book is organized by content standards. The first 25 stories

o make it easy to select stories that correspond to the math skills you are

correspond to the Number and Operations standard, the next 10 to the Measurement
standard, followed by five each for Patterns and Algebra, Geometry, and Data Analysis
and Probability. The stories within each section are arranged by level of concept

50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

difficultyfor example, stories for Number and

Operations begin with addition and subtraction of
three- and four-digit numbers, followed by work with
money, one- and two-digit multiplication and division,
and fractions. The sections on algebra (including
patterns and finding a missing variable), geometry
(including shapes and symmetry), measurement, and
data analysis and probability (including graphing, range,
median, and mode) are similarly arranged. You can
follow the order in the book or select problems based on
concepts you are teaching at a given time.

Choosing Numbers and

Checking Answers

ome fill-in math word problems specify a range for

numbersfor example, Shopping for Sneakers
(page 61) invites children to fill in a one-digit number
other than zero or one. The Pie-Eating Contest (page
13) specifies three-digit numbers, while Buying a New
Skateboard (page 17) asks for a three-digit number
greater than 500 as well as one less than 500. Election
Report (page 12) asks for numbers with five to seven
digits. You may choose to let students fill in numbers
according to the directions in the stories as is, or you
can tighten the parameters to provide for
differentiation of instruction, individualizing the
problems for students by using the number ranges that
make sense for them. (For example, instead of leaving
the direction at a three-digit number, you might
substitute a three-digit number between 100 and
500). However, keep in mind that leaving the number
size open-ended to some extent is an interesting option
and will provide information about students ability to
work with different-size numbers. There is no answer
key for fill-in math word problems, since answers will
vary depending on the numbers students supply to fill
in the blanks. You might set up a buddy system for
checking answers, or have students turn in their stories
for you to check.

Types of Words
Different kinds of words
are required to fill in the
blanks of the math problems.
Following are the main types
students will use. Review
them and consider posting the
descriptions and examples for
easy reference.
Adjectives: Words that
describe something, such as
smelly, happy, fierce, silly, and
huge
Adverbs: Words that tell how
something is done, such as
quickly, sadly, sleepily, and
carefully
Exclamations: Words such as
ouch, yikes, wow, and oh
Nouns: Words that name a
person, place, or thing, such
as refrigerator, dog, book, and
sandwich. Sometimes plural
nouns are asked for. This
means more than one, such as
refrigerators, dogs, books, and
sandwiches.
Verbs: Action words like
run, catch, eat, and hop.
Sometimes past-tense verbs
are asked for, such as ran,
caught, ate, and hopped.

50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

How to Use Fill-in Math Word Problems

There are many ways to use fill-in math word problems in your classroom. Here are a
few suggestions for lesson formats:
Problem-Solving Partners: Have students pair up. Make copies of a fill-in math word
problem and distribute to one student in each pair. These students are the Readers.
Without revealing the title of the story (or the story), Readers ask their partners for the
missing words in the order they appear in the story (for example, a plural noun, an
adjective, a two-digit number) and fill in the appropriate blanks with responses. When
all the blanks are filled in, the Reader reads back the finished story. The resulting story
now contains a math word problem. Partners work together to solve the problem and then
share answers and strategies.
Class Problem Solvers: Choose a story and request the words or numbers in order
from the class (students can also take over this role). Fill in the appropriate blanks with
responses. When the story is complete, read it to the class. Have students take notes on
the numbers used and the question being asked (or write this information on the
chalkboard). Work together as a class to solve the problem.
Class Copies: After completing a story with class responses, make copies of the
finished story for each student. Have students read the problem and solve it on their
own. Write answers and solution strategies on the chalkboard and discuss.

Teaching Problem-Solving Skills: The Fantastic

Five-Step Process

P Standards for Mathematics Teaching 2000. The accompanying statement reads

roblem solving is the first process standard listed in the NCTM Principles and

Problem solving should be the central focus of all mathematics instruction and an
integral part of all mathematical activity. In other words, in mathematics, problem
solving is what its all about!
What do you do when you first encounter a math word problem? This is what we
need to help students deal with. We need to help them develop a process that they can
use effectively to solve any type of math word problem. Word problems often intimidate
students because there may be a lot of information, what is there is embedded in text,
and, unlike a regular equation, it is not always clear exactly what you are supposed to
do. When using fill-in math word problems, you may want to take some time to teach
students how to use the Fantastic Five-Step Process to problem solve.

50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

The Fantastic Five-Step Process helps students approach problem solving in a logical,
systematic way. No matter what type of problem students encounter, these five steps will
help them through it. Learning and using the five steps will help students organize their
interpretation and thinking about the problem. This is the key to good problem
solvingorganizing for action. The best way to help students understand the process is to
demonstrate it as you work through a problem on the chalkboard or overhead. Make a copy
of the graphic organizer on page 9. You can enlarge this to poster size, or provide each
student with a copy to follow along as you take them through an introductory lesson.

Step 1: What Do I Know?

Begin by writing this problem on the board or overhead:
Zig just turned 13 and wants to make Cashew Crunch Cake
for his birthday party. He bought 13 boxes of Cousin Cookies Crunchy
Cashews. Each box has 10 cashews in it. The cake recipe calls for 113
cashews. Does Zig have enough cashews to make the cake?

Ask students to read the problem carefully. Ask: What are the facts? Have students
volunteer these orally. Write them on the chalkboardfor example:
Zig is 13 years old.
Zig bought 13 boxes of cashews.
Each box has 10 cashews in it.
Zig needs 113 cashews to make the cake.

Encourage students to write down the facts themselves. This will help them focus on
whats important while looking for ways to put it in a more accessible form. Ask: Can
we arrange the facts in a way that will help us understand the problem? For example, it
might be good to draw a picture of what we know, put it in a list, or make a table.
Sometimes its helpful to arrange numbers from lowest to highest or highest to lowest,
especially when making comparisons.

