Addition Subtraction Problem Solving

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Mathematical problem solving illustration

🎯 WALT: We Are Learning To solve addition and subtraction word problems using different strategies

Success Criteria:

I can identify key information in word problems
I can choose appropriate strategies to solve problems
I can estimate to check if my answer is reasonable
I can show my working clearly

Part 1: Problem Solving with Strategies

1. Sarah has 347 stickers. She gives away 129 stickers to her friends and buys 85 more stickers. How many stickers does she have now?

Strategy to use: Circle one below

Levelling (making numbers easier)

Addition for subtraction

Bridging (jump strategy)

Answer: __________ stickers

2. A school needs 1,250 chairs for an assembly. They have 487 chairs in the hall and 356 chairs in storage. How many more chairs do they need?

Estimate first: Round the numbers and estimate your answer: __________

Exact answer: __________ chairs

3. Tom scored 285 points, Lisa scored 347 points, and Jake scored 192 points in a game. What is their total score?

When would you use a calculator for this problem?

Always use a calculator for 3-digit numbers

When you need to be very accurate and quick

Never use a calculator

Total score: __________ points

Part 2: Error Detection and Estimation

4. Ben calculated: 456 + 287 = 643. Use estimation to check if his answer is reasonable.

My estimation: 456 rounds to _____ and 287 rounds to _____

Estimated answer: _____ + _____ = _____

Is Ben's answer reasonable?

Yes, it's close to my estimate

No, it's too different from my estimate

5. Multi-step problem: A bakery baked 324 muffins in the morning and 267 muffins in the afternoon. They sold 445 muffins during the day. How many muffins do they have left?

Step 1 - What do I need to find first? _________________________________

Step 2 - What do I need to find next? _________________________________

Final answer: __________ muffins left

6. Choose the most efficient strategy for: 598 + 397

Add normally: 598 + 397

Use levelling: 600 + 400 - 5

Use bridging: 598 + 2 + 395

Explain why this strategy is efficient:

Part 3: Real-World Applications

7. A sports store has the following items in stock:

Footballs: 156
Basketballs: 89
Soccer balls: 234
Tennis balls: 445

a) How many balls do they have in total? __________

b) If they sell 278 balls, how many will be left? __________

8. Problem-solving reflection: Look back at your work above. Circle the strategies you used today:

Levelling (making numbers easier)

Addition for subtraction

Bridging (jump strategy)

Estimation for checking

Place value understanding

Which strategy helped you the most today? Why?

Addition Subtraction Problem Solving

Addition Subtraction Problem Solving

🎯 WALT: We Are Learning To solve addition and subtraction word problems using different strategies

Part 1: Problem Solving with Strategies

Part 2: Error Detection and Estimation

Part 3: Real-World Applications

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