Word problems can look tricky, but they are just puzzles. The key is to find the unknown value, name it 'x', and express the relationships described in the text as a mathematical equation using '='.
Clearly decide what unknown value 'x' represents (e.g., 'Let x be the number of apples').
Find phrases like 'is', 'equals', or 'totaling' to determine where to place the '=' sign.
Once you solve for x, plug it back into the original story to see if the scenario makes sense.
Read carefully and set up the equation to solve!