Addition and subtraction word problems
Solve addition and subtraction word problems within 10 using objects or drawings
Lesson
Set out your lesson
“Word problems are number stories. First we hear the story, then we build it with objects or a drawing, then we count to answer. Stay within 10 today.”
Bring to the table
- 10 large blocks, toys, or paper circles
- Paper and crayon
Extra for the adult
Worked example. 7 birds, 3 fly away → remove 3 from 7 → 4 left. 4 and 2 more → 6 in all.
Optional challenge. Try a result-unknown take-apart story: “There are 5 fish. Some swim away and 3 are left. How many swam away?” Build it with objects.
What to notice. Save a photo of one modeled problem or a parent note with both stories and answers.
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Teaching approaches
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1 approach
Word problems are number stories. First we hear the story, then we build it with objects or a drawing, then we count to answer. Stay within 10 today.
Spend about 10–15 minutes solving one take-from story and one put-together story within 10.
Family records and proof options
Keep a record of your learning
Save photos, notes, and attendance. Export a proof packet for compliance or portfolio reviews.
Learning resources
Extra practice links — they do not replace Gakuva’s teaching approach.
Illustrative Mathematics · Practice link — not the full lesson
Maria’s Marbles
Before you open · source notes
Put-together and take-apart marble stories support addition and subtraction word problems. Not every three-addend story.
Free, no sign-in. A teacher solution is on the same page, so use the student view with your child.
Before you openAsk the learner to write one number sentence for a marble story and say what the answer means.
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 2026-11-12 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. “Maria’s Marbles.” 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 'There are 6 apples, 2 are eaten, how many left?' using counters
- Solve 'add to' and 'take from' result-unknown problems
- Solve 'put together/take apart' problems with total unknown
“If you say 'There are 7 birds on a fence and 3 fly away — how many are left?', can your child work it out using their fingers, counters, or a quick drawing?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Procedural
- Subject
- Mathematics
- Domain
- Addition & Subtraction
- Age range
- Ages 4–6
Standards