Step 2: What Do I Want to Know?

What is the question in the problem? What are we trying to find out? Its a good idea to
have students state the question and also determine how the answer will be labeled. For
example, if the answer is 72, 72 what? 72 cats? 72 coins? In this problem we want to
know if Zig has enough cashews to make the cake. We know he needs 113. We know he
has 13 boxes of 10, but is that at least 113?

50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Step 3: What Can I Eliminate?

Once we know what we are trying to find out, we can decide what is
unimportant. You may need all the information, but often there is extra
information that can be put aside to help focus on the facts. For example, we
can eliminate the fact that Zig is 13 years old. Were left with the following:
Zig has 13 boxes of cashews.
Each box has 10 cashews in it.
Zig needs 113 cashews.

Step 4: Choose a Strategy or Action and Solve.

Is there an action in the storyfor example, is something being taken away
or is something being shared that will help decide on an operation or a way
to solve the problem? We have to find out if Zig has enough cashews. We
know he has some, but how many? In order to know this, we have to find out
if 10 boxes of 13 cashews is at least 113. We need to multiply the 13 boxes by
10 cashews in each, and compare the resulting product to 113. When we do
the multiplication, we find that 10 x 13 = 130, which is more than 113, and
so the answer is yes, Zig does have enough cashews.

Step 5: Does My Answer Make Sense?

Reread the problem. Look at the answer. Is it reasonable? Is it a sensible
answer given what we know? The answer does make sense. A quick estimate
using the basic fact of 10 x 10 helps us know that our answer of 130 is in the
right range. To check a little further, we know that 10 x 10 =100, and recall
that there are actually 13 boxes, so 3 extra boxes of 10 cashews (3 x 10)
makes 30 more, and 100 + 30 = 130. This is the answer we got when we
multiplied, so using this other strategy of breaking the number apart and then
adding confirms that our answer is correct.
Try a couple of sample word problems using this talk through format with
students. You might invite students to try the problem themselves first and
then review step-by-step together, sharing solutions to see if all steps were
considered and the solutions are in fact correct. Practicing the process in this
way helps make it part of a students way of thinking mathematically.

50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Name

Date

3. What can I ELIMINATE?

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do I WA
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TO KNO

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or ACTIO
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The Fantastic
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50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Number and Operations

The fill-in math word problems in this section include math content that supports the math
standards for number and operations across grades 46 (based on Principles and Standards for
School Mathematics from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) and are organized to
accommodate the range of levels you would find in your class. As students complete the blanks in
each story, they will build and solve word problems that provide practice in the following areas:
Understand numbers, ways of representing numbers, relationships among numbers, and number
systems
h place-value structure of the base-ten number system
h represent and compare whole numbers and decimals
h recognize equivalent representations for the same number; decompose and compose numbers
h develop understanding of fractions as parts of a whole and parts of a collection
Understand meanings of operations and how they relate to one another
h multiply and divide whole numbers
h use relationships between operations (such as division as the inverse of multiplication) to solve problems
h understand properties of operations (such as the distributivity of multiplication over addition)
h understand the meaning and effects of arithmetic operations with fractions, decimals, and integers
h use the associative and commutative properties of addition and multiplication and the distributive property of
multiplication over addition to simplify computations
Compute fluently and make reasonable estimates
h basic number combinations for multiplication and division
h adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing whole numbers
h estimate the results of whole-number computations; judge the reasonableness of such results
h estimate computations involving fractions and decimals in situations relevant to students experience
h use visual models, benchmarks, and equivalent forms to add and subtract commonly used fractions and
decimals
Source: Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2000); my.nctm.org

Tips for Teaching With This Section

Share the following reminders with students to assist them in comparing performing
operations (including with multiple addends) on large numbers in their stories.
h Use commas in numbers with four or more digits to keep all those digits organized.
h When comparing numbersfor example, to see which one is greaterwrite down
the numbers one on top of the other, with the digits aligned, in order to make an
accurate visual comparison.

23,180
10,175
99,868
+ 11,749

h When performing operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division), align

digits properly to avoid mistakes in computation.
h When solving equations, check the final answer and ask yourself if it makes sense. (For more problemsolving strategies, see pages 78.) To do a good number-sense check, round the numbers in question
to get a good, reasonable estimate of what the answer should be. This provides a point of comparison to
determine whether the actual answer does indeed make sense.

10
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Number and
Operations
Comparing Numbers

Name

Date

The Old Legend

An old legend tells of the Cave of
was

(adjective)

(name of student in the class)

and

(adjective)

. The cave

. There were

three secret rooms in the cave. The legend says each room was
filled with beautiful, sparkling

(plural noun)

treasure. The first room had

room had

(four-digit number)

(four-digit number)

(four-digit number)

, a rare
, the second

, and the third room had

. No one has ever been in any of these rooms

because of the legend. The legend says if anyone enters the cave, his
or her

(body part)

(adverb)

Question:

will

(verb)

. And no one wants that!

Which room has the most treasure? ___________________________

11
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Number and
Operations
Comparing Numbers

Name

Date

Election Report
Heres your up-to-the-minute
election report! It has been a very
election, but

(adjective)

the results are in. In the race for

(occupation)

(name of student in the class)

(name of student in the class)

candidate,

,
has

(five-digit number)

has

(six-digit number)

(name of student in the class)

, has

votes, while
. The third

(different six-digit number)

votes. The three candidates have all spent more than

(seven-digit number)

Question:

(plural noun)

on this race.

Who finished in second place? ___________________________

12
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Number and
Operations
Three-Digit Addition

Name

Date

The Pie-Eating Contest

The

Annual

(ordinal number)

County Fair just

(place)

had its pie-eating contest. The favorite pie

was, of course,

pie.

