The first author's initial attempts at a whole-class mathematics discussion were woefully dysfunctional. Ten second graders showing their answers to a missing addend question about the number of children left riding a school bus did not result in the mathematical epiphany that the textbook promised. She did not give up on using mathematical…

Word problems are an essential component of providing a context for computation but are also recognized as an enduring struggle for students. Students are challenged to solve these story-based problems, often resorting to trial and error. This article presents meaningful alternative approaches to helping students make sense of word problems.