Top 5 Math Mistakes Middle Schoolers Make – And How to Fix Them

Community Literacy Lab is here to help you level up your math skills!

1. Not Showing Your Work: Solving problems in your head or writing only the answer might seem faster—but it can cost you points and confuse your teacher (and you!).

Fix It: Write each step. Use scratch paper or a notebook. Think of your work as a math story—you need all the parts to make it clear.

2. Losing Track of Negative Signs. Negative signs are sneaky! It's easy to forget them or put them in the wrong place.

Fix It: Circle negatives, say the problem out loud, and use color or symbols to help track positive and negative numbers.

3. Rushing Through Word Problems. Jumping straight into solving without reading carefully can lead to the wrong answer—even if your math is right.

Fix It: Use the UPS Strategy:

• Understand the question

• Plan how to solve it

• Solve step by step. Don’t forget to reread the question at the end!

4. Not Checking Your Work. Skipping the final check can result in easy-to-fix mistakes remaining in your answers.

Fix It: Always plug your answer back into the problem to see if it works. Ask, “Does this make sense?” A quick check can save a lot of points.

5. Memorizing Without Understanding Knowing formulas is helpful—but understanding how and why they work is what makes math stick.

Fix It: Ask questions, use drawings or hands-on tools, and connect math to real-life things like money, time, or games.

Mistakes Help You Grow

At Community Literacy Lab, we believe mistakes are just part of learning. They show what you’re ready to understand next. When you make a mistake, it means you’re trying—and that’s a win!

Let’s grow your math brain—one step (and mistake) at a time!