(noun)

ate

(name of famous woman)

(three-digit number)

(body part)

(three-digit number)

Question:

to eat with, but thats actually legal. Her

competitor,

(adjective)

(noun)

pies. She used her

(name of famous man)

, ate

. He ate while sitting on a

. He says it helps his digestion.

How many pies did they eat altogether? _________________

13
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Number and
Operations
Four-Digit Addition

Name

Date

Book Lover
I love books! When Im not reading books, I can usually
be found

(verb ending in -ing)

them. I like a glass of

when Im reading and a little

(liquid)

to munch on. This weekend I read a

(noun)

new book,The Mystery of the

. It had

(noun)

was really
to

(adjective)

(verb ending in -ing)

(four-digit number)

Question:

(adjective)

(four-digit number)

pages. That

! I also read The Beginners Guide

(plural noun)

. That had

pages.

How many pages did you read this weekend? _______________

14
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Number and
Operations
Three Addends

Name

Date

The Unusual Spell

There once was a sorcerer who always wore a pointed
on his head. His name was

high above

(noun)

spell on

(name of boy in the class)

(name of girl in the class)

her to sleep again for

. He cast a

because she would not marry his

She was awakened by the kiss of a

(name of boy in the class)

, and he lived in a

(place)

. She slept for

(noun)

(noun)

years.

(three-digit number)

prince,

(adjective)

. Unfortunately, the sorcerer found out and put

(three-digit number)

more years. Luckily, the prince

found her once more and kissed her again. She woke up briefly, but
then she fell right back asleep for
because she watched too much of

Question:

more years

(two-digit number)

(television show)

How many years did she sleep altogether? _______________

15
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Number and
Operations
Three Addends

Name

Date

Getting in Shape
If you want to get in

(adjective)

shape, you must exercise every

(time measurement)

. Eat plenty of fresh

and drink lots of

(plural noun)

(liquid)

(number)

glasses a day is good to start. Lifting

is very

(adjective)

(five-digit number)

(five-digit number)

(plural noun)

for you also.You should lift

pounds in the morning,
in the afternoon, and

(five-digit number)

pounds right before bed.You should sleep like a

(noun)

Question:

after that.

How many pounds should you lift a day? __________________

16
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Number and
Operations
Three-Digit
Subtraction

Name

Date

Buying a New Skateboard

There are lots of

(adjective)

skateboards out there.You want to make

sure you get one with wheels made of

(plural noun)

so you will go
. The deck should be

(adverb)

made of

, and the coolest colors are

(substance)

and

(color)

you need a new

(name of student in the class)

(three-digit number greater than 500)

(adjective)

(color)

. This means

model. It sells for

dollars, but since you are so

, you get a discount of

(three-digit number less than 500)

dollars.

Question:

How much will the skateboard cost you? ___________________

17
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Number and
Operations
Four-Digit
Subtraction

Name

Date

The Ice-Cream Sundae

Our favorite place to go for an icecream sundae is

(name of teacher)

Ice-Cream Emporium and

Store. This store

(noun)

has every flavor including

mine I get

(one-digit number)

ice cream. I like to put

scoops of

(noun)

on top and

(plural noun)

nuts, too. The clerk had

(noun)

(four-digit number greater than 3,000)

(four-digit number less than 2,000)

I had to eat it with a

Question:

. When I order

(noun)

nuts, in the container, and he put

on mine. It was

(noun)

(adjective)

How many nuts did the clerk have left in the container?
______________________

18
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Number and
Operations
Three-Digit Addition
and Subtraction

Name

Date

The Perfect Host

When you have guests over, you want to make a

(adjective)

impression. For example, when you

your guests, be sure to shake their

(verb)

(body part, plural)

your guests some

snacks, too.

(adjective)

crackers and

(noun)

pretzels are good choices. Plan on

before dinner and
your guests be very
usually have about

Question:

.You may want to offer

(adverb)

(noun)

-flavored

(three-digit number greater than 500)

(three-digit number)

(adjective)

snacks

after dinner. This will help

. If you use this plan, you

(three-digit number less than 500)

left over for next time.

How many snacks will your guests eat? _____________________

19
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Number and
Operations
Four-Digit Addition
and Subtraction

Name

Date

Historical Site
You will surely enjoy visiting the historic
mansion. It was built in

(first and last name of person in the class)

out of

(year)

(plural noun)

. One very

interesting feature of the house is the windows, because they are

made of

(plural noun)

(adjective)

. This makes the mansion look very

. There were originally

windows on the first floor and

(four-digit number)

(four-digit number greater than 2,000)

on the

second floor. When the mansion was renovated, however,

(four-digit number less than 2,000)

(plural noun)

Question:

windows were covered over with

How many windows does the mansion have now? ___________

20
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Number and
Operations
Addition
With Money

Name

Date

New Job
I just got a great new job! I am
going to

for

(verb)

a big New York company. I have

my own

(adjective)

and a desk made out of 100-percent

(noun)

. I got paid

(substance)

and

(two-digit number)

(three-digit number)

cents for my first week of work.

I also worked on Saturday, so I got an extra

dollars and

(two-digit number)

said that Im the most

dollars

(three-digit number)

cents. My boss,

(adjective)

(name of famous person)

employee the company

has ever seen.

Question:

How much money have you made so far? __________________

21
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Number and
Operations
Addition
With Money

Name

Date

Craft Sale
I got up at

and went to the

(time)

(first name of student in the class)

I bought a

City Craft Fair. It is so

made out of clay for

(noun)

dollars and

(three-digit number)

(adjective)

(two-digit number)

cents.

The lady who sold it to me said it was probably made by

. I also got a

(famous historical figure)

made from

(noun)

real

(plural noun)

That cost me
dollars and

(adjective)

(three-digit number)

(two-digit number)

cents.

