How To Turn Math Word Problems Into Engaging Comics?

Mathematical word problems sometimes cause students to sigh and complain that they do not understand how to solve these problems. Students might try to solve these without understanding the problem or they may rely on one particular approach instead of trying different ways to solve the given problem. Some math questions do not motivate students to get involved with basic math or enjoy this subject

What can a math teacher do in this situation? Linking any course content to students’ hobbies is a common method for increasing participation amongst them. Knowing that one of the students’ favorite media includes engaging comics, graphic novels, and animations, teachers can capitalize on their enthusiasm by converting simple word problems into comics. This can help create interest in the math topic.

Some ways for teachers to know how to turn math word problems into engaging comics:

1. Maintaining Interaction By Increasing Ability To Comprehend

When students are motivated to read, they develop skills to understand whatever they read. For instance, students easily understand a story; however, word riddles or word problems, unfortunately, are not usually found to be engaging by students.

For example, students possibly might not be able to grasp what gardening is, how to visualize a business’s storage unit, or what a “case” of soil is. 

The teacher should be able to shift the scenario from a grown up who had to landscape a building to a tween who had to construct a jump to perfect his motocross skills.

It can be attained by rewriting this problem as a story rather than offering learners a short explanation. A stand-alone tale is an effective way to convert math word problems into engaging comics that students fully can understand.

Because it asks students to picture a word problem scenario from their own, providing them with a relatable story in a fun and visual format. 

2. Employ Manipulatives

Sometimes students need tangible things which they can touch and see to understand the story described in word problems. Math manipulatives are indeed effective tools to turn math problems into comical riddles.

A comical representation of the math word problems using counters, cubes, blocks, coins, or even tiny erasers & other stationaries can remodel word problems into engaging comics and make them engaging for students. 

For example, if a teacher calls for students to solve a word problem based on adding 3 and 4 cards of two friends, students can make two piles of playing cards, one comprising 3 cards and the other containing 4. They will then determine how much they have collected. 

3. Create A Picture

Students may require seeing things in practice to understand fully how something works. This is especially convincing when a student is solving word problems that involve math. Encourage the students to draw a word problem after they hear it. 

For instance, students can represent the two shelves as well as the books they are on when the question asks students to estimate the particular number of titles on two different frames.

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The students can sketch the principal sum and cross out what they spent if they attempt to figure out how much money they still have after losing some.

This way, they can count whatever is left after spending. In this way, students will turn word problems into engaging comics. 

4. Internet Use

The chance to play on the computer and iPad is a favorite among most students nowadays. Teachers should take full advantage of this by providing the students with some internet cryptic crosswords to tackle. Several online math games and activities that will allow students to practice word problems based on various mathematical problems in comical ways. 

5. Play It Out

Asking students to compute the solution was preferred over having students play out the problem. Imagine, for example, that the students are trying to decide how to divide 12 chocolates equally between 3 friends that are present in the class.

Give 12 candy packets to each trio.  Give students some of the color ribbons and five gifts, and tell them to figure out how many stripes they will require to wrap these five gifts. 

Give the grocery ads to the students so they can figure out precisely what it will cost to make dinner. The students will enjoy themself and retain whatever they need to learn. This practical way to modify math word problems into engaging comics is quite effective for students. 

6. Create Crafts, Often Characterized As Just Creativity

Teachers can also turn world problems into comical riddles with the help of crafting supplies. Students love crafting; so, by introducing crafting supplies in the math classrooms, teachers can easily engage students in math word problems.  

For instance, teachers can allow students to split some paper bones amongst paper dogs or add some of the wings to a turkey to solve an additional word problem. They can also rip off some stripes from a paper chain to solve a subtraction problem that is given. 

7. Make Word Puzzles Weird

You can create these unknown word problems individually or invite the class to develop word puzzles together. 

For example; the teacher should know how many cakes she consumed after eating 26 cakes in the morning and 56 for lunch.

The story problems may also include other teaching concepts, including geography, music, and the weather to change them to engaging comics. With cryptic crosswords based on emojis, sports, and other subjects that are significant to them, even older students may join in the fun activity. Therefore, making weird word puzzles is another excellent way to turn word problems into engaging comics.

8. Let Students Become Teachers

Encourage the students to solve and explain word problems instead the teacher always being the one. When teaching a lesson to another individual, students are more likely to remember it themselves.

Ask students to come to your place and present their way of solving word problems that make the most sense to them. 

For instance, a teacher can ask students to pick up a word problem and explain it to other students in the classroom as a teacher does. 

In this way, students will emphasize understanding the word problem before attempting to solve it. Also, this practice will polish their understanding of mathematical concepts.  

9. Creating Word Problems 

Why not let the students create their word problems rather than create them yourself? It provides a much more concrete understanding of the primary language learning formulae and is also a fun method for learning new mathematical concepts.

Students can create their problems independently, while they practice making their issues by executing word problem templates. Once everyone has written his kind of issue, the learners can swap and work on each other.

A Straightforward Way To Create Comic

It is way too easy to turn math word problems into engaging comics. Many applications are available to make math comics.

• Picking a background is the first step in utilizing any app to create a comic problem. Then like a character from a bank and use a menu of options to change their skin tone, haircut, outfit, and posture.
• Teachers must then add the required information by utilizing speech bubbles and captions.
• One can easily add more pictures from any comic-making app, which has a sizable collection of clipart. 
• The entire procedure can be done or completed in as little as 10 minutes, but the engagement advantages are tremendous.  

Assisting Students To Visualize Math Word Problems

Helping students envision a particular word problem before teachers talk about the math involved in it. Therefore, first, teachers must allow the students to understand what is happening in the given word problem because they are often unable to completely comprehend the story of the word problem. 

Teachers should play out the problem, make a sketch, or read the problem sentence by sentence, pausing before each to ensure that students understand them.  

Next, teachers should consider how comics and graphic novels are employed in math to help struggling readers clarify complicated thoughts.

Having finally realized that, rather than teaching clue keywords to avoid comprehension difficulties, one should format the required issues as comics i.e. modify math word problems into engaging comics to better concentrate training on classifying, modeling, and solving challenges.

In graphic novels and comics, images and valuable features make students visualize text that utilizes complex or unfamiliar vocabulary, settings, or events.

The advantage of grouping information into distinct visual frames is given by comic-style formatting. It highlights the passage of time, calls attention to special events, and helps individuals remember the information.

Also read: 5 Strategies To Get Students Talking In Middle School Math Classroom

Takeaway

Students can connect to comics quickly. Therefore teachers should know how to turn math word problems into engaging comics so they can easily engage them and help them understand math word problems through comics.  Moreover, these techniques also keep students captivated by math.