Math Problem Worksheets for 3rd Graders | Multi Step Tasks, Area and Fractions

Math problem worksheets for 3rd graders as performance tasks

These math problem worksheets for 3rd graders are an 11 page packet with 75 questions written as performance tasks. Each task asks students to read a short situation, choose the right operation and explain or check the result.

The five sections cover multi-step word problems, area and perimeter, fraction models, data and graphs with measurement, and mathematical reasoning and problem solving.

Teachers who need math problem worksheets for 3rd graders for a problem solving unit will find five sections of 15 questions here, and the packet comes with an answer key, an answer sheet and a lesson plan.

What’s on the pages

The worksheet has five sections of 15 questions each, with 10 multiple choice and 5 true or false questions in every section.

• Multi-step word problems and operations: such as cookies baked, packed into boxes and then added to, and the product of 7 and 8.
• Area and perimeter challenges: such as the area of a 6 foot by 4 foot rug and a tile floor.
• Fraction models and equal shares: such as 2 granola bars cut into 4 equal pieces and whether 4 unequal parts make fourths.
• Data, graphs and measurement: such as a bar graph of favorite fruit with apples, bananas and oranges and elapsed time on a bus schedule.
• Mathematical reasoning and problem solving: such as which expression equals 6 x 7 and rounding 432 to the nearest hundred.

The false statements are common slips, so the true or false items double as quick checks of ideas.

What’s in the download

• Student worksheet: 11 pages
• Answer key: 16 pages, with a short explanation after each answer
• Answer sheet: 4 pages
• Lesson plan: 2 pages

The four parts add up to 33 pages, and everything comes as PDF.

How to use these math problem worksheets for 3rd graders

The lesson plan is set for 90 to 120 minutes. Its objectives are to solve multi-step word problems with whole numbers, to tell area from perimeter in real contexts, to understand fraction models and equal shares, to read pictographs and bar graphs and solve elapsed time problems, and to use properties of operations, patterns and rounding.

The plan begins with a 10 minute warm-up on the operations and multi-step strategies. For Section 1 it asks students to underline the key quantities. For Section 2 it reminds them that area is length times width and perimeter is the sum of the sides. For Section 3 students are encouraged to draw diagrams. Sections 4 and 5 can be done alone or in pairs.

The materials list a printed worksheet and answer sheet for each student, a teacher copy of the answer key, pencils and scratch paper, and rulers and grid paper for visual models.

The answer sheet keeps the worksheet clean for reuse, and the answer key gives a short explanation after every answer.

Families who look for 3rd grade performance tasks or multi-step word problems will find both here, and the math problem worksheets for 3rd graders with answer key pages let a helper check the work quickly.

Where it fits

Use it for a problem solving unit, math centers, intervention, homework or a review before a test. Homeschool families can work through one section a day.

Take a look at the preview pages before you buy, so you can see the worksheet, the answer key and the answer sheet.

For more practice, browse the math worksheets, the wider set of printable worksheets or the whole shop.

Many teachers use these math problem worksheets for 3rd graders in a weekly routine, one section per day, and repeat the set after a few weeks to see growth.

Pairs can explain their steps aloud, since a performance task is about the path as well as the answer, and a short oral explanation shows a teacher who understands an idea.

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