Question:

How much did you spend? _______________________________

22
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Number and
Operations
Subtraction
With Money

Name

Date

Mr. Travel Smart

Mr. Travel Smart here with some advice: When traveling to places
such as

, make sure you bring

(place)

(adjective)

(plural noun)

(four-digit number greater than 5,000)

want to travel by

(three-digit number)

, and plenty of money.

dollars is a good amount.You might

. That will cost

(noun)

dollars and

(two-digit number)

cents

round trip. When you get there, you will want to stay in a

(adjective)

in every room. That will cost

(noun)

(three-digit number)

Question:

hotel. Make sure it has a

dollars a night.

How much money would you have left if you

stayed for one night? ___________________________________

23
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Number and
Operations
Subtraction
With Money

Name

Date

Souvenir Shopping
(name of girl in the class)

went to

and bought

(place)

a souvenir to help her remember the trip. She looked at the

, but they were too

(plural noun)

expensive. She had only

thought about the

(adjective)

dollars. She also

(four-digit number)

, but they would be hard

(plural noun)

to carry home. She finally decided on a

miniature

(noun)

dollars and

(two-digit number)

(past-tense verb)

Question:

and

(adjective)

that cost only

(three-digit number)

cents. She was so happy, she

(adverb)

all the way home.

How much money did she have left? ______________________

24
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Number and
Operations
Addition and Subtraction
With Money

Name

Date

Fixing Up the House

Mr.

(name of boy in the class)

when

knew it was time to fix up the house

came pouring in

(plural noun)

through the roof during the last storm. He

knew it would be a

(adjective)

job. He bought a bag of

(plural noun)

(four-digit number)

for
dollars. He also bought a new
to hammer them in with. That cost

(noun)

(four-digit number)

dollars. When he was finished, he was able to

sell some of the building material he had left over to his neighbor,

(name of girl in the class)

Question:

, for

(three-digit number)

dollars.

How much money did he end up spending on the roof?

________________________________________________________

25
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Number and
Operations
One-Digit
Multiplication

Name

Date

The Unusual Village

There is an unusual village called
north of

(name of student in the class)

and west of

(place)

The people there live in houses made of

and

for making

(one-digit number greater than 1)

(plural noun)

(one-digit number greater than 1)

(name of boy in the class)

(place)

(plural noun)

. Each family has a house, and each

(plural noun)

family has

ville. It is

people. They are well known

out of marble. There are

houses in the village. King

recently wanted to find out how many

people live in the village.

Question:

How many people live in the village? _____________________

26
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Number and
Operations
One-Digit
Multiplication

Name

Date

Cleanliness
It is very important to keep your teeth clean, especially
since you have only

(one-digit number greater than 1)

of them.

You know you look better when they are

and

(adjective)

.You should brush

(adjective)

them every day with

, using a

(substance)

sturdy

(noun)

(one-digit number greater than 1)

see you and say,

Question:

. In fact, you should do this

times a day. If you do this, people will
!

(exclamation)

How many times should you brush your teeth every week?
_______________________________________________________

27
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Number and
Operations
Two-Digit by One-Digit
Multiplication

Name

Date

Baseball Hitters
The New York

hitters. In the first week of this season,

(adjective)

(name of boy in the class)

famous

have some really

(plural noun)

(noun)

back from a broken

of hits. Surprisingly,

got

(two-digit number less than 30)

bat.

(name of girl in the class)

(body part)

(name of a teacher)

of hits. This terrific trio did this

hits using his

came

to get the same number

also got that number

(one-digit number greater than 1)

weeks in

a row.

Question:
Question:

How many hits did they get altogether? ___________________

28
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Number and
Operations
Two-Digit by One-Digit
Multiplication

Name

Date

Cruise Ship
Welcome aboard the cruise ship

. We know you will have a

(noun)

time. Our two pools are filled with crystal

(adjective)

clear

(liquid)

(two-digit number)

(two-digit number)

has

(two-digit number)

We serve baked

(plural noun)

(verb)

Question:

(adjective)

and heated to a comfortable

degrees.You will no doubt enjoy our
beautiful dining rooms. Each dining room
seats, so we have plenty of room.
and broiled

(plural noun)

every day. Its all you can

at every meal.

How many people can sit in the dining rooms altogether?

________________________________________________________

29
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Number and
Operations
Two-Digit by Two-Digit
Multiplication

Name

Date

ball Season

(noun)

The

(name of city)

(plural noun)

to a

are off
start.

(adjective)

(adjective)

(name of student in the class)

hitting the old

slugger
is really

(noun)

For the last two weeks, the team

has played every day, and in
each game our hero has hit

(two-digit number)

Question:

times.

How many hits does our hero have so far? _________________

30
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Number and
Operations
One-Digit Division

Name

Date

The Relatives Visit

We are going to have a lot of fun because my relatives are coming
to visit from

to get here and stay for about

(noun)

(two-digit number)

my aunt

days. There is my uncle

(name of girl in the class)

(name of girl in the class)

(name of girl in the class)

(plural noun)

(plural noun)

Question:

(name of boy in the class)

, and my three cousins:

(name of girl in the class)

, and

. Im baking my famous

(adjective)

muffins for them, which I make with

(noun)

fresh

. They usually take a

(place)

topped with chocolate-covered

. Im making

(two-digit number ending in zero)

How many muffins can you give each relative

and have none left over? _________________________________

31
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Number and
Operations
One-Digit Division

Name

Date

Organizing My Room
My mom made me clean up my room, just because I left my
on the floor and didnt put away my

(plural noun)

. It took

(noun)

hours. First, I

(adjective)

the carpet, and then I

put away my

(two-digit number)

(past-tense verb)

my bed. Then, I

. I found

(plural noun)

(two-digit even number)

(past-tense verb)

of them. They had

to be put evenly into two drawers.

