Question 1
6 birds are on a fence. 2 birds fly away. How many birds are left?
Year 1
Solve one-step subtraction problems using objects and pictures
Look at a group in a simple story, take some away, and work out how many are left.
Lesson overview
Number - addition and subtraction
A one-step subtraction problem asks us to start with a group, take some away, and count what is left. We can look at the pictures, notice how many are taken away, and then find the group that remains.
Worked example
There are 10 shells on the sand and 6 shells are collected. How many shells are left on the sand?
- Count the starting group. There are 10 shells.
- Look at how many are taken away. 6 shells are collected.
- Take away 6 from the starting group.
- Count the shells that are left. There are 4.
Try it
Read the story, see what is taken away, then count what is left.
Question 2
Which number sentence matches the picture?
Question 3
10 flowers are in the garden. 3 flowers are picked. How many flowers are left?
Question 4
8 shells are on the beach. 4 shells are taken home. How many shells are left?
Question 5
What do you do first in a subtraction story problem?
Common mistakes
These reminders help when solving subtraction story problems.
- Putting the two groups together instead of taking some away.
- Counting the starting group correctly but forgetting to remove the ones that leave.
- Answering with the number taken away instead of the number left.
Related topics
These connect closely to one-step subtraction problems.
- Solve one-step addition problems using objects and pictures.
- Solve missing number problems such as 7 = ? - 9.