Subtraction as take away
Answers are for parents and teachers.
1
Put 8 spoons or beans on the table. Take them away one at a time. Each time say the sentence, like ‘8 take away 1 equals 7’.
8 − 1 = 7, 7 − 1 = 6, and so on down to 0.
2
Take 10 grapes or beans and take away 4. How many are left? Write the number sentence.
10 − 4 = 6
3
Tell a take-away story with toys: ‘First… Then… Now…’. Write the number sentence.
Any correct take-away, for example 6 − 2 = 4; the story must match the numbers.
4
Some cherries are crossed out. How many are left? Write the number sentence.
4 left; 7 − 3 = 4
5
Put 10 beans on a plate. Take away 2 at a time and write each number sentence. What pattern do you see?
10 − 2 = 8, 8 − 2 = 6, 6 − 2 = 4, 4 − 2 = 2, 2 − 2 = 0. The answers are even numbers, going down in twos.