Question:

How many did you put in each drawer? ___________________

32
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Number and
Operations
Two-Digit Division

Name

Date

Uncle Joes Visit

Uncle Joe came all the way from
He had to take a
and very

to get here. He is very rich

(noun)

(adjective)

. He has lots of money because he

owns a company that makes

(name of boy in the class)

sisters,

and

(name of girl in the class)

to visit.

(place)

. My brothers,

(plural noun)

(name of boy in the class)

and

, as well as my

(name of girl in the class)

, were just

as happy as I was to see Uncle Joe. He always gives us a present.

Last time it was

(three-digit number)

was so cool! This time he gave us

(adjective)

(plural noun)

. That

(three-digit number with zero in the tens place and

zero in the ones place)

(plural noun)

! He said each of us

had to pick a friend and then share the gifts evenly among all of us.

Question:

How many of the gifts should each of you get? _____________

33
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Number and
Operations
Fractions of a Set

Name

Date

Going to the Movies

I went with my friends to see that cool new movie,
I Married a Teenage
with

(noun)

(name of girl in the class)

(name of teacher in the school)

of

. I went there

(name of boy in the class)

, and

. At the snack bar I bought a large cup

to drink. It cost

(liquid)

(one-digit number)

dollars. I also bought a bag of 24

chocolate

(plural noun)

candy and shared it evenly with

my friends.

Question:

What fraction of the bag did you get? _____________________

How many pieces of candy did you get? ___________________

34
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Number and
Operations
Fractions of a Whole

Name

Date

Pizza and Video Games

We are having pizza from

(name of person in the class)

s Pizzeria
PIZZA,
PLEASE!

tonight. I love their pizza. It is

so

(adjective)

I like to get it with

(plural noun)

(plural noun)

and
on top.

They cut it into 24 slices. I have

(one-digit odd number greater than 1 and less than 9)

friends coming over to share the pizza with me. We are going to
play a new video game, Super

Question:

(name of person in the class)

If we divide the pizza evenly, what fraction of the pizza

will you get? _________________________

35
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Measurement
The fill-in math word problems in this section include math content that
supports the math standards for measurement across grades 46 (based
on the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics from the National
Council of Teachers of Mathematics) and are organized to accommodate
the range of levels you would find in your class. As students complete the
blanks in each story, they will build and solve word problems that provide
practice in the following areas:
Understand measurable attributes of objects and the units, systems, and
processes of measurement
h length, area, weight, volume, and size of angle
h measure with standard units
h carry out simple unit conversions
Apply appropriate techniques, tools, and formulas to determine
measurements
h estimate the perimeter, areas, and volumes of regular and irregular shapes
h measure length, area, volume, weight, time, temperature, and the size of angles
h select and use benchmarks to estimate measurements
Source: Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2000);
my.nctm.org

Tips for Teaching With This Section

The problems in this section emphasize an understanding of how to combine various standard measurement
units such as pints, quarts, inches, ounces, and other common measurements. Its probably not necessary to
have measuring tools such as scales and rulers for everyone, but you may want to have one or two appropriate
tools to use for demonstrations and to enable students to prove that their answers are correct. Its also helpful
when students are working on these problems to supply them with individual measurement reference charts
showing names of units of measure, abbreviations, and equivalencies. Or, display a poster containing this
information for reference.
Dont forget, time is very much at home in a study of measurement. Help students understand how with
time measurements, they cant just add the numbers together and get a sensible answer. For example, if we say
John started violin practice at 7:25 on Thursday and practiced for one hour and 45 minutes, to figure out when
he finished we cant simply add those numbers, or we would get 8:70! There is no such time. Remind students
that with measurements of time, once they have sixty minutes, they need to convert to an hour, very similar to
regrouping tens and ones when adding.

36
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Measurement
Linear Measurement

Name

Date

Science Fiction Movie

Have you seen the
Return of the

new movie,

(adjective)

?There is a

(noun)

giant grasshopper in it that attacks

excited, I ate

bags of

(number greater than 1)

. I was so

(place)

The grasshopper was originally only

(name of food)

(two-digit number)

centimeters long, but then this mad scientist, Dr.

(name of person in the class)

, gave the grasshopper

a growth ray. The grasshopper became ten times longer.

Question:

What is the grasshoppers length in meters?_______________

37
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Measurement
Linear Measurement

Name

Date

Olympic Report
Welcome back, sports fans, to Olympic Report! Im your host,

(first name of student in the class)

from high atop the

throw he threw

. We just had an

(place)

amazing record set in the

(fraction)

Mountains in

(adjective)

(adjective)

(name of male teacher)

, broadcasting

(noun)

(object)

threw

(one-digit number)

throw.
and

inches on his first throw. On his second

(one-digit number)

and

(fraction)

inches. Added together these throws set a new world record!

Question:

What is the new world record? ___________________________

38
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Measurement
Linear Measurement

Name

Date

The Trip
We are leaving today on a trip
to

ville.

(name of food)

I hear they have lots of

there.

(plural noun)

I cant wait to see them! Our

travel agent said we have to
take a bus for
for

(one-digit number greater than 1)

(one-digit number greater than 1)

(type of insect, plural)

Question:

inches. Then we take a boat

(two-digit number)

feet. Finally, we get on a plane and go

yards. Then were there! Its a great place for

like us to go!

How far is the whole trip there and back? ________________

39
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Measurement
Perimeter

Name

Date

Pet House
I am building a new house for my
pet

(name of animal)

(name)

very

(adjective)

(adjective)

. He is
and
, so I really

want to make him a new house.

I am making it out of
three sides. One side will be

(plural noun)

. The house will have

(two-digit number between 30 and 50)

long. The other two sides will each be

centimeters

(two-digit number less than 30)

centimeters long.

Question:

What will be the perimeter of your pets new house?

