Some of you will know that I do some math tutoring (or MATHS tutoring if you’re English) in the York area. Many of my students are in primary school and so sometimes they need practice with teasing out the important information in a problem along with deciding what type of operation to use. And doing the pertinent calculation of course. Some of the parents also felt that their children needed practice with their reading as well so I’ve tried creating linked ‘story problems’ with no mathematical symbols or digits, just words. Here’s an example, see what you think!!
Write down the mathematical calculation you need to do to get the answer and then GET THE ANSWER! 🙂
Princess Felicity is seven years old. When she’s twelve she can go to a costume ball. How many years must she wait ’til she can go?
Felicity grows a HUGE sunflower and enters it in the village sunflower growing competition. And she wins because her sunflower is eleven centimetres taller than the next tallest one. If her sunflower is one hundred and eighty seven centimetres tall how tall is the next tallest one?
Felicity’s pony, Toby, is very strong. He can carry a lot of weight. One day Felicity and her best friend, Florence, both rode on him. If Felicity weighs thirty two kilograms and Florence weighs thirty five kilograms how much weight did Toby carry?
Even though she’s a Princess Felicity still needs to learn how to save money. She gets three gold pieces a week that she can spend. She wants to buy a new alligator-skin handbag that costs seventeen gold pieces. How many weeks must she save up to get the bag?
For her eighth birthday Felicity gets a lovely milk cow from Lord Wibbley’s son Frank. If the cow gives two liters of milk a day how much milk will it give in May?
For Easter Frank gives Felicity five rare Chinese hens. If each hen lays one egg a day how many eggs will be laid in two weeks?
For Christmas Frank gives Felicity seven black swans. Felicity is getting tired of Frank and doesn’t like swans so she decides to sell them. She sells five for eight gold pieces each and the last two for six gold pieces each. How much money does she get for her swans?
After selling her swans Felicity feels a bit guilty so decides to give eight gold pieces to the Crippled Swans home and five gold pieces to the Swan Orphanage. How much money does she have left?
Felicity’s father, King Edmund, thinks Frank would make a good husband for Felicity despite the fact that Frank is nine years older than Felicity. When Felicity is eight years old how old is Frank?
Felicity decides she needs to get Frank interested in Florence so he will leave her alone. Felicity sends Frank emails telling him how wonderful and clever and beautiful Florence is. On Monday she sends five emails. On Tuesday she sends seven emails. On Wednesday she sends nine emails. On Thursday she sends thirteen emails. On Friday Frank emails back and says he’s now in love with Florence. How many emails did Felicity send?
