Step Solver Word Problem Packet
Math Workshop Grade 4–5 • One-Step Problems
Step-by-Step Problem Solvers
Packet 1 • Page 1 of 10
Name:
Date:
Score:
4 Steps: 1. Read & Circle Clues 2. Select (+, −, ×, ÷) 3. Show Work 4. Answer with Units
1 Robotics Team Supplies
Addition
The fifth-grade robotics club received a donation of 148 silver hex bolts on Monday. On Wednesday, the team mentor delivered another batch of 265 bolts. How many bolts did the team receive altogether?
Step 1 Operation: [ + ] [ − ] [ × ] [ ÷ ]
Step 2 Equation: _____________________
Step 3 Show Your Work:
Step 4 Final Solution:
Answer:
2 3D Printer Filament
Subtraction
The science lab started the semester with 850 meters of blue plastic filament. After printing miniature wind turbine models for the science fair, 328 meters remained. How many meters of filament were used?
Step 1 Operation: [ + ] [ − ] [ × ] [ ÷ ]
Step 2 Equation: _____________________
Step 3 Show Your Work:
Step 4 Final Solution:
Answer:
3 Solar Car Wheel Kits
Multiplication
Twelve student engineering pairs are constructing solar-powered rovers for the outdoor showcase. If each rover requires exactly 4 rubber wheels, how many wheels will the teacher need to distribute in all?
Step 1 Operation: [ + ] [ − ] [ × ] [ ÷ ]
Step 2 Equation: _____________________
Step 3 Show Your Work:
Step 4 Final Solution:
Answer:
Focus: Identifying keywords and writing clean equations Problems 1–3
Step-by-Step Problem Solvers | Valley Wildlife Sanctuary
Page 2 of 10
4 Squirrel Feeding Stations
Division
Wildlife volunteers gathered 72 pounds of roasted acorns. They divided the acorns evenly among 8 outdoor feeding shelters across the oak forest. How many pounds of acorns did each shelter receive?
Step 1 Operation: [ + ] [ − ] [ × ] [ ÷ ]
Step 2 Equation: _____________________
Step 3 Show Your Work:
Step 4 Final Solution:
Answer:
5 Wild Bird Seed Delivery
Addition
During winter migration week, the sanctuary feeders held 345 kilograms of black sunflower seeds. A local feed store donated an extra 278 kilograms. What was the total weight of seeds available?
Step 1 Operation: [ + ] [ − ] [ × ] [ ÷ ]
Step 2 Equation: _____________________
Step 3 Show Your Work:
Step 4 Final Solution:
Answer:
6 Hawk Tracking Comparison
Subtraction
A satellite tracker revealed that a red-tailed hawk soared 624 miles during its autumn flight path. A younger falcon covered 489 miles. How many more miles did the hawk travel than the falcon?
Step 1 Operation: [ + ] [ − ] [ × ] [ ÷ ]
Step 2 Equation: _____________________
Step 3 Show Your Work:
Step 4 Final Solution:
Answer:
Remember: Subtraction finds the difference between two quantities Problems 4–6
Step-by-Step Problem Solvers | Summit Elementary Book Fair
Page 3 of 10
7 Graphic Novel Displays
Multiplication
The school librarian set up 15 cardboard display stands for new graphic novels. Each display stand holds exactly 8 popular books. How many graphic novels are on display across all the stands?
Step 1 Operation: [ + ] [ − ] [ × ] [ ÷ ]
Step 2 Equation: _____________________
Step 3 Show Your Work:
Step 4 Final Solution:
Answer:
8 Reading Bookmark Distribution
Division
Student council members ordered 96 silver foil bookmarks to promote literacy month. They divided the bookmarks equally among 6 classroom reading baskets. How many bookmarks went into each basket?
Step 1 Operation: [ + ] [ − ] [ × ] [ ÷ ]
Step 2 Equation: _____________________
Step 3 Show Your Work:
Step 4 Final Solution:
Answer:
9 Nonfiction Book Drive
Addition
During the community book drive, families contributed 367 biographies and 485 science experiment manuals. How many total nonfiction books were collected for the regional learning center?
Step 1 Operation: [ + ] [ − ] [ × ] [ ÷ ]
Step 2 Equation: _____________________
Step 3 Show Your Work:
Step 4 Final Solution:
Answer:
Tip: Check if your answer makes sense with estimation first Problems 7–9
Step-by-Step Problem Solvers | Pinecrest Community Garden
Page 4 of 10
10 Strawberry Patch Harvest
Subtraction
The garden club planted 512 strawberry starters in raised wooden planter boxes. After a sudden weekend frost, 87 starters did not survive. How many healthy strawberry plants remained growing?