____________________

40
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Measurement
Area

Name

Date

Classroom of the Future

The Classroom of the Future
will be very exciting and

(adjective)

. There will

not be books. Instead students will

get information from

(plural noun)

. There will

be no pencils. Instead students will write with

(plural noun)

. The ideal Classroom of the Future will have

a large chalkboard made of

(two-digit number)

(noun)

yards long and

. It will be

(two-digit number)

yards

wide.

Question:

What will be the area of the board? _______________________

41
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Measurement
Time

Name

Date

The Apprentice
Good morning! Today you will begin your new job as apprentice
for

(job)

(name of famous person)

day by meeting with the

(two-digit number)

(plural noun)

in your

(adjective)

minutes in the

(type of room)

(plural noun)

. This will take

hours. Then you can go home.

(one-digit number greater than 1)

Question:

office for

hours. Have lunch for

After lunch, write a report on

about

for

(plural noun)

minutes. Then you will work on filing your

(one-digit number greater than 1)

(two-digit number)

.You will start the

How much time will you spend at your new job? ___________

42
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Measurement
Elapsed Time

Name

Date

A Long Day at School

(name of boy in the class)

Mathematics of

spends a lot of time in classes. He has

from

(plural noun)

until noon. Then he has History of

until

(time)

Investigation of

Question:

P.M.

A.M.

(time)

(plural noun)

from noon

Finally, he has Scientific

for an hour and a half.

(plural noun)

How much time does he spend in classes? ________________

43
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Measurement
Liquid Measurement

Name

Date

Magic Potion
Dr.

(first name of girl in the class)

here, magician

(noun)

extraordinaire! Today Ill be teaching you how to make my most

(adjective)

(plural noun)

and pour in

(liquid)

quarts of

(noun)

(color)

Question:

potionthe one that changes people into

. First, you must take a

(one-digit number greater than 1)

. Then, add

(liquid)

(container)

cups of

(one-digit number greater than 1)

. Now stir with a

. Finally, add a gallon of

(liquid)

. Ready to serve!

How much potion will these directions make? _____________

44
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Measurement
Weight

Name

Date

Circus Strong Man

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the

(adjective)

Brothers Circus!

In the center ring today, we have the

(adjective)

(name of boy in the class)

strong man,
. He will lift a
weighing

(noun)

(one-digit number greater than zero)

he will place a
weighing

tons. On top of that

(adjective)

(one-digit number greater than 1)

(adjective)

(two-digit number)

Question:

(noun)

pounds. And finally, he will place a

(noun)

weighing

ounces on the very top!

How much will he lift? ___________________________________

45
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Measurement
Weight

Name

Date

Special Salad
We are having a lot of guests over tonight to celebrate
. We will all wear

(special event or holiday)

course, and say,

(type of clothing, plural)

, of

! to anyone who comes to

(expression)

the door. We are also going to make a special salad for dinner. The
recipe says to put in

(name of food)

kilograms of

and then add

(name of food)

(four-digit number)

Question:

(three-digit number)

grams of

(one-digit number greater than 1)

. Finally, you top it off with

grams of

(plural noun)

How much will the special salad weigh? _________________

46
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Patterns and Algebra

The fill-in math word problems in this section include math content that supports the math
standards for algebra across grades 46 (based on the Principles and Standards for School
Mathematics from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) and are organized to
accommodate the range of levels you would find in your class. As students complete the
blanks in each story, they will build and solve word problems that provide practice in the
following areas:
Understand patterns, relations, and functions
h describe, extend, and make generalizations about geometric and numeric patterns
h represent and analyze patterns and functions
Represent and analyze mathematical situations and structures using algebraic symbols
h use commutativity, associativity, and distributivity to compute with whole numbers
h represent the idea of a variable as an unknown quantity and solve for that variable
h express mathematical relationships using equations
Source: Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2000); my.nctm.org

Tips for Teaching With This Section

If someone asked how many points you might
score in game 6, we could answer 192 because
weve seen the relationship between the number of
baskets and the number of points. Using algebra,
(n x 2) x 2 = points scored. This is a growing pattern,
where the numbers increase.

Finding patterns helps students make predictions

about what comes next. When working on
problems that involve patterns and algebra,
students will find using lists and tables helpful for
organizing information. Review the following
strategies and examples as students work on
stories in this section:
h Organize numbers in rows, columns, or streams
that are near each other so that you can easily
detect relationships between the numbers. For
example, lets say you make three two-point
baskets in your first basketball game of the
season, and double that number in the next
game. In each of the next three games, you
double the number of baskets from the previous
game. How many points will you have scored after
five games? To figure out the answer, you could
organize the data like this:
Game
1
2
3
4
5

Baskets
3
6
12
24
48

h A table or chart with labels is also helpful for

arranging and keeping track of information about
patterns that repeat, too, as with the teacher who
wears blue sneakers on odd days and red
sneakers on even days. To find out what color
sneakers this teacher will be wearing on Thursday
if Monday is March 10, you might make a chart
like this:

Points
6
12
24
48
96

Date
Mon. 3/10
Tues. 3/11
Wed. 3/12
Thurs. 3/13

Color
red
blue
red
blue

(answer = blue, because Thursday would be

March 13, which is an odd numbered day).

47
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Patterns
and Algebra
Patterns

Name

Date

Getting Big
My pet

(noun)

big. I named him

because hes very

is getting

(name of famous male person)

(adjective)

Ive had my pet three years now. The

first year I had him, I gave him

(two-digit number)

(name of food)

one year, he was

ounces of
every day. After

(two-digit number)

inches. Now I give him

twice as much food, and he has grown three times larger!

