Subtraction: How to Breakdown Questions

Jan 29, 2021 | Brampton South

I remember feeling like subtraction is so much harder than addition. But it doesn’t have to be. You can turn a subtraction question into an addition question by breaking it down.

It is helpful to write the question vertically. For example: 13 - 5. You can first ask your child, how far is 5 from 10. Then ask them how far is 10 from 13? Then you can show them that the total distance from 5 to 13 is 5 + 3!

This method can also be used for more difficult problems like 45 - 26. In this case I would use 30 as the middle point. 26 + 4 = 30. And 30 + 15 = 45. Therefore the total distance i 4+15 = 19.

If needed, you can use 30 and 40.

-Cianna Choo

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Subtraction: How to Breakdown Questions

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