Third grade students are transitioning from concrete to abstract thinking. If they need help with this process, use visual aids so they can see what the problem looks like. For example, use a problem like the following. Mrs. Smith's class plans to go to the fair and wants to know how many cars they need to take. If 32 students from Mrs. Smith's third grade class plan to attend and four students can fit in each car, how many cars will the class need? The teacher can actually physically move the 32 kids into groups. She can also draw dots to represent the children or use marbles or coins. The point is to use a concrete object to help children grasp new concepts.
Explain to children how to solve the word problem, step by step. Some word problems for third grade students only require one step, such as multiplication and division problems. Others require more advanced reasoning skills. Show children how to solve each phase of the problem. Then, give them the same type of problem, changing the numbers and possibly the situation. With the previous problem, you could now say, "42 bugs want to find homes. They like to lives on leaves, in groups of six. How many leaves will they need to find?"
Use several examples of the same type of problem if needed. Don't expect the students to grasp new concepts in just one day. Keep repeating the same type of problems together until the kids get it. If there aren't enough examples for children to understand the word problem, create your own. Use familiar objects, such as coins, animals, food, time and measurements. When students can relate to examples. it will help them solve the problems more easily.
Have students make up their own word problems. See how creative they can be. When they need to come up with their own problems and solve them, you know they understand the concept. Take a different approach. Third grade students like to make up problems with a specific answer, such as 13. When they first try this exercise, the problems will be basic. But as they progress, they will create more complex word problems. Encourage their attempts, even if the solution is wrong, so they learn to enjoy the process.