Give and Take - Word Problems

Understanding Word Problems: Word problems involve reading a story and deciding whether to 'give' (add) or 'take' (subtract). Imagine a shopping basket; adding items to the basket increases the total count ($+$), while removing items decreases it ($-$).

Keywords for Addition: Look for 'clue words' like Total, Altogether, In All, Sum, and Plus. Visually, think of addition as two separate groups of objects (like $5$ stars and $3$ stars) merging into one large group of $8$ stars.

Keywords for Subtraction: Look for 'clue words' like Left, Remaining, Difference, How many more, and Less than. Visually, imagine a row of $10$ balloons where $4$ are popped or crossed out, leaving $6$ behind.

Place Value Columns: Always arrange numbers in columns of Hundreds ($H$), Tens ($T$), and Ones ($O$). Imagine these as vertical lanes where digits must stay in their correct lane to ensure calculations like $125 + 43$ are lined up correctly by their ones and tens places.

Regrouping (Carrying): In addition, if the sum in the Ones column is $10$ or more, we 'carry over' the ten to the Tens column. Imagine having $13$ single blocks; you keep $3$ blocks and trade the other $10$ for $1$ long 'tens' rod to move to the next column.

Borrowing (Regrouping): In subtraction, if the top digit is smaller than the bottom digit, we 'borrow' from the next column. Imagine you need to give $8$ ones but only have $3$; you go to the Tens neighbor, take $1$ ten, and break it into $10$ ones to make $13$ ones.

Fact Families and Checking: Addition and subtraction are opposites. You can check a subtraction answer by adding the result back to the number you took away. Visually, this is like a circle: if $10 - 3 = 7$, then $7 + 3$ must bring you back to $10$.