Addition and subtraction word problems
Solve word problems involving lengths within 100, using addition and subtraction with drawings and equations
Lesson
Set out your lesson
“Addition and subtraction word problems means practising the idea at the table with counters or paper models and one clear check. We will demo once, then your child tries.”
Bring to the table
- 20 counters
- Paper and pencil
Extra for the adult
Worked example. Start with 12 counters, remove 4, 8 remain. Write 12 − 4 = 8.
Optional challenge. For Addition and subtraction word problems, add one harder example after success.
What to notice. Keep one parent note: examples tried; results; support used. This session samples Addition and subtraction word problems, not mastery.
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Teaching approaches
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1 approach
Addition and subtraction word problems means practising the idea at the table with counters or paper models and one clear check. We will demo once, then your child tries.
Materials: 20 counters; Paper and pencil. Adult models 12 − 4 by removing counters, then writes the difference. Child solves three subtraction problems with counters and records each difference. Done: three correct differences with counters matching the writing. Stop after the fresh check; keep optional challenge for another day.
Family records and proof options
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Save photos, notes, and attendance. Export a proof packet for compliance or portfolio reviews.
Practice this concept
Start practiceAddition and subtraction word problems practice
Practice key ideas from Addition and subtraction word problems.
Free · no login · no ads · Practice answers and completion are not saved. Parent observation remains the lesson record.
Learning resources
Extra practice links — they do not replace Gakuva’s teaching approach.
Illustrative Mathematics · Practice link — not the full lesson
High Jump Competition
Before you open · source notes
Word problems use jump lengths of 36 cm and 45 cm for a total and a comparison. This is paper-story arithmetic, not a request to perform high jumps.
Free, no sign-in. A teacher solution is on the same page, so use the student view with your child.
Before you openAsk for the total and then the difference using the written lengths. Keep the activity on paper.
Opening this link does not save learning or assess mastery.
Source, access and review notes
Public Illustrative Mathematics task page. The .html address responds HTTP 308 to this URL. An anonymous GET of this URL on 2026-11-10 returned HTTP 200 with no login or payment prompt. Where a teacher solution is present, it is on the same page as the student task; this check did not find a separate locked student view. An adult can use the student view section and should not read a solution aloud. Advertising was not observed in the fetched HTML text; that is not a browser, device, or ad-free guarantee. This is a paper or discussion task, not an automatically marked interactive game. Opening the link does not save practice or assess mastery. Diagrams on the page use missing or filename-only alt text, so they are not an accessible image equivalent. Accessibility still depends on an adult describing the picture.
Illustrative Mathematics. “High Jump Competition.” Licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. External task; Gakuva does not copy, host, embed, or redistribute it.
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — link only
Check understanding
- Solve 'The rope is 45 cm long. I cut off 18 cm. How long is it now?'
- Draw a diagram (e.g. a ruler drawing) to represent a length word problem
- Write an equation with a symbol for the unknown to represent the problem
“If your child has a piece of rope 75 cm long and cuts off 28 cm, can they work out how much rope is left — and draw a number-line diagram to show it?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Procedural
- Subject
- Mathematics
- Domain
- Measurement
- Age range
- Ages 3–8
Standards