Smart Starters · Ages 8 to 10
Bar Model Part Whole Word Problems
Draw part-whole bars to solve the problem. Five levels with answer keys.
The learning journey
Every activity is one step. Here is where this one fits.
- PlayLearn the idea in a game
- Practise(you are here)Lock it in on paper
- ReviewCome back and keep it sharp
- MasterTake on a harder challenge
- AchieveEarn a certificate
About Bar Model Part Whole Word Problems
A bar model is a way of seeing what a word problem is actually asking. Draw one bar for the whole, split it into the parts you know and the part you do not, and the operation becomes obvious — no rule about which words mean subtract is needed, because the picture shows it. This worksheet deliberately prints no bar. The source asks the child to draw one, and a printed bar would do the modelling for them, which is the entire task; what the page supplies instead is the problem and the space to draw. Each question gives a total and one part and asks for the other, so the structure stays constant while the numbers change and the drawing becomes automatic. Every part is smaller than the whole and no answer is ever negative. Totals grow across the five levels from within fifty up to the high hundreds, so the model keeps working as mental arithmetic stops. Six problems per page with ruled working space beneath each. Each level prints as a clean A4 sheet in black and white and downloads with its own separate answer key. Its on-screen twin is Bar Model Story Studio.
Common questions
- Why is no bar printed?
- The task is to draw one. A printed bar would do the modelling for the child, which is the whole point of the worksheet.
- How does a bar model help?
- It shows what the problem is asking, so no rule about which words mean subtract is needed.
- Can an answer be negative?
- No. Every part is smaller than the whole.
- Is there room to draw?
- Yes. Ruled working space sits beneath every question.
A hand for grown-ups
- Before you start
- Have something countable nearby. Being able to check "3 and 2 really is 5" by counting builds trust in the maths.
- While they work
- If a sum is hard, suggest counting on from the bigger number rather than counting both from one. It is a real strategy, not a crutch.
- Afterwards
- Try one together out loud, talking through how you worked it out. Hearing an adult think aloud is genuinely useful.
- Watch out for
- Counting both numbers from one every time. Nudge gently towards "start at the bigger one and count on".
- Away from the screen
- Add up small shopping items, or dots on two dice. Board games with dice are addition practice in disguise.
Where to go next
Chosen by the skills this activity practises.