Activity 01
Keyword Hunt Game
Students read word problems on cards and circle subtraction keywords. They draw pictures to show the subtraction. Pairs discuss and solve one problem together.
Differentiate between word problems that require addition and those that require subtraction.
Facilitation TipDuring the Keyword Hunt Game, give each pair a magnifying glass so they feel like real detectives searching for hidden clues in the text.
What to look forPresent the following problem orally: 'Ria had 15 crayons. She gave 4 crayons to her friend. How many crayons does Ria have left?' Ask students to write down the number sentence and the answer. Observe if they correctly identify the subtraction operation.
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Activity 02
Toy Take-Away Stories
Use classroom toys to act out subtraction word problems. Children remove objects as per the story and count what is left. Share solutions with the class.
Justify your choice of operation for a given word problem.
Facilitation TipFor Toy Take-Away Stories, use soft toys and small baskets so students can physically ‘remove’ items to see the remaining count.
What to look forGive each student a card with a word problem: 'There were 10 birds on a tree. 3 birds flew away. How many birds are on the tree now?' Ask students to write down the keyword that tells them to subtract and the final answer.
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Activity 03
Problem Solver Cards
Provide mixed addition-subtraction cards. Students sort them into piles and solve subtraction ones. Check with peers.
Predict what would happen if you used addition instead of subtraction to solve a 'how many left' problem.
Facilitation TipWhen using Problem Solver Cards, have students first whisper the answer to a partner before writing anything to reduce pressure.
What to look forPresent this scenario: 'Amit had 8 chocolates. He ate 2.' Ask students: 'What operation should we use to find out how many chocolates Amit has left? Why? What would happen if we added 8 and 2 instead?' Facilitate a discussion on their reasoning.
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Activity 04
Class Story Chain
Build a class subtraction story one sentence at a time. Each child adds a subtraction step and solves the running total.
Differentiate between word problems that require addition and those that require subtraction.
Facilitation TipIn the Class Story Chain, start the first sentence yourself so the class hears a clear model of how to continue the subtraction story.
What to look forPresent the following problem orally: 'Ria had 15 crayons. She gave 4 crayons to her friend. How many crayons does Ria have left?' Ask students to write down the number sentence and the answer. Observe if they correctly identify the subtraction operation.
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Generate Complete Lesson→A few notes on teaching this unit
Start by reading aloud a simple subtraction story and asking students to act it out with counters. This shows that subtraction is about ‘taking away’ or finding what is ‘left over’, not just ‘getting less’. Avoid teaching keywords in isolation; instead, pair each keyword with a matching action so the word always points to a clear subtraction picture. Research from primary classrooms shows that when children draw quick sketches before calculating, their accuracy improves and misconceptions drop.
By the end of these activities, every child should be able to underline the subtraction keyword in a problem, write the correct number sentence, and draw a simple picture to check their answer. They should also confidently explain why addition would not fit the same story.
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
During Keyword Hunt Game, watch for students who label every large number as the number to subtract.
Hand them a red marker and ask them to circle only the words that describe an action like ‘take away’, ‘left’, or ‘flew away’ so they see the keyword must match the story, not just the size of the number.
During Toy Take-Away Stories, watch for students who count the toys they removed instead of the toys left on the table.
Place a small sticky note on the basket with the word ‘left’ written on it and remind them to count what remains after the take-away.
During Problem Solver Cards, watch for students who add the numbers even when the story clearly shows a decrease.
Ask them to read their number sentence aloud while pointing to each part of the picture they drew; this usually makes the mismatch obvious.
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