Problem Solving and the Common Core

Appendix – B

Common Denominator Addition Word Problems

Start Unknown - Tom ate some cherry pie at lunch. Kim later sat down at the table and ate 8/12 of the cherry pie with her lunch. At the end of lunch they determined that between the two of them they had eaten 10/12 of the cherry pie. How much pie did Tom eat?

Start Unknown - Terry made some cupcakes for her son’s birthday. On Monday the family ate some cupcakes. Then on Tuesday, the family ate 8/2 cupcakes. Between Monday and Tuesday the family had eaten a total of 6 1/2 cupcakes. How much did the family eat on Monday?

Start Unknown - Before starting the race Nick drank some sports drink. In the middle of the race he stopped and drank 1 3/5 cup of sports drink. At the end of the race he had a total of 3 2/5 cups of sports drink. How many cups of sports drink did Nick drink at the beginning of the race?

Result Unknown - At lunch there were 2 medium pizzas set out for the teachers. Jeff ate 4/6 of one pizza and Jill ate 3/6 of the other pizza. How much pizza did Jeff and Jill eat?

Result Unknown - The recipe called for 3/4 cup of chocolate chips. After mixing the ingredients the baker decided to add 1 1/4 cup more of chocolate chips to the recipe. How much cups of chocolate chips are in the recipe now?

Result Unknown - Derek rode 12 4/5 miles on his bike before lunch and 23 1/5 miles on his bike after lunch. How many miles did Derek ride his bike?

Change Unknown - Kyle brought in a dozen blueberry muffins to class. Mike ate 7/2 muffins. Sue came in and ate some of the muffins as well. Between the two of them they ate 10/2 of the muffins. How much did Sue eat?

Change Unknown - Kim was making a trail mix for the upcoming camping trip. She first added 3 4/5 cups to the mix. Once she got done mixing all of the ingredients she decided to add more cereal. If she used 4 3/5 cups of cereal altogether, how many cups of cereal did she add at the end?

Common Denominator Subtraction Word Problems

Start Unknown - Molly had some sugar set aside for her cake recipe. When she turned around she spilled 2/8 cup of sugar on the counter. Now her cup only has 4/8 cup of sugar left. How many cups of sugar did Molly start with?

Result Unknown - Jesse measured out 5/4 cup of flour for her recipe. She used 3/4 cup of flour for her recipe. How many cups of flour does Jesse have left?

Change Unknown - Allison is making a cake for her kids. She measures out 5/2 cups of flour for the mix. When she pours it into the bowl she spills some of the flour on the counter. Now she only has 2 cups of flour for the cake mix. How many cups of flour spilled out on the counter?