• Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Multiplication and division word problems; Column addition and subtraction). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
• Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.

1. A small theatre has 5 rows of seats with 8 seats in each row. How many seats are there? → 40Prompt: Equal rows: is this multiplication or division?
2. Use column addition: 2524 + 5107 → 7631Prompt: Line up the digits by place value, ones under ones.
3. Noah has 24 photos to put in an album. Each page holds 8 photos. How many pages will Noah fill? → 3Prompt: How many groups of the page size fit into the total?

• Show an array of chairs, eggs or windows and ask how many there are without counting one by one.
• Share the objective: Choose the operation for a word problem. Read the success criteria together.

• Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
• Example: Which operation solves this? Omar has 54 oranges and gives away 9. How many are left?
• Step 1: 54 − 9 = 45
• Step 2: So you subtract; the answer is 45.
• Step 3: subtract
• Answer: subtract
• Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

• Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
• Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.

1. Which operation solves this? Daniel has 35 oranges and gives away 7. How many are left? (multiply / divide / add / subtract) → subtractPrompt: Are you joining, taking away, making equal groups or sharing?
2. Leo reads 5 pages every day for 8 days. Which number sentence gives the total pages? (5 − 8 / 8 + 5 / 8 × 5 / 40 ÷ 8) → 8 × 5Prompt: The same number of pages is read each day.

• Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
• Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

• Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.

1. Sofia reads 7 pages every day for 3 days. Which number sentence gives the total pages? (3 + 7 / 3 × 7 / 7 − 3 / 21 ÷ 3) → 3 × 7Prompt: The same number of pages is read each day.
2. Which operation solves this? Kofi has 36 oranges and puts them equally into 6 bags. How many in each bag? (multiply / divide / add / subtract) → dividePrompt: Are you joining, taking away, making equal groups or sharing?

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/math/grade-3.