At its simplest subtraction is taking a value away from a group or total value. We usually learn to understand the concept of a numbers line. Moving to the right on numbers line is adding and moving to the left is taking away. When subtracting a value from a total, we refer to the value we are taking away as a subtrahend. We refer to the value we are taking away from as a Minuend. The remaining value is the difference. When students first see the concept of subtraction those big Xs come in really handy. From games of popular culture, they quickly learn that a big red X indicates that something was removed. Subtraction is used so often in our daily lives that it is hard to quantify. In fact, this is backed by research from the Wesleyan Institute. The study tried to determine how many times an adult performs the basic operations of addition or subtraction in a single day. The researchers found that they had way too much trouble trying to quantify it in an hour, let alone a day.
The worksheets that you will find range from basic large digit subtraction to basic borrowing subtraction sheets. We include flashcards and visual methods for learning how to take away values. We will focus on the concept of visuals and the takeaway of value as much as we can in these worksheets because they easily resonant with students. The problem arises when we look into borrowing values from other places. This can easily be handled by explaining the concept of place value and how they are built on the powers of ten. We also include some fun puzzles on this skill. Who does not love puzzles?
