Why Having Students Write Their Own Word Problems Works
We all know that solving word problems can be a challenge for students of all ages, and teachers are always looking for ways to help them be more successful. One great strategy is having students write their own word problems. I’ve written before about the Three Reads Protocol, but another really effective method is getting students to create their own word problems. Writing word problems builds comprehension, so if students can create their own, they’ll be much more prepared to tackle just about any problem they come across.
This post contains affiliate links, which simply means that when you use my link and purchase a product, I receive a small commission. There is no additional cost to you, and I only link to books and products that I personally use and recommend.
The Importance of Teaching Decision-Making in Word Problems
If we want students to get better at a skill, we need to give them meaningful practice. When it comes to word problems, the key skill students are practicing is choosing the correct operation to solve the problem. The actual computation is important, but it’s really a secondary skill.
That means the practice we give students needs to actually require them to figure out which operation to use. When we hand out a worksheet like the one shown below, what are students really practicing? If the title of the worksheet already tells them that every problem is a subtraction problem, they’re not practicing decision-making—they’re just practicing computation.
So if you’re using worksheets for practice—and I’m hoping to offer you a better alternative—make sure to choose ones with mixed problems.
Deeper Math Thinking with Less Work
Part of the reason I’m not a big fan of worksheets is that they’re one and done. Once you’ve used a worksheet, you’re probably not going to use it again. Which means you have to find more worksheets, make copies, and collect them once the work is done. That’s a lot of prep—and your time is too valuable for that.
When students write their own word problems, not only does it require much less prep, but the depth of the math thinking is much greater. Students have to truly understand the operations and how they apply in different situations, which pushes them to a much deeper level of comprehension—and at the same time, they’re building important communication skills by clearly expressing their ideas in writing.
Student-Generated Word Problems: Write the Story, Solve the Problem
I often refer to this activity as “You Write the Story.” Once introduced—something we’ll cover in the next section—it can be used all year long. I promised low prep, and all you’ll need is a pack of index cards and a marker. As a bonus, it’s also easy to differentiate to meet your students’ needs.
Given an expression, students write a word problem, draw a picture or diagram to represent it, and then solve it. In the example below, you’ll see a 2-digit addition problem, but this activity can be adapted for any computation, even fractions. The on-level skill is shown in the middle with 34 + 18. Since the focus is on writing the problem, not just doing the math, the expression on the left uses a simpler version of the problem. Simplify this version as much as you need. On the right is a more challenging version for a student who might need more of a challenge than a simple addition word problem. In this case you see they are writing a multi-step word problem.
Think quality over quantity. I’d rather have students tackle one of these problems than a worksheet with five or ten simpler ones. This activity also works great for homework.
Introducing You Write the Story
Obviously, if you don’t introduce this task properly, you’ll be disappointed with the results. Students need to be taught how to write word problems, so you’ll roll it out as a guided writing activity. The good news is that word problems usually follow a very structured format, which makes them easy to teach. Take your time with the introduction, and don’t move to independent practice until you’re confident that students can be successful with fairly straightforward word problems.
Generating the Elements
So let’s get started with the writing process. The illustration below shows the final version of the first step—generating the elements of the story. I’m showing you the whole thing here so you have a clear overview, but with students, I would go step-by-step. As you read the paragraphs below, refer to the illustration to see how each part builds on the last.
If you’ve read the post on Three Reads, you’ll notice some similarities here. Writing a word problem is really about understanding the literary elements—characters, setting, and plot—as well as making sense of what the numbers represent. We’ll start by introducing the expression, 34 + 18, and asking students what they notice about it. I just want them to observe simple things, like that it’s addition, it’s a 2-digit plus 2-digit problem, and the sum is less than 100. There are no right or wrong answers. Anytime we can get kids noticing and thinking about the math, it’s a win.
Initially, I will have chosen the elements ahead of time, and I might just ask the students to predict what they think they will be. It might sound something like this.
TEACHER: First, I need to decide who the story is about—who the characters are. I’m going to make this story about Farmer Jon and his son.
TEACHER: Next up is the setting. Where do you think the story might take place? (the farm?) Yes, that’s a good guess. My story is going to take place in the barn on the farm.
TEACHER: Next let’s talk about the plot. What do you think farmers might be doing in the barn? (take student guesses) Great guesses! Farmer Jon and his son milk cows in the barn.
TEACHER: Finally, since it’s a word problem, we’ll need some numbers. Our numbers are 34 and 18. What do you think those numbers might represent in this problem? (the number of cows they milk? the number of pails of milk?) Good thinking! Since the numbers, 34 and 18, are pretty big, I think it should be the number of cows they milk in a week. What do you think?
Writing the story
Now that we have the elements, it’s just a matter of turning them into a word problem. Like I mentioned earlier, word problems usually follow a pretty simple formula. The first sentence often just sets the scene and doesn’t include any information needed to solve the problem. That’s followed by one or two sentences that introduce the numbers. Finally, there’s a question that tells you what you’re solving for.
With the elements still displayed for students, as you see pictured here, show them how to turn those ideas into a completed word problem.
As students get more comfortable, you can start letting them suggest the story elements, gradually turning more of the writing process over to them. A good next step is having students work with a partner to write their own stories. Eventually, they’ll be ready to create word problems independently.
Giving students the chance to create their own word problems builds deeper understanding, strengthens communication skills, and boosts confidence. Instead of relying on endless worksheets, this approach gives students meaningful, lasting practice. With a little guidance and support, they’ll not only get better at solving problems—they’ll start thinking like true mathematicians.
Bring This Approach to Your School!
If you’re an administrator looking for ways to make math instruction more meaningful and engaging, I offer professional development sessions that show teachers how to move beyond worksheets and build real problem-solving skills. Teachers will leave with practical strategies they can use right away—and students will develop deeper understanding and confidence. Interested? Let’s connect!
