Using Bar Models to Solve Addition Word Problems

MatholiaChannel

This educational video introduces students to using bar models as a visual strategy for solving addition word problems within 20. Through two clear examples—one involving library books and another involving apples—the narrator demonstrates how to translate written text into a visual representation using rectangular bars to represent quantities. The content focuses on key mathematical themes including part-whole relationships, interpreting word problems, visualizing data, and standard addition algorithms. It explicitly models the step-by-step process of identifying key information, labeling a bar model, setting up an addition equation, and calculating the final sum. For educators, this video serves as an excellent instructional tool for bridging the gap between concrete manipulatives and abstract equations. It is particularly useful for introducing the Singapore Math approach or for supporting students who struggle with reading comprehension in math, as it provides a structured method for organizing information before solving.