Subtraction Word Problems - Up to 2-Digits
šµļøāāļø Super Sleuth Time! Words are turning into numbers. You have to find the subtraction clues hiding in the story.
Concept
Don't let long paragraphs scare you. You are just hunting for three things: a big number, a small number, and a clue word. šÆ **The Subtraction Clues (+ The "Wait, What?" Rule):** * **The Normal Clues:** *Left, gave away, lost, broke, spent, fewer.* * **The "Wait, What?" Clues:** *"How many MORE?"* or *"What is the DIFFERENCE?"* * *Wait, "More" usually means addition!* But if a story asks "How many *more* apples does Bob have than Joe?" it is asking you to **COMPARE** two people. * COMPARING ALMOST ALWAYS MEANS SUBTRACT! (Big Number - Small Number). **Example:** *Bob has 42 apples. Joe has 28 apples. How many more apples does Bob have?* Stacked: 42 - 28 = 14. Bob has 14 more!
Try it
Hunt for the clues! **Instructions:** Find the numbers. Write it stacked. Solve! **Mystery 1:** A library has 85 books about dinosaurs. Students checked out 47 of them. How many dinosaur books are left on the shelf? * Clue word: _________ * Stacked: 85 - 47 * Answer: ___ books. **Mystery 2:** Sarah scored 61 points in the video game. Tim scored 38 points. What is the difference between their scores? * Clue phrase: _________ (Compare! Subtract!) * Stacked: 61 - 38 * Answer: ___ points. **Mystery 3:** You have 90 dollars. You spend 54 dollars on a new toy. How much money do you have left? * Answer: ___ dollars. **Mystery 4:** A farm has 52 cows and 25 horses. How many more cows are there than horses? * Answer: ___ cows.