This book is for everybody who would like to make friends with word problems. A step-by-step approach to creating models will help develop understanding of quantities and relationships between them. The illustrations given in this book offer a key for visualizing and structuring information given in any word problem.

The book consists of six parts:

• Part 1: Joining
• Part 2: Taking apart
• Part 3: Comparison - a few more (or fewer)
• Part 4: Comparison - a few times more (or fewer)
• Part 5: Miscellaneous Problems
• Part 6: Solutions

The first four parts give detailed guidance on model creation for the basic problems. Each part offers experience in solving problems using models, creating questions for the given numerical situations, and writing problems for given models.

Part 5 offers 30 non-routine problems.

To solve the problems in part 5, models presented in the first four parts need to be enhanced and combined.

Part 6 offers detailed illustrations and solutions to all problems given in part 5.

Visualization of quantities given in word problems and understanding of models presented in this book will build a solid foundation for setting up equations and developing fluency with algebraic expressions.

If you have any questions or suggestions concerning this book, you are welcome to e-mail the author: nvinogradova@plymouth.edu