Question:

How much do you feed him now? _______________________

How big is he now? ____________________________________

48
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Patterns
and Algebra
Patterns

Name

Date

Winner!
(first name of boy in the class)

was feeling

(last name of famous person)

pretty

! He won

(adjective)

the big prize for

the most

(verb ending in -ing)

. The

(plural noun)

prize was one hundred dollars! Well, the first week he spent half of
it on a new

. Of course, he needed some

(noun)

(plural noun)

for it, so he spent half of what was left the

second week. Then the third week he spent half of that on a trading
card of

(name of famous person)

Question:

If he keeps going like this, how much money will he have

left at the end of the fourth week? _____________________

49
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Patterns
and Algebra
Finding a
Missing Variable

Name

Date

Invasion
Flash! It appears there is a stuffed

(name of animal)

invasion!

Dont panic! Just get some

and spray

(liquid)

it on them. We think this makes

them

and get

(verb)

(adjective)

like

(plural noun)

. They arrived in spaceships that were shaped

. There were

(one-digit even number other than 6 or 8)

spaceships. When the spaceships emptied out, there were

aliens.
(three-digit number with an even number
in the hundreds place and zeros in both the
tens and ones place)

Question:

If there was an equal number of aliens in each ship, how

many did each ship carry? _____________________________

50
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Patterns
and Algebra
Finding a
Missing Variable

Name

Date

Cool Stuff for Your Car

I really wanted to buy a new

(noun)

for my car.

They look so cool up on the hood, but they cost so much! I went to

(name of student in the class)

(four-digit number)

(substance)

(substance)

s Department Store. The thing cost

dollars if you want a good one made of
.You can get cheaper ones made of
for

wants that? All I had was

what? My brother,

(three-digit number)

(three-digit number)

dollars, but guess

, came along and loaned

(name)

me the rest to buy the good one. He is so

Question:

dollars, but who

(adjective)

How much did he give me? _____________________________

51
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Patterns
and Algebra
Finding a
Missing Variable

Name

Date

A Scientific Lecture
Dr.

(first name of girl in the class)

lecture at

(noun)

the Speed of

said,you must use a

(adjective)

was giving a

College. Her topic was Measuring

. She was very happy to be

(plural noun)

asked to speak at such a

must be

(noun)

(adjective)

(noun)

and made of

place.First, she
to measure with. It

(plural noun)

She demonstrated measuring one in front of the students. She

found that it was

(two-digit even number less than 12)

inches long.I now

know that the maximum speed would be 1,000 m.p.h. I simply

multiply the length by the speed factor X.

Question:

What is X? __________________________________________

52
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Geometry
The fill-in math word problems in this section include math content that supports the
math standards for geometry across grades 46 (based on the Principles and Standards
for School Mathematics from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) and are
organized to accommodate the range of levels you would find in your class. As students
complete the blanks in each story, they will build and solve word problems that provide
practice in the following areas:
Analyze characteristics and properties of two- and three-dimensional geometric shapes
and develop mathematical arguments about geometric relationships
h properties of two- and three-dimensional shapes
h subdividing, combining, and transforming shapes
h congruence and similarity
Apply transformations and use symmetry to analyze mathematical situations
h sliding, flipping, and turning two-dimensional shapes
h symmetry in two- and three-dimensional shapes and designs
Use visualization, spatial reasoning, and geometric modeling to solve problems
h build and draw geometric objects
h create and describe mental images of objects, patterns, and paths
h create two-dimensional representations of three-dimensional objects
h use geometric models to solve problems
Source: Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2000); my.nctm.org

Tips for Teaching With This Section

As students work to solve the problems in this section, consider the following strategies:
h Students will benefit from having reference charts available, either personal sheets or large charts containing
shape names and information (including diagrams).
h Make students aware that people who work with geometric ideas, such as architects and designers (as well
as mathematicians), are always writing and drawing as they solve problems. Encourage students to recognize
that trying to solve a problem in their head can lead them to lose track of some of the requirements or data.
Drawing a picture and recording information are always a good idea. (For more problem-solving strategies,
see pages 78.)
h Use of manipulatives, such as pattern blocks and attribute blocks, is also helpful for students who have
difficulty visualizing combinations of shapes that might be required to solve some of these problems.
Another useful manipulative both in measurement (with perimeter and area) and working on geometricbased problems is a geoboard and rubber bands. Students can follow the problem and create the shapes as
they process the facts in each problem.

53
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Geometry
Triangles

Name

Date

Birthday Cake
Baking a birthday cake is not
You will need plenty of

(plural noun)

(plural noun)

, and

(one-digit number greater than 1)

of

(adjective)

(liquid)

gallons
.You

will also need a three-sided

pan to mix these ingredients
in. Each side of the pan should be
long. The pan should be

Question:

(one-digit number greater than 1)

(one-digit number greater than 1)

inches

inches deep.

What type of triangle is the bottom of the pan?

____________________
Draw it.

54
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Geometry
Quadrilaterals

Name

Date

New Desk
My woodshop teacher, Mr.

(plural noun)

, said I could

make my own desk. It will be made

of

and

(substance)

. It will

(substance)

have room inside for all my

(plural noun)

. The top will have two sides that are

(one-digit number greater than 1)

(one-digit number greater than 1)

Question:

feet long. The other two sides will be

feet long.

What shape will the top of my new desk be?

_________________________

55
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Geometry
Combining
Geometric Shapes

Name

Date

The Tower
Well-known architect

(animal)

(first name of girl in the class)

is finishing up plans for her

newest design, the Tower of

(plural noun)

She is well known for her earlier design of the

famous

(name of teacher)

Shopping Mall.

Her tower drawing shows a base made up of

(one-digit number greater than 1)

quadrilaterals.

On top of that will be

(one-digit number greater than 1)

isosceles

triangles. At the very top is a scalene triangle.

Question:

What does the tower look like? Draw it.

56
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Geometry
Congruence
and Similarity

Name

Date

Two Sandwiches
Bert and Bart are making

(name of food)

(name of food)

on

and
sandwiches

(color)

bread.

