Are your students rushing through word problems…without really understanding them? Or choosing operations without making sense of the situation? This problem-solving resource helps students move beyond guessing and into intentional, strategic thinking.

Why Use Problem-Solving Routines?

Strong problem solvers don’t just compute—they follow a process.

This resource teaches students to:

• make sense of the problem
• identify what is being asked
• model their thinking
• choose and justify operations
• check for reasonableness

Students learn to slow down, think deeply, and solve with purpose—a critical skill for STAAR success.

The Idea Hound Process

Each page follows a consistent, student-friendly routine:

Read It
Restate It
Circle It
Model It
Write It
Solve It
Check It

Sniff It Out. Solve It Right.

What’s Included

This resource features engaging, structured problem-solving pages where students:

✔ Read and analyze multi-step word problems
✔ Identify key information and what the problem is asking
✔ Draw a model (number line, strip diagram, or representation)
✔ Write equations to match their thinking
✔ Solve and check their work

Each problem is designed to build confidence, accuracy, and independence.

Skills Covered (TEKS 3.5B)

Students practice solving one- and two-step multiplication and division word problems, including:

• Equal groups (multiplication & division)
• Multi-step problem solving
• “Each” language and group size vs. number of groups
• Choosing the correct operation
• Avoiding common misconceptions (adding instead of multiplying, stopping too early, misinterpreting the question)

Problems include real-world contexts such as:

• sharing items
• grouping objects
• combining and comparing quantities
• solving multi-step situations

Why Teachers Love This Resource

• Aligned to STAAR rigor and expectations
• Builds a consistent problem-solving routine
• Supports modeling and equation writing
• Encourages students to show and explain their thinking
• Works for a wide range of learners