Math Core

A word problem is a little story with numbers. Some stories are about things going away. You can solve them with subtraction!

Solve a story

Listen to the story. Then ask three questions.

Take-away words

Words like ate, gave away, flew away, popped, fell and left tell you some things are going away. That means you take away.

You can draw a picture. Draw a circle for each thing at the start. Cross out the ones that go away. Count the circles that are left.

Worked example: Kites

There are 5 kites in the sky. 2 kites come down. How many kites are still in the sky?

Start: 5 kites. Away: 2 kites.

🪁 🪁 🪁 ❌ ❌

$5 - 2 = 3$ . There are 3 kites still in the sky.

Worked example: Pencils

Ana has 7 pencils. She gives 3 to her friend. How many pencils does Ana have now?

Start: 7. Away: 3. Start at 7 and count back 3: 6, 5, 4.

$7 - 3 = 4$ . Ana has 4 pencils now.

Worked example: Frogs

There are 10 frogs on a log. 4 frogs hop into the pond. How many frogs are on the log now?

Hold up 10 fingers. Put down 4. Six fingers are still up.

$10 - 4 = 6$ . There are 6 frogs on the log.

Common mistake

The story tells two numbers. The bigger number is usually the start. Write it first: $7 - 3$ , not $3 - 7$ .

Practice 1

There are 4 cats on a bed. 2 cats jump off. How many cats are still on the bed?

Type a number.

Practice 2

Leo has 5 toy cars. He gives 1 to his sister. How many toy cars does Leo have now?

Type a number.

Practice 3

There are 6 leaves on a tree. 3 leaves fall off. How many leaves are on the tree now?

Type a number.

Practice 4

Zoe has 8 stickers. She uses 2 of them. How many stickers does Zoe have left?

Type a number.

Practice 5

There are 9 bees on a flower. 4 bees fly away. How many bees are still on the flower?

Type a number.

Practice 6

Max has 3 crackers. He eats all 3. How many crackers are left?

Type a number.

Practice 7

There are 10 birds in a tree. 7 birds fly away. Which number sentence tells the story?