This math story that will really test a student's math literacy! This problem is filled with distractors. It is a great math read aloud! Challenge kids to a read-off! Can anyone read through the whole thing without making a mistake! I dare you!
This is a Jimmy Whizbangzoomzingkazowee math story
problem. Yippee!
Jimmy Whizbangzoomzingkazowie lives
in a blue house on Daisy Lane.
This is his father, Mr. Whizbangzoomzingkazoweee. This is his mother, Mrs. Whizbangzoomzingkazoweee. Jimmy has three brothers. His oldest brother's name is Boom-Boom Whizbangzoomzingkazoweee. His youngest brother’s name is Bam-bam Whizbangzoomzingkazoweee. His other brother’s name is Boom-Bam Whizbangzoomzingkazowee.
Boom-Boom Whizbangzoomzingkazowee just had a birthday party. There was cake and ice cream. You should have been there. It was fun! Jimmy Whizbangzoomzingkazowee’s grandfather, Pop-Pop Whizbangzoomzingkazowie, was there. So was his grandma, Nana-nana Whizbangzoomzingkazowee.
Pop-pop Whizbangzoomzingkazowee and Nana-nana Whizbangzoomzingkazowee gave Boom-boom Whizbangzoomzingkazowee a frog and an aquarium for a present. Boom-boom Whizbangzoomzingkazowee named the frog Ribbit-ribbit Whizbangzoomzingkazowee. Ribbit-ribbit Whizbangzoomzingkazowee wasn’t really a frog. He was a toad and his real name wasn’t Ribbit-ribbit Whizbangzoomzingkazowee. It was Susan Wartspreader. Susan was insulted about the name and about being called a boy. She was planning to escape from the Whizbangzoomzingkazowees the first chance she got.
Are you confused? Relax. It is just a math problem. Some math problems are ridiculous. Watch out! It gets worse.
Boom-boom Whizbangzoomzingkazowee loved all his presents and
the triple chococolate-double-fudge-cake his mother, Mrs. Whizbangzoomzingkazowee
made for him. Her name is Lizzy
Whizbangzoomzingkazowee, but you don’t really know her, so you should call her
Mrs. Whizbangzoomzingkazowee, not Lizzy Whizbangzoomzingkazowee. What’s wrong with you? Don’t you have any manners?
Mrs. Whizbangzoomzingkazowee wrote a message on top of the cake in blue frosting. It said Happy 11th Birthday Boom-boom Whizbangzoomzing…she ran out of room for the Kazowiee. Mrs. Whizbangzoomzingkazowee stayed up all night making it. It tasted delicious. Susan Wartspreader ate two pieces.
Now for the horribly confusing question that you’ll probably never be able to answer.
Boom-Bam Whizbangzoomzingkazowee is ½ as old as Boom-Boom Whizbangzoomzingkazowee.
Bam-Bam Whizbangzoomzingkazowee was born two and a half years after Boom-Bam Whizbangzoomzingkazowee.
Jimmy Whizbangzoomzingkazowie is four times as old as the youngest Whizbangzoomzingkazowee.
Mr. Whizbangzoomzingkazowee if four times as old as Jimmy Whizbangzoomzingkazowee.
Mrs. Whizbangzoomzingkazowee doesn’t want to tell you how old she is, and it is impolite to ask. But she’s five years younger than Mr. Whizbangzoomzingkazowee. Don’t tell her I told you.
Pop-pop Whizbangzoomkazowie is a quarter of a century older than Mr. Whizbangzoomzingkazowee.
Susan Wartspreader is 34 in toad years. She hopped away after pin the tail on the donkey. She gave all the Whizbangzoomzingkazowees warts before she left.
How old are all the Whizbangzoomzingkazowees? Show how you solved the problem.
Email if you are interested in a printable math worksheet for your classroom.
