Bar models are a form of graphic organizer for math problems. I find them especially helpful for word problems, but they can also be applied to simple operation problems. Bar models provide a graphic or image to represent a quantity or value of an integer. It is incorrect to assume that each bar represents one unit of the value you are working with. Bars can represent multiple units at the time, but this is often defined by the legend of the model. Bar models are fundamental for introducing students to division. They are great for teach the concept of sharing mathematically, which is exactly what division is.

There are several tools that students can use to understand data of a word problem. One of these tools that help students identify the quantities in a word problem and know exactly what is missing from the data is the bar model. A model is something that we use to represent an object or quantity, and it is very common in mathematics. Bar models use spatial equality, something that we see in an equals to sign. The bar model strategy is also known as a part-part-whole. The top bar is assigned the largest value, and the bottom bar has the parts that make up the total amount in the top bar. It can help in solving both addition, subtraction, and even multiplication problems. The missing parts of a sum or a difference can also be found using this technique. You can understand and plan, then solve and check using the same bar model. These worksheets explain how to use bar models to add and subtract integers. This skill can also be applied when solving word problems and a few examples of that appear in the lessons.