McGraw-Hill My Math, Grade 2 © 2018

Chapter 4 Subtract Two-Digit Numbers

Lesson 8: Problem-Solving Strategy: Write a Number Sentence

What's the Math?

FOCUS
Domain: Operations and Algebraic Thinking
Major Cluster: Represent and solve problems involving addition and subtraction.
Objective: Students will write a number sentence strategy to solve problems.

Standard
2.OA.1 Use addition and subtraction within 100 to solve one- and two-step word
problems involving situations of adding to, taking from, putting together,
taking apart, and comparing, with unknowns in all positions, e.g., by using
drawings and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent
the problem.

Mathematical Practices
1 Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
2 Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
3 Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
4 Model with mathematics.
6 Attend to precision.

COHERENCE
Thinking Across Grades
Previous Now Next
Grade 1 1.OA.1 Grade 2 2.OA.1 Grade 3 3.NBT.2
Linking to Major Topics
Connected to the following critical area of focus: 2. Building fluency with addition and subtraction.
Connected to the following standards: 1.OA.2, 1.OA.7, 2.OA.2, 3.NBT.2

RIGOR
In this problem-solving lesson, students extend their understanding of subtraction to translating word problems
into number sentences to solve. After reading a problem, they are encouraged to identify the information they
know and what they need to find.

What Students Should Understand

You can write a number sentence to solve a real-world problem.
First, make sure you understand the meaning of the problem. Determine what facts are important and what
question is being asked.
Then make a plan to solve the problem. Follow through with the plan.
Check your answer to determine whether it is correct and makes sense.
What Students Should Be Able To Do
There are 56 tomatoes in a garden. 29 of the tomatoes are picked.
How many tomatoes are left in the garden?
1 Understand
Underline what you know. Circle what you need to find.
2 Plan
How will I solve this problem?
I can write a number sentence.
3 Solve

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 McGraw-Hill My Math, Grade 2 © 2018
Chapter 4 Subtract Two-Digit Numbers
Lesson 8: Problem-Solving Strategy: Write a Number Sentence

I will… find 56 – 29.

4 16
56
– 29
27
So, there are 27 tomatoes left in the garden.
4 Check
Is my answer reasonable? Explain.
Sample answer: yes, 27 + 29 = 56, so my answer is correct.

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 McGraw-Hill My Math, Grade 2 © 2018
Chapter 4 Subtract Two-Digit Numbers
Lesson 8: Problem-Solving Strategy: Write a Number Sentence

Developing the Strategy / Get Ready

What’s the Strategy?

Write a Number Sentence The strategy involves higher-order thinking. Students must first identify the
information they are given and determine which numbers are parts, and which is the whole. Then they must
represent this symbolically using a subtraction number sentence.

Example
• There are 56 tomatoes in a garden. 29 of the tomatoes are picked. How many tomatoes are left in the garden?
• Find 56 - 29.
4 16
56
- 29
27
• So, there are 27 tomatoes left in the garden.

Other Strategies
Other strategies that have been taught and that students may choose to use on the Review the Strategies page are:
• Find a pattern.
• Act it out.

English Language Learner Instructional Strategy

Collaborative Support: Echo Reading
Pair a native English-speaking student read the problem aloud, and have the ELL echo read. Then have students
work together using the graphic organizer to solve each problem. Direct students to write a list of “clue” words or
phrases from each problem that signaled them to write a subtraction sentence, such as: fly away, leave, are still,
are left, how many more than, and eats. At the end of the lesson, invite students to share their lists of “clue”
words.
Resources
Chapter 4 Lesson 8: Student
Chapter 4 Lesson 8: Teacher
Multilingual eGlossary Grades K-5
Virtual Word Wall, Grade 2
My Vocabulary Cards, Grade 2, Chapter 4
My Vocabulary Cards, Grade 2, Chapter 4, Answer Key

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 McGraw-Hill My Math, Grade 2 © 2018
Chapter 4 Subtract Two-Digit Numbers
Lesson 8: Problem-Solving Strategy: Write a Number Sentence

LAUNCH

Review
Problem of the Day
Find the number pairs that have a difference of 21. Sample answer: 99 - 78; 73 - 52; 45 - 24; 68 - 47 Then write
five more number pairs that have a difference of 21. Sample answer: 85 - 64; 42 - 21;
59 - 38; 66 - 45; 33 - 12
Check for Reasonableness How could you check that all of your subtraction number sentences are
correct? Sample answer: I could check the subtraction using addition facts. Discuss the different ways students
could check that their subtraction number sentences are correct. Have students use one of the methods to check
that their answers are reasonable.

Quick Check
Use this activity as a quick review and assessment of the previous lesson.
A printable version is available online.

Additional Resources
Literature Connection
Read a trade book, such as The Good Neighbors’ Cheese Feast; A Cheesy Mouse Tale of Subtraction with
Regrouping by Mark Ramsay, to prepare students for this lesson.

Resources
Place-Value Models
MyMath eToolkit Link Grade 2
Chapter 4 Lesson 8 Problem Solving: STRATEGY: Write a Number Sentence

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 McGraw-Hill My Math, Grade 2 © 2018
Chapter 4 Subtract Two-Digit Numbers
Lesson 8: Problem-Solving Strategy: Write a Number Sentence

BUILD Conceptual Understanding

Prepare
You will need:
• write-on/wipe-off boards
• dry erase markers

Discuss with students what it means to write a number sentence to solve a problem. Hand out a marker and a
write-on/wipe-off board to each student. Write the following problem on the board.
Damion has 31 crayons. He gives 14 crayons to his friend.
How many crayons does Damion have now?
Discuss with students the information they know and what they need to find. Model underlining the information
that they know and circling the information that they need to find. Have a volunteer model solving the problem on
board by writing a subtraction number sentence. Have the rest of the students solve the problem on their
write-on/wipe-off boards. Discuss whether the students’ answers are reasonable.

Building a Learning Community

In this lesson, students learn to look for key words that enable them to write a number sentence to solve the
problem. Talk with your fellow teachers to make lists of words that indicate addition or subtraction in the context
of the problem. You may wish to add these to your word wall in groups to remind students to look for key words.

Learn the Strategy

Have students read the problem on the student page. Guide them through the problem-solving steps.
1 Understand
Using the question, discuss what students know and what they need to find. Have students underline the
information they know and circle what they need to find.
2 Plan
Have students discuss the strategy they are using to solve the problem.
3 Solve Guide students to use the write a number sentence strategy to solve the problem.
Which piece of information goes in the first blank line? The number of bees on a flower.
What symbols go in each of the circles? The minus sign goes in the first circle and the equals sign goes in
the second circle.
What piece of information goes in the second blank line? The number of bees that fly away. What is the
difference? 9 bees
4 Check
Check for Reasonableness How could you make sure your answer is reasonable? See students’
explanations.

Resources
Place-Value Models
Number Cubes, 0-5, 5-10
Connecting Cubes

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 McGraw-Hill My Math, Grade 2 © 2018
Chapter 4 Subtract Two-Digit Numbers
Lesson 8: Problem-Solving Strategy: Write a Number Sentence

PRACTICE Procedural Skill and Fluency

Levels of Complexity
Level 1 Understand Concepts Practice the Strategy
Level 2 Apply Concepts Exercises 1–3
Level 3 Extend Concepts Exercises 4–7

Practice the Strategy

1 Understand
Read the problem to students. Point out information as you read it. Have students underline the information
they know and circle what they need to find.
2 Plan
Make Sense of Problems Discuss several strategies they could use to solve the problem. Lead
students towards writinga number sentence to solve the problem.
Why it is important for you to have a plan for solving a word problem? Sample answer: A plan makes it
more likely that I’ll find the correct answer.
3 Solve
Have students work through the problem using the student page. Show students how to solve the problem
step by step.
4 Check
Have students look back at the problem to make sure that their answer is reasonable.
Resources
Place-Value Models
Number Cubes, 0-5, 5-10
Connecting Cubes
Problem-Solving Strategy: Write a Number Sentence
Self-Check Quiz: Problem-Solving Strategy: Write a Number Sentence

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 McGraw-Hill My Math, Grade 2 © 2018
Chapter 4 Subtract Two-Digit Numbers
Lesson 8: Problem-Solving Strategy: Write a Number Sentence

APPLY the Math

Apply the Strategy

Based on your observations, you may choose to assign exercises
as noted in the levels below:
Approaching Level Guide students through the exercises. Help them to use manipulatives while working
through these exercises.

On Level Complete the exercises independently.

Beyond Level Complete the exercises independently. Then have students explain to a classmate how they
could use a different strategy to solve the exercises.

Make Sense of Problems

Exercise 2 What do all of the numbers in the problem represent? Sample answer: The number of lions in the yard
in the morning and the number of lions in the yard in the afternoon.

Brain Builders

Attend to Precision
Exercise 3 Have students explain to a friend how they solved Exercise 3.

Review the Strategies

Before students start this page, review the three strategies they can choose from to solve each of the exercises.
The strategies are find a pattern, write a number sentence, and act it out. Have students work through the
problem-solving exercises on this page independently.
Model with Mathematics
Exercise 4 What number sentence could you write to solve this problem?
Sample answer: 45 39 = 6 leaves
Construct Arguments
Exercise 6 What strategy did you use to solve the problem? Sample answer: I decided to act it out using base-ten
blocks to help me find the answer.

Formative Assessment
Self-Assessment Use the problem-solving checklist to reflect upon the steps you used to solve Exercise 5.
Resources
Four-Step Problem-Solving Plan

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 McGraw-Hill My Math, Grade 2 © 2018
Chapter 4 Subtract Two-Digit Numbers
Lesson 8: Problem-Solving Strategy: Write a Number Sentence

DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION

Differentiated Instruction

Tier 2: Strategic Intervention

Time: 5-10 min
Hands-On Activity Materials: dominoes
Give each student a domino that has a greater number of dots on one side than on the other side. Have students
compare the sides of the domino. Ask students to tell the difference in the number of dots on the domino. Have
students trade dominoes with a friend and repeat the activity.

Tier 1
Time: 10-15 min
Hands-On Activity Materials: index cards, pencils
Have students write a subtraction number story on an index card. Then combine all of the story cards in a group.
Have students take turns picking a card, reading the problem out loud, and solving the problem. Have students
explain the steps they followed to solve the problem.

Extend
Time: 10-15 min
Hands-On Activity Materials: paper, pencil
Write the following on the board:
There were 3 girls at the beach. Mary found 21 shells.
Joann found 9 shells. Liz found 1 more shell than Joann?
Have students write two different questions about the story. 1 question should involve a joining situation. The
other question should involve a comparative situation. Have students exchange papers with a partner to solve.

Differentiated English Language Learner Support

Logical Reasoning
Write and read aloud, There were 12 birds are in a tree. Then 7 birds flew away. How many birds are left in the
tree? (Provide pictures to clarify word meaning.) Work with students to identify what they know and underline it.
Circle the last sentence. Draw a diagram of 12 Xs and then circle 7 of them. Point to Plan, and say, Now we need
a plan. We can use a subtraction number sentence to solve. Write number sentence next to Plan on the board.
Encourage students to use the diagram to write a subtraction sentence.

Sentence Frames
Write then read aloud, Hector ate 23 grapes. His brother ate 39 grapes. How many more grapes did Hector's
brother eat? Prompt students as they help you solve the problem by asking questions about the four-step
problem-solving process. Provide sentence frames for their answers, such as:
We know ________ and ________.
We need to find out ________.

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 McGraw-Hill My Math, Grade 2 © 2018
Chapter 4 Subtract Two-Digit Numbers
Lesson 8: Problem-Solving Strategy: Write a Number Sentence

You should underline ________.

You should circle ________.
We can use a ________ to solve the problem.
Guide students to use a number sentence as their plan to solve.

Signal Words
Write then read aloud, There are 52 cards in a deck. Julia dealt 28 cards. How many cards are left in the deck?
Ask students to identify what they know, and then underline the first two sentences of the problem. On the board,
write: who, what, where, when, how, and why. Say, These are question words. When you see a question word in a
problem, it can tell you what you need to find out. Which question word is in the problem on the board? how
Have students talk you through the remaining steps and solve the problem.
Resources
Enrich Worksheet: Problem-Solving Strategy: Write a Number Sentence
Enrich Worksheet: Problem-Solving Strategy: Write a Number Sentence, Answer Key
Reteach Worksheet: Problem-Solving Strategy: Write a Number Sentence
Reteach Worksheet: Problem-Solving Strategy: Write a Number Sentence, Answer Key
Enrich Worksheet: Problem-Solving Strategy: Write a Number Sentence
Reteach Worksheet: Problem-Solving Strategy: Write a Number Sentence
Problem Solving: Choose an Operation
Four-Step Problem-Solving Plan
Dominoes
Problem-Solving Strategy: Write a Number Sentence

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 McGraw-Hill My Math, Grade 2 © 2018
Chapter 4 Subtract Two-Digit Numbers
Lesson 8: Problem-Solving Strategy: Write a Number Sentence

WRAP UP

My Homework
Assign homework after successful completion of the lesson. Students who understand the concepts may skip the
Homework Helper section.

Practice
Reason Abstractly
Exercise 1 If Emma gives the same number of ribbons that she lost to her friend, how many ribbons would Emma
have left? 7 ribbons

Brain Builders

Attend to Precision
Exercise 3 Have students explain to a friend how they regrouped to find the answer.

Test Practice
Diagnose Student Errors
Class trends in wrong answers may indicate common errors or misconceptions.
11 subtracted incorrectly
9 correct
19 only subtracted 6
41 added intead of subtracting

Formative Assessment
Self Assessment Write the following on the board.
How do number sentences help us find what we need to know?
Have students write a response to the question. Sample answer: They put together what we know and what we
need to know.

Resources
Connecting Cubes
Answer Key, My Homework, Chapter 4, Lesson 8
My Homework, Chapter 4, Lesson 8
Mi tarea, Capítulo 4, Lección 8
Claves de respuesta, Mi tarea, Capítulo 4, Lección 8

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 McGraw-Hill My Math, Grade 2 © 2018
Chapter 4 Subtract Two-Digit Numbers
Lesson 8: Problem-Solving Strategy: Write a Number Sentence

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