Bert made his sandwich so that it

had two sides that were each

(one-digit number greater than 1)

each

inches long and two sides that were

(one-digit number greater than 1)

inches long. Bart made his

sandwich so that two sides were each

inches long and two sides were each
inches long. They put

Question:

(name of food)

(one-digit number greater than 1)

(one-digit number greater than 1)

on top.

Are the sandwiches congruent and/or similar? Why?

57
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Geometry
Shapes and Symmetry

Name

Date

Halloween Mask
My Halloween mask this year is going to be really
. Im going to make it out of

(adjective)

and

(substance)

and say,

(substance)

! It will have two eyes shaped like

(exclamation)

(type of polygon, plural)

. People will see it

. The nose will be a

(type of quadrilateral)

The mouth will be a trapezoid, the longest side of which will be

(one-digit number greater than 1)

lot like

inches. When I put it on, I will look a

.

(name of famous person)

Question:

What does the mask look like? Draw the mask and a line
of symmetry through it.

58
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Data Analysis
and Probability
The fill-in math word problems in this section include math content that
supports the math standards for data analysis and probability across grades
46 (based on the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics from the
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) and are organized to accommodate
the range of levels you would find in your class. As students complete the blanks
in each story, they will build and solve word problems that provide practice
in the following areas:
Formulate questions that can be addressed with data and collect, organize,
and display relevant data to answer them
h represent data using tables and graphs
h recognize the differences in representing categorical and numerical data
Select and use appropriate statistical methods to analyze data
h use measures of center (such as median)
h compare different representations of the same data
Develop and evaluate inferences and predictions that are based on data
h propose and justify conclusions and predictions based on data
Understand and apply basic concepts of probability
h describe events as likely or unlikely
h predict probability and test predictions
h understand that the measure of the likelihood of an event can be represented by a number
from 0 to 1
Source: Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2000); my.nctm.org

Tips for Teaching With This Section

As students work on problems with data in this section, remind them to keep the following
strategies in mind:
h Make a list or table to organize information or data from the word problem. (For more problem-solving
strategies, see pages 78.) This makes it easier to compare, arrange, and think about the facts.
h Labeling data with units or word labels helps keep things organized and the numbers meaningful. If the
problem talks about cats and dogs, label the numbers that appear as either being cats or dogs. When
students write naked numbers on a page, they can easily forget what those numbers stand for.
h Use tables and lists for probability problems, too. Try organizing the data as it appears by writing it down in list or
table form. Also, think about how you can use numbers such as fractions to represent probabilities. For example,
if there are four red marbles in a bag and one blue one, your chances of getting a blue marble can be described
as being 1/5 or one out of five. Once again, labeling helps keep the data straight in these problems.

59
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Data Analysis
and Probability
Representing and
Analyzing Data

Name

Date

Plant Growth
I have a very rare plant that I got from
. I named it

(place)

. I feed it

(name)

and give it

(name of food)

plenty of

(liquid)

, so its

growing really fast. On Monday it was

(one-digit number greater than 5)

centimeters in height. On Tuesday its height

doubled. On Wednesday it doubled again. The same thing happened

Thursday, but then Friday I forgot to feed it so it actually shrank

(one-digit number greater than 1)

Question:

centimeters.

What was the plants height on Friday? ___________________

Draw a line graph to show the growth.

60
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Data Analysis
and Probability
Representing and
Analyzing Data

Name

Date

Shopping for Sneakers

A new sporting goods store,

(name of person in the class)

(adjective)

s Sports, opened this weekend with a big

sale. All kinds of sneakers were on sale, including the kind

(name of famous person)

pairs of

wears! They had

(one-digit number greater than 1)

ones at $100 a pair. They also had

(color)

(one-digit number greater than 1)

pairs of

(name of famous person)

$70 a pair. My favorites, though, were the

ones at $120 a pair. They had

you can really

Question:

(different color)

(one-digit number greater than 1)

those. Theyre so cool! Theyre made of

ones at

pairs of

(substance)

so

(verb)

Now which to choose? Represent the data (sneaker cost)

and identify the range, mode, and median.

61
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Data Analysis
and Probability
Finding Averages

Name

Date

Goal!
The new sport,
scorer in the league is

ball, is a hit! And the best

(noun)

(name of girl in the class)

. She had a great

month in July. In the first week she used her trusty stick,
nicknamed Old

(two-digit number)

, to score

(noun)

goals. She followed that the next week by

doubling her previous weeks total. In the third week, even though
she sprained her

(two-digit number)

(two-digit number)

(name of person in the class)

Question:

, she still scored

(body part)

goals. In the final week she scored

goals and was awarded the
Cup for most valuable player.

What is the average number of goals she scored in a week?

___________________________________________________

62
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Data Analysis
and Probability
Probability

Name

Date

The Fun Game

At the boardwalk there is a game called
It is really fun and

(two-digit number)

(one-digit number greater than 2)

(color other than blue)

(adjective)

(noun)

-O.

. It only costs

cents to play. There is a spinner that has

sections. Two sections are blue. The rest are
. If you spin and

land on blue, you win a huge, fuzzy

. If you land on

(noun)

the other color, all you get is a little

rubber

(noun)

Question:

What is the chance of landing on blue? Use a fraction to

describe your answer. ________________________________

63
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Data Analysis
and Probability
Probability

Name

Date

The Cube
I have invented a new game I am
calling

(name of person in the class)

Roll.You have a cube made of

. Each side of the

(substance)

cube has a number on it. The six numbers

are ______, ______, ______, ______, ______, and ______.
(six different one-digit numbers)

You roll the cube once on a smooth, velvet

(noun)

If you roll an odd number, you win! In fact, you win a

! Cant beat that! If you roll an even number,

(noun)

you lose.

Question:

(adjective)

, right?

What are the chances of winning with a single roll? ________

64
50 Fill-in Math Word Problems: Grades 4-6 Bob Krech and Joan Novelli, Scholastic Teaching Resources