problem solving lesson plan for grade 2

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Classroom ideas, classroom community, teaching word problems in 2nd grade.

If you’re looking for a better way to teach word problems, and more importantly, want your students to be more successful in solving word problems, I’m here to help. Teaching word problems in 2nd grade doesn’t have to be a challenge.

Why is teaching word problems in 2nd grade so hard?

When I first started teaching, I taught my students to use keywords, underline and circle, highlight and box…and yet, it didn’t help. They still didn’t know when to add and when to subtract.

And, my students didn’t understand or perform any better. 

It didn’t help that I wasn’t consistently teaching or letting my students practice solving word problems.

Word problems have always been a source of contention for my students no matter what grade I taught (1st, 2nd, and 4th), and have always been something I’ve taught haphazardly as part of an adopted math curriculum. 

Most math curriculums offer the following:

• 1 or 2 word problems at the end of each lesson, but don’t actually offer a way to teach students how to solve word problems
• 1 chapter on “problem solving”

And seriously, neither of those is helpful.

I wanted my students to get daily, strategic word problem practice. 

And guess what? When I started teaching word problems in 2nd grade in a consistent, strategic way, my students were less frustrated, and much more proficient word problem solvers. 

So, what’s the solution?

Now, I follow a 4-day teaching plan, and assess on day 5. 

I no longer teach key words or underlining, circling, highlighting, and/or boxing…instead, I teach my students to look for patterns in how word problems are structured…word problem situations. 

In addition, I dedicate 5-10 minutes each day for word problem teaching and practicing.

How do I know what to teach?

I start with the standard. 

Honestly, no matter what I’m teaching this is where I start. I need to know exactly what the expectation is, so then I can help my students master it.

The Common Core standard for 2nd grade says:

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.OA.A.1

• Use addition and subtraction within 100 to solve one- and two-step word problems involving situations of adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, and comparing, with unknowns in all positions, e.g., by using drawings and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem.

While many states no longer use the term “Common Core” many of their adopted standards are the same, or at least similar. 

MAFS.2.OA.1.1 (Florida Standards)

• Use addition and subtraction within 100 to solve one- and two-step word problems involving situations of adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, and comparing, with unknowns in all positions, e.g., by using drawings and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem. 

So here’s what 2nd graders need to be able to solve:

• Addition/Subtraction within 100 
• One-Step & Two-Step
• Put Together

When you look at what 2nd graders are supposed to do, it’s no wonder teaching word problems is so difficult, not to mention students actually getting the hang of them.

How I teach word problems in 2nd grade:

At the beginning of the year, students are introduced to our word problem routine after the first couple of weeks of school.

I explain that word problems are like stories we have to read, and understand what’s going on in the story. We call these word problem situations.

Then, I teach students that there are 4 things they should always do when they solve a word problem:

• Write a Number Sentence
• I explain to students that I can’t hop inside their brains to see what they’re thinking, and if I don’t know what they’re thinking, I can’t help them become better word problem solvers.
• Students can draw a picture, use a fact family, base 10 blocks, and/or the standard algorithm.
• I look to see that the student has the correct answer.
• For example, instead of just saying “4,” my students write, “Cheyenne has 4 dogs.” This is important to connect math and writing, but also helps students check to see if their answer actually answers the question asked in the word problem.

Launching the word problem routine is all about modeling and routine. It doesn’t take long for students to get the hang of it.

I’ve done the hard work for you – I have 2nd grade word problems for the entire year, ready for you!

What’s the 2nd grade word problem routine?

On Mondays, I introduce the word problem situation. I find it helpful to have students “act out” the situation. Use the example on the situation poster/anchor chart to show students the pattern. (I teach students that the underlined portions of the number sentence are pieces we know, while the square represents the unknown.)

Model and solve the practice word problem, and provide feedback to students.

For the next 3 days, we model and solve a word problem that has the same situation as Monday. So we’re not skipping around. This is very systematic.

Finally, on Fridays, students complete 2 word problems on their own following the same situation we’ve used all week.

For differentiation or extension, students can write a word problem on the back of their assessment that follows the same situation they learned that week. This is such a great way to see if students really understand the situation we learned that week.

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Solving Word Problems (Grades 1-2)

Our Solving Word Problems lesson plan provides students with strategies to help them solve word problems, such as using illustrations or drawings. Students practice solving example word problems using the given strategies.

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Our Solving Word Problems lesson plan develops math problem-solving strategies for young students. This interactive lesson equips students to identify and define keywords and use pictures or diagrams for math problem solving (addition and subtraction). Students are asked to work collaboratively, in pairs, to compose word problems that incorporate pictures or diagrams and exchange problems with other groups to solve. Students are also asked to individually complete practice problems in order to demonstrate their understanding of the lesson.

