Three operations, in an order the question does not state. These free printable word problems are the step past two-step ones, where keeping track of what has been worked out matters as much as the arithmetic.
The difficulty is not the sums. Each individual step is something a fourth-grader can do; what is hard is holding two intermediate results in mind while working out the third, and knowing which one the question is actually asking for. That is why writing each step down, labeled, matters more here than on any easier sheet.
Why this sheet works
A common failure is answering the second step. A child works out the total, works out the difference, and stops — because the difference is a number and the page wanted one. Re-reading the question after the last step, and asking what it was for, catches almost all of those.
How this one works
One question from this sheet, worked through a step at a time.
How many plums does Ines have now?
Ines has 11 groups of 10 plums. A friend adds 3; next, Ines gives 20 away.
11 × 10 = 110
11 × 10 = 110
110 + 3 = 113
11 × 10 = 110
110 + 3 = 113
113 − 20 = 93
11 × 10 = 110
110 + 3 = 113
113 − 20 = 93
93 plums
Read the whole story before calculating. Three things happen in order: first build an amount, then add more, then take some away. Keep one running total so each step starts with the answer from the step before it.
Step 1: 11 equal groups with 10 in each means multiply. 11 × 10 = 110. This is only the starting total, not the final answer.
Step 2 starts with 110, the total you just found. The story adds 3 more, so 110 + 3 = 113.
Step 3 also starts with the latest total. The story takes away 20, so 113 − 20 = 93.
Now answer the question that was asked: “How many plums does Ines have now?” The answer is 93 plums.
