CUBES Problem Solving Strategy Set 

Are your students struggling to tackle word problems? Are they getting confused about what steps are necessary to take? A good problem-solving strategy is essential for students to master tricky word problems. While this may come naturally for some students, other students may benefit from the handy acronym, CUBES! So what does CUBES stand for exactly?

• Circle the numbers
• Underline the question
• Box in the key words
• Eliminate unnecessary information
• Solve and show your work

How to Make the Most of Your CUBES Problem Solving Set

1. Print the posters and display them in your classroom for students to reference when doing independent work.
2. Print the bookmarks and place them in your math centers as a reminder for students.
3. Print the bookmarks and distribute them to students to keep at their desks. Invite students to pull out their bookmarks when working on math word problems.

We’ve also come up with bonus ways to turn posters into interactive tools that really make your lessons stick!

🖍️ Turn this poster and bookmark set into a coloring page by printing it in black and white.

📝 Create a fill-in-the-blank worksheet by removing selections of text.

📂 Place copies in students’ homework folders for reference.

💻 Provide posters as digital resources for virtual students.

🧠 Test students’ memories by showing them the poster, then hiding it and having them tell you what they remember.

✅ Incorporate posters into your lesson wrap-up: students write on a sticky note what they learned from the lesson and place it on the poster.

Before You Download

Please use the dropdown menu to choose between the color PDF, black and white PDF, or editable Google Slides version of this resource.

Fill your classroom with more posters and interactive displays!