Mathematics · Grade 2

Active learning ideas

Subtraction Strategies: Fact Families

Active learning works for subtraction fact families because students need to see the connections between numbers in different operations. Moving from counting to using relationships between numbers builds fluency and confidence. These activities give students chances to explain their thinking, compare strategies, and apply ideas in real contexts.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• 2.OA.B.2

• 25–35 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Placemat Activity
• 30 min · Individual

Fact Family Houses

Students draw a 'house' with three rooms. The largest number goes on the roof, and the other two numbers go in the foundation rooms. Students then write the four fact family sentences around the house, connecting the numbers.

Construct a fact family for a given set of three numbers.

Facilitation Tip

During the Strategy Gallery Walk, assign each student a different strategy card so every method gets represented when they rotate.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Placemat Activity
• 25 min · Pairs

Number Bond Manipulatives

Provide students with number bonds (circles with three connecting lines). Students place three chosen numbers into the bond and then write the corresponding addition and subtraction sentences on whiteboards or paper.

Justify how knowing 8+5=13 helps solve 13-5=8.

Facilitation Tip

For the Think-Pair-Share, give pairs a timer for 30 seconds to explain their strategy to each other before sharing with the class.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Placemat Activity
• 35 min · Small Groups

Fact Family Matching Game

Create cards with individual number sentences (e.g., 9 + 3 = 12). Students work in small groups to find matching cards that belong to the same fact family and lay them out together.

Differentiate between addition and subtraction in a word problem context.

Facilitation Tip

In the Mental Math Market simulation, provide play money and price tags set at friendly numbers so students practice 'making tens' naturally in context.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers often start by modeling how fact families connect addition and subtraction with visuals like number bonds or triangles. Avoid rushing to abstract symbols before students see the patterns in real problems. Research shows that students benefit most when they first talk through their own strategies, then compare them to others. Keep examples small at first, like 5, 7, 12, so the patterns are clear.

By the end of these activities, students should explain how fact families show the same numbers in addition and subtraction. They should choose efficient strategies like making tens or using doubles without teacher prompts. Students should also recognize when one strategy works better than another for a given problem.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Strategy Gallery Walk, watch for students who rely only on counting on fingers for every problem.

  Have these students stand at the 'making tens' station first to see how peers break numbers apart, then ask them to try one example using that strategy before returning to their original method.

• During the Think-Pair-Share, watch for students who assume the teacher's method is the only correct way to solve a problem.

  After pairs share, ask each group to vote on which strategy they think is most efficient and explain why, highlighting that different problems may need different tools.

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Methods used in this brief

• Placemat Activity