Step 1 Operation: [ + ] [ − ] [ × ] [ ÷ ]
Step 2 Equation: _____________________
Step 3 Show Your Work:
Step 4 Final Solution:
Answer:
11 Heirloom Tomato Rows
Multiplication
Volunteers organized 14 neat rows of heirloom tomato stakes along the sunniest fence. They placed exactly 9 seedlings into each prepared row. How many tomato seedlings were planted in total?
Step 1 Operation: [ + ] [ − ] [ × ] [ ÷ ]
Step 2 Equation: _____________________
Step 3 Show Your Work:
Step 4 Final Solution:
Answer:
12 Local Honey Distribution
Division
The beekeeper gathered 84 glass jars of wildflower honey from the garden hives. She packaged the jars equally into 7 wooden gift crates for local food pantries. How many jars were in each crate?
Step 1 Operation: [ + ] [ − ] [ × ] [ ÷ ]
Step 2 Equation: _____________________
Step 3 Show Your Work:
Step 4 Final Solution:
Answer:
Focus: Equal groups signal either multiplication or division Problems 10–12
Step-by-Step Problem Solvers | Blue Ridge Astronomy Camp
Page 5 of 10
13 Meteor Shower Count
Addition
During the annual Perseid meteor shower, campers spotted 174 shooting stars on Friday night. On Saturday night, clear skies let them view 289 more meteors. How many meteors were observed across both nights?
Step 1 Operation: [ + ] [ − ] [ × ] [ ÷ ]
Step 2 Equation: _____________________
Step 3 Show Your Work:
Step 4 Final Solution:
Answer:
14 Lunar Rover Battery Power
Subtraction
A high-capacity battery bank had 920 watt-hours of stored solar power before an evening observation experiment. The motorized telescopes consumed 565 watt-hours. How much power was left in the battery?
Step 1 Operation: [ + ] [ − ] [ × ] [ ÷ ]
Step 2 Equation: _____________________
Step 3 Show Your Work:
Step 4 Final Solution:
Answer:
15 Star Map Field Kits
Multiplication
Camp instructors assembled 16 navigation supply bags for night orienteering. Each bag contained 6 constellation charts and 2 red flashlights. How many constellation charts were distributed in total?
Step 1 Operation: [ + ] [ − ] [ × ] [ ÷ ]
Step 2 Equation: _____________________
Step 3 Show Your Work:
Step 4 Final Solution:
Answer:
Halfway point! Double check that your final answer includes units Problems 13–15
Step-by-Step Problem Solvers | Coastal Marine Research Station
Page 6 of 10
16 Sea Turtle Hatchling Nests
Division
Marine biologists rescued 108 sea turtle hatchlings along a sandy beach. They released the hatchlings in equal groups across 9 protected ocean entry points. How many baby turtles entered the water at each point?
Step 1 Operation: [ + ] [ − ] [ × ] [ ÷ ]
Step 2 Equation: _____________________
Step 3 Show Your Work:
Step 4 Final Solution:
Answer:
17 Beach Cleanup Recyclables
Addition
Student ocean advocates cleaned up the shoreline on Saturday morning. The fifth graders collected 326 plastic containers, while the fourth graders retrieved 259 containers. How many containers did they pick up combined?
Step 1 Operation: [ + ] [ − ] [ × ] [ ÷ ]
Step 2 Equation: _____________________
Step 3 Show Your Work:
Step 4 Final Solution:
Answer:
18 Kelp Forest Depth Measurement
Subtraction
A research submarine dived to an ocean trench depth of 750 feet. An automated drone camera explored a kelp shelf at 285 feet. What is the difference in depth between the submarine and the drone?
Step 1 Operation: [ + ] [ − ] [ × ] [ ÷ ]
Step 2 Equation: _____________________
Step 3 Show Your Work:
Step 4 Final Solution:
Answer:
Notice: "Difference" means you need to subtract Problems 16–18
Step-by-Step Problem Solvers | Cascade Mountain Wilderness Trail
Page 7 of 10
19 Trail Guide Markers
Multiplication
Forest rangers nailed bright yellow metal blazes along 18 miles of the northern ridge path. They installed exactly 7 markers along every mile of the trail. How many trail markers did they post altogether?
Step 1 Operation: [ + ] [ − ] [ × ] [ ÷ ]
Step 2 Equation: _____________________
Step 3 Show Your Work:
Step 4 Final Solution:
Answer:
20 Hiking Energy Packs
Division
The youth hiking guide bought a box containing 135 oat and raisin energy bars. He shared them equally among 9 student hiking groups before the steep climb. How many energy bars did each group receive?
