Hands-On Ways to Teach Strip Diagrams in Elementary Math

Teaching students to make sense of multi-step word problems can be tricky, especially when kids want to jump straight into working out the problem without fully understanding what the problem is asking them to do. Strip diagrams (also called bar models or tape diagrams) are one of the best visual tools for slowing down that rush and helping students truly see the relationships in a problem.

With a mix of hands-on strategies, you can help students build confidence solving problems using strip diagrams. Below are several hands-on, classroom-tested ways to teach strip diagrams, along with the exact types of activities we use to support each stage of learning!

What Are Strip Diagrams? (And Why Do They Matter?)

A strip diagram is a rectangular model used to show parts, wholes, comparisons, and unknown numbers. They give students a way to break down multi-step problems, making it easier to choose the right operations to complete the story problem.

Strip diagrams support multi-step problem solving and give a visual model that encourages students to think, not just guess which operation to use.

1. Start With Simple Stories (Student-Created Scenarios)

Before introducing multi-step tasks, begin with short, everyday story problems that students can easily relate to. For example: “Emma has 5 apples. She buys 3 more. How many does she have now?”

Draw two connected bars, one showing 5 and one showing 3, to demonstrate how the two numbers join, then draw one long bar on top that spans the length of both smaller parts.

Ask questions like:

“What’s happening in this story?” “Which part is missing?”

Once students have seen a few examples, let them create their own mini stories for classmates to model. This makes the concept personal and immediately more meaningful!

To support this stage:

These Multi-Step Story Problem Task Cards are perfect here because they offer relatable scenarios and three levels of recording sheets. Sheet A provides fully drawn diagrams for beginners, Sheet B offers blank diagrams for more guided practice, and Sheet C lets advanced students create their own from scratch. These work great during guided practice, centers, or whole-group modeling.

2. Try a Card Sort

One of the biggest challenges when teaching strip diagrams is getting students to start thinking about relationships. A diagram-equation matching card sort is a great tool for this.

Give students a set of strip diagrams and a set of equations. Their job: match the diagram to the equation that represents it.

Because multiple diagrams in our Strip Diagram + Equation Matching Activity use the same numbers but different operations, students can’t take shortcuts. They have to really analyze the problem, identify what’s known or unknown, and figure out which operations are needed to solve the problem.

This activity works well as a partner task, a math center, or a warm-up.

3. Build Strip Diagrams With Manipulatives Before Drawing

Some students need to physically build a model before they can draw one. Building strip diagrams with physical materials helps bridge that gap.

You can use:

• Sticky notes as movable “bars”

• Linking cubes to show equal parts or groups

• Paper strips to label parts, totals, and unknowns

  
  

After building several models, students are much more confident drawing their own diagrams. Pairing these hands-on builds with the Story Problem Task Cards works really well, as students can build their diagram first, then record it using one of the differentiated recording sheets.

4. Reinforce Learning With Interactive Notebook Pages

To help students retain what they’ve learned, I like to give them a structured reference page they can return to all year long. Interactive notebook pages work great for this!

The Strip Diagram Interactive Notebook Activity + Quick Check introduces the concept clearly, with minimal graphics so the focus stays on the math. Students glue the page into their notebooks, practice drawing a few examples, and complete a short assessment that checks their understanding.

5. Add Quick “Strip Diagram Warm-Ups” to Your Daily Routine

Quick, consistent practice can make a huge difference. Here are quick warm-ups you can rotate:

• Show a diagram and ask, “Which operation does this model use?”

• Show an equation and ask students to draw a strip diagram.

• Display a strip diagram and ask students to write their own story problem that goes along with the diagram.

  
  

Using a mix of notebook examples, matching cards, and story problem task cards can give plenty of variety for these warm-ups!

Common Misunderstandings to Watch For

Here are some frequent trouble spots to anticipate:

• Students confuse the total with a part

• Bars aren’t proportional to the quantities they represent

• Students assume the unknown must be the final answer, but sometimes they’re looking for a part of the problem

• Kids jump to addition or multiplication because they see large numbers

  
  

A great question to get kids thinking is simply: “What does this part of the diagram represent in the story?”

Once students start answering in complete ideas rather than numbers, they’re on the right track! It goes beyond solving the operations and teaches students to really think critically, which is a great skill to have as it translates into so many other areas.

Strip Diagrams Build Confident Problem Solvers

Strip diagrams may seem simple, but they’re so powerful for helping students break down, analyze, and solve complex problems. With modeling, hands-on practice, and consistent practice, students begin to really understand how to decipher those complex word problems.

If you’re looking for ready-to-use tools to support your strip diagram lessons, these activities are great, low-prep ways to start: