Education Technology

Action-Packed Subtraction Patterns

Subject Area
Math: Elementary Math: Number Operations
Math: Elementary Math: Algebraic Thinking
Level
K-5
Activity Time
60 Minutes
TI Calculator
TI-15 Explorer™/TI-10
Other Materials
This activity originally appeared in the EXPLORATIONS Book:
Uncovering Math with Manipulatives and the TI-10

Resource Types
Lessons

Action-Packed Subtraction Patterns

Activity Overview

Students learn to use manipulatives and calculators to explore what happens when they change one number at a time in a subtraction number sentence. They record and develop the pattern that develops.

After the Activity

Students will explore the following concepts in this activity:

  • Whole numbers
  • Subtraction
  • Patterns

About the Lesson

To introduce the activity, read There Were Ten in a Bed or Five Little Ducks and write number sentences for one of the stories together as a class.

Distribute the student activity and have students choose a new number sentences and write it on their activity sheets. Next, ask them to model the story they chose with manipulatives. Finally, ask students to choose one number in the story to change, and repeat the above.

Subject Area
Math: Elementary Math: Number Operations
Math: Elementary Math: Algebraic Thinking
Level
K-5
Activity Time
60 Minutes
TI Calculator
TI-15 Explorer™/TI-10
Other Materials
This activity originally appeared in the EXPLORATIONS Book:
Uncovering Math with Manipulatives and the TI-10

Resource Types
Lessons
iPad is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
Vernier EasyData,Vernier EasyLink and Vernier EasyTemp are registered trademarks of Vernier Science Education.