Step 1 Operation: [ + ] [ − ] [ × ] [ ÷ ]
Step 2 Equation: _____________________
Step 3 Show Your Work:
Step 4 Final Solution:
Answer:
21 Elevation Gain Record
Addition
On Saturday morning, backpackers gained 468 meters of elevation ascending to Granite Pass. After lunch, they climbed an additional 375 meters to the mountain summit. What was their total elevation gain?
Step 1 Operation: [ + ] [ − ] [ × ] [ ÷ ]
Step 2 Equation: _____________________
Step 3 Show Your Work:
Step 4 Final Solution:
Answer:
Focus: Align numbers carefully by place value when computing Problems 19–21
Step-by-Step Problem Solvers | Metro Young Inventors Expo
Page 8 of 10
22 Hydration Pack Measurement
Subtraction
An athlete filled a hydration backpack with 2,000 milliliters of cold water before starting a marathon run. At the finish line, 685 milliliters remained. How many milliliters of water did the runner drink?
Step 1 Operation: [ + ] [ − ] [ × ] [ ÷ ]
Step 2 Equation: _____________________
Step 3 Show Your Work:
Step 4 Final Solution:
Answer:
23 Circuit Sensor Strips
Multiplication
Twenty-four students each constructed a light-sensing nightlight device. Each invention required exactly 6 copper contact wires to complete the circuits. How many copper wires were used altogether?
Step 1 Operation: [ + ] [ − ] [ × ] [ ÷ ]
Step 2 Equation: _____________________
Step 3 Show Your Work:
Step 4 Final Solution:
Answer:
24 Solar Glasses Packaging
Division
The science department unpacked a carton containing 144 certified solar eclipse glasses. They sorted the glasses evenly into 12 distribution bins for viewing day. How many pairs went into each bin?
Step 1 Operation: [ + ] [ − ] [ × ] [ ÷ ]
Step 2 Equation: _____________________
Step 3 Show Your Work:
Step 4 Final Solution:
Answer:
Look for keywords: "each", "altogether", "shared evenly" Problems 22–24
Step-by-Step Problem Solvers | Maple Valley Farmers Market
Page 9 of 10
25 Orchard Cider Jugs
Addition
An orchard family pressed 435 gallons of fresh apple cider on Friday afternoon. On Saturday morning, they pressed another 378 gallons. How many gallons of apple cider did the orchard produce in total?
Step 1 Operation: [ + ] [ − ] [ × ] [ ÷ ]
Step 2 Equation: _____________________
Step 3 Show Your Work:
Step 4 Final Solution:
Answer:
26 Honeycrisp Apple Crates
Subtraction
A fruit stand began market day with 620 pounds of crisp Honeycrisp apples. When the market closed at dusk, only 145 pounds remained in the display bins. How many pounds of apples were sold?
Step 1 Operation: [ + ] [ − ] [ × ] [ ÷ ]
Step 2 Equation: _____________________
Step 3 Show Your Work:
Step 4 Final Solution:
Answer:
27 Bakery Blueberry Muffins
Multiplication
The market bakery baked 16 large metal trays of warm blueberry oat muffins. Each baking tray contains exactly 12 muffins. How many blueberry muffins did the bakers prepare for morning shoppers?
Step 1 Operation: [ + ] [ − ] [ × ] [ ÷ ]
Step 2 Equation: _____________________
Step 3 Show Your Work:
Step 4 Final Solution:
Answer:
Tip: Check multi-digit multiplication using partial products Problems 25–27
Step-by-Step Problem Solvers | Pioneer Space Exploration Academy
Page 10 of 10
28 Sunflower Bouquet Deliveries
Division
Florists cut 168 giant golden sunflowers from the nursery fields. They tied them into bundles of 8 flowers each to deliver across market stalls. How many sunflower bundles did the florists create?
Step 1 Operation: [ + ] [ − ] [ × ] [ ÷ ]
Step 2 Equation: _____________________
Step 3 Show Your Work:
Step 4 Final Solution:
Answer:
29 Lunar Rover Simulation Drive
Addition
During a simulated Moon mission, a robotic explorer drove 564 meters around Crater Alpha. It then navigated another 389 meters toward the ice core drilling zone. How many meters did the rover travel in total?
Step 1 Operation: [ + ] [ − ] [ × ] [ ÷ ]
Step 2 Equation: _____________________
Step 3 Show Your Work:
Step 4 Final Solution:
Answer:
30 Astronaut Meal Storage
Division
Flight directors organized 225 pouches of freeze-dried space meals for a 5-member trainee crew. If each crew member receives an identical share of meal pouches, how many pouches will each astronaut get?
Step 1 Operation: [ + ] [ − ] [ × ] [ ÷ ]
Step 2 Equation: _____________________
Step 3 Show Your Work:
Step 4 Final Solution:
Answer:
🎉 Mission Complete! You solved all 30 one-step math word problems.
Final Score: / 30
