ABSTRACT
For elementary students, the process of writing a word problem is a useful task that serves to develop a deeper understanding of mathematics. Additional benefits of problem writing for students include growth in problem solving and improvement in mathematical attitudes. Problem solving should involve reasoning, students communicating their thinking using concrete, pictorial, and digital tools, using precise mathematical language, and unpacking patterns and structures. Students are given the answer and they have to think up a word problem that matches that answer. Sometimes the students are given just the answer. The main idea is that they actually go through the process of visualizing the problem, summarizing the problem, making a plan, solving one way and checking another, and then explaining their thinking. At some point they should be faded out and students should internalize the template and the process so that they can just sketch out the template to solve problems.