At the end of the lesson, students will be able to identify and define keywords and use pictures or diagrams for math problem solving (addition and subtraction).

State Educational Standards: LB.Math.Content.1.OA.A.2, LB.Math.Content.2.OA.A.1

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Word Problems Lesson Plans for 2nd Grade

Explore our library of word problems lesson plans for 2nd graders! Access a variety of well-crafted lessons for teaching how to solve addition and subtraction word problems, comparison word problems, and two-step word problems. Teachers can find clear lesson goals, thoughtful examples, fun activities, u ... Read more seful teaching strategies, and much more. Boost kids' problem-solving skills and confidence with our word problems lesson plans for 2nd grade! Ready for a breakthrough? Start now for free!

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Problem solving

Problem solving lesson plan

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Problem Solving: Lesson plan

Problem solving: Presentation slides

Demonstrating your skills quick fire activity

Problem solving in practice: Interactive worksheet

Our problem solving content focuses on one of these skills and develops understanding of the six stages of problem solving, as well as identifying different types of situations in which young people might already be using these skills. Furthermore, it encourages them to use an adaptive approach, explaining that different types of problems can be approached in different ways.

The activities on this page support your teaching of these skills through an independent activity, quick activities or a full length, curriculum-linked lesson plan. 

Teaching resources:

• Problem solving: Lesson plan and presentation slides – full lesson plan including icebreaker for use with a group of students in the classroom
• Demonstrating your skills: Quick-fire activity  – 10 minute activity for a group of students in the classroom, can be used as an icebreaker for the lesson plan
• Problem solving in practice: Interactive worksheet – activity for independent learning whether remote or in class

Lesson plan

(60 -75 minutes)

This lesson is designed to equip young people with an adaptable approach to solving problems, large or small. It includes a short film and scenarios that encourage development of practical problem solving skills which can be useful for learning, day to day life, and when in employment.

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

• Identify problems of different scales and what is needed to solve them
• Illustrate the use of an adaptable approach to solving problems
• Understand that problem solving is a core transferable skill and identify its usefulness in a work setting
• Work on a problem solving activity in a team

The lesson aims to reinforce students’ understanding of the potential future applications of this skill as they move into the world of work, particularly in an activity differentiated for an older or more able group on creating new opportunities.

Quick-fire activity

(5 - 10 minutes)

The demonstrating your skills quick-fire activity focuses on helping young people understand the key skills that are needed in the workplace, including the importance of problem solving.

Students will be asked to name the skills being demonstrated in a variety of scenarios, and identify ways they’re already using those skills in this short activity.

You might find it useful as a starter or icebreaker activity to begin a lesson, or at the end to allow students to put what they have just learnt in the Problem solving lesson into practice.

Interactive worksheet

(20 - 25 minutes)

Please note that students below the age of 14 cannot sign up for their own LifeSkills account. Any independent tasks must be printed or downloaded and provided digitally for them to complete as they are currently hosted on educator pages.

The Problem solving in practice interactive worksheet introduces some of the themes from the full lesson plan and gives students some practical strategies for problem solving, including introducing the six stages of problem solving. The worksheet can be printed or completed digitally, so can be used flexibly to give students practise putting their problem solving skills into action. You might choose to assign it:

• As homework following the Problem solving lesson
• For independent study
• For remote learning

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Why not build problem solving in as a focus in your students’ wider curriculum? Refer to our  Content guide to find out how this resources can be used as part of your teaching.

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Problem-Solving Math 2

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Young readers view the video "Problem-Soving: Math Episode 2." They discuss the strategies featured in the video. They brainstorm some school-based problems such as, trash on the playground, noise in the hallways, limited handicapped access in some area, too few bathrooms or dirty bathrooms. Students discuss way in order to solve these problems.

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Problem-Based Tasks in Math

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Providing students with opportunities to grapple with math has led to amazing things happening in my class. Students are totally excited and are driven to figure out not just how to solve a problem but why it works.

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Watch two rivers’s teachers and students at work on problem-based tasks in math.

Problem-Based Tasks Require Students to Apply Their Knowledge in New Contexts

Problem-based tasks are math lessons built around a single, compelling problem. The problems are truly “problematic” for students — that is, they do not offer an immediate solution.

The problems provide an opportunity for students to build conceptual understanding. Problem-based tasks require students to apply their current understanding and skills to new contexts that highlight core math concepts. For example, when students solve a problem that could be solved with multiplication before they have formally been taught what multiplication is and how it works, they build an understanding that multiplication is repeated addition.

Well-designed problem-based tasks provide multiple entry points for students to engage in problem solving, ensuring that all students have access to the same concepts. When students solve the problems in different ways—including drawing pictures, acting out the problem, writing algorithms, and using manipulatives—they make connections between the variety of models that all accurately illustrate the underlying mathematics.

Problem-Based Tasks in Math Resources