Subtraction Questions
Here are a range of questions that include double calc problems, open problems, longer word problems, missing parts of the equation, missing answer etc...but remember, just simple word problems (especially) for subtraction can be rich if you unpack the strategies deeply with your students.
Or.....think about mixing strand and number to make the problem richer. I will add some of these further down the page.
Or.....think about mixing strand and number to make the problem richer. I will add some of these further down the page.
Pencil and Sticker Problem
A pencil costs 59 cents, and a sticker costs 20 cents less. How much do a pencil and a sticker cost together?
Bo's Stamps
Bo had [120/80] stamps. First, he gave his sister half of the stamps and then he used [8/16/24] to mail letters. How many stamps does Bo have left?
Field Trip
Mr Harkness wants to go on a field trip to the beach. The cost of the trip is $235. The class can earn money by running a bake sale for 6 weeks. The students can earn $15 each week if they do a sale. How much more money does the class still need to earn to pay for their trip?
Secret Number Game
Beth and Cody are playing a secret number game. They both write a number on a bit of paper and hide it. Beth's number is [12, 22, 102] smaller than Cody's number. What might their numbers be?
Open Subtraction Equation
[9,19, 49] is one of the numbers in the equation...
[ ] - [ ] = [ ]
What are the other numbers? How many different equations can you create?
The 9 could be changed to anything depending on what you wanted to focus on. The 9's would be good for rounding and comp strategy. Could do [10, 100, 1000] etc if you focus was different.
[ ] - [ ] = [ ]
What are the other numbers? How many different equations can you create?
The 9 could be changed to anything depending on what you wanted to focus on. The 9's would be good for rounding and comp strategy. Could do [10, 100, 1000] etc if you focus was different.
Chickens
There are now 17 chickens in Mrs Farmer’s pen. How many chickens did she once have? What happened to them?
Marbles
I have some marbles. I give some away to my friends and am left with fifteen. How many marbles might I have started with and how many might I have given away?
Forgetful Teacher
I did a subtraction problem last night but can only remember the answer. It was 8. What might the whole problem have been?
[8,98,148]
[8,98,148]
Kids coming to school
There are 25 kids in our class. Seven scooter to school. The rest walk. How many walk?
I have [13, 43, 53] bogies in my bogie collection (which I keep in my sisters room). If my dog Truffles eats six how many do I have left?
Bonus: I have 204 leg hairs in my leg hair collection. Mum steals [9, 39, 99] for her own collection. How many do I have left?
Bonus: I have 204 leg hairs in my leg hair collection. Mum steals [9, 39, 99] for her own collection. How many do I have left?