MATH 6562
Addition and Subtraction Situations
Master of Science in Education,
Walden University
MATH 6562: The Base Ten Number System and Operations; Addition and Subtraction
Addition and Subtraction Situations
Teaching Math is often a struggle that many educators face. Helping a student gain an
understanding of exploring and then articulating reason is not an easy task (Tarbell, 2017).
Educators must work hard to create an environment where math talk is fluently spoken (Fuson &
Zaritsky, 2005). Math talk is comprised of thinking then talking and then using multiple
strategies to represent. There ends up being both agreements and disagreements (NCTM, 1991).
According to Fuson and Zaritsky, effective math talk expands critical skills such as
communication and thinking (2015). Through modeling, students are able to engage in more
effective math talks and learn the ins and out of the math language.
With a second-grade focus being on mastering addition and subtraction, the educator
must focus on problems that fit this strategy and is aligned with the Common Core Standards.
Addition and subtraction within 100 are used at this grade level to solve word problems that add
to and take from, compare, and take apart with the unknowns being in all positions (CCSSO &
NGA, 2010). When dealing with problems, educators must be on their toes at all times in order
to address any misconceptions that come to surface (Smith & Stein, 2018). During math talk, the
educator will need to monitor any talk that is happening between the students.
Van de Walle et al. (2019) highlights "four categories of problem structures for additive
situations, including addition and subtraction." The categories of problem structures are joining,
separating, part-part-whole, and compare. Joining and separating involving the actual coming
together or taking apart of quantities, while comparing and part-part-whole do not. Educators
, should be familiar with all four structures in order to make a choice of what they would prefer to
teach.
When using the join structure, there are several subtypes. The subtypes are unknown
result, unknown change, and start unknown (Van de Walle et al., 2019, Beckman, 2018, Fuson,
et al., 2011).
Join
Example of Unknown Start Grade 2 Age 7-8
Bella had candy. Zoey gave her 9 more pieces of candy. Now Bella has 13 pieces of candy.
How many pieces of candy did Bella originally have?
Solution:
Math Talk: I took the total amount of candy and subtracted what was given to bella. This told me
how many pieces Bella had before . To check, I took the 9 ones and added 4 more which gave
me 1 ten and 3 ones. That is 13. Students will also be encouraged to draw a model to see if the
solution is correct.
Part Part Whole
When doing part-part-whole, two parts are involved to make the whole but change
over time is not involved (Beckmann, 2018). These types of problems are also
Addition and Subtraction Situations
Master of Science in Education,
Walden University
MATH 6562: The Base Ten Number System and Operations; Addition and Subtraction
Addition and Subtraction Situations
Teaching Math is often a struggle that many educators face. Helping a student gain an
understanding of exploring and then articulating reason is not an easy task (Tarbell, 2017).
Educators must work hard to create an environment where math talk is fluently spoken (Fuson &
Zaritsky, 2005). Math talk is comprised of thinking then talking and then using multiple
strategies to represent. There ends up being both agreements and disagreements (NCTM, 1991).
According to Fuson and Zaritsky, effective math talk expands critical skills such as
communication and thinking (2015). Through modeling, students are able to engage in more
effective math talks and learn the ins and out of the math language.
With a second-grade focus being on mastering addition and subtraction, the educator
must focus on problems that fit this strategy and is aligned with the Common Core Standards.
Addition and subtraction within 100 are used at this grade level to solve word problems that add
to and take from, compare, and take apart with the unknowns being in all positions (CCSSO &
NGA, 2010). When dealing with problems, educators must be on their toes at all times in order
to address any misconceptions that come to surface (Smith & Stein, 2018). During math talk, the
educator will need to monitor any talk that is happening between the students.
Van de Walle et al. (2019) highlights "four categories of problem structures for additive
situations, including addition and subtraction." The categories of problem structures are joining,
separating, part-part-whole, and compare. Joining and separating involving the actual coming
together or taking apart of quantities, while comparing and part-part-whole do not. Educators
, should be familiar with all four structures in order to make a choice of what they would prefer to
teach.
When using the join structure, there are several subtypes. The subtypes are unknown
result, unknown change, and start unknown (Van de Walle et al., 2019, Beckman, 2018, Fuson,
et al., 2011).
Join
Example of Unknown Start Grade 2 Age 7-8
Bella had candy. Zoey gave her 9 more pieces of candy. Now Bella has 13 pieces of candy.
How many pieces of candy did Bella originally have?
Solution:
Math Talk: I took the total amount of candy and subtracted what was given to bella. This told me
how many pieces Bella had before . To check, I took the 9 ones and added 4 more which gave
me 1 ten and 3 ones. That is 13. Students will also be encouraged to draw a model to see if the
solution is correct.
Part Part Whole
When doing part-part-whole, two parts are involved to make the whole but change
over time is not involved (Beckmann, 2018). These types of problems are also
