Subtraction from 20: Making 10 Strategy (Concrete)

Free sample questions, a clear explanation, and 5 practice skills with an AI tutor that guides without giving the answer away.

Making 10: Your Subtraction Superpower!

Hi, Math Explorer! Imagine you have a big box of 10 yummy crayons and 3 extra crayons on your desk. That's 13 crayons! If your friend asks to borrow 5, what's the easiest way to give them away?

You'd probably hand them the 3 extra crayons from your desk first, right? That leaves you with your perfect, neat box of 10. Then, you just need to open the box and give them 2 more. This is exactly how we can use our "Make 10" strategy to solve tricky subtraction problems!

Number 10 is a super friendly number in math. When we have a subtraction problem like 14 - 8, it can look a little big. But if we use our friend, Number 10, it becomes much easier. We just need our ten frames and some counters to see the magic!

Let's Try It Together: 14 - 8

Grab your two ten frames and 14 counters! We're going to be subtraction detectives.

Step 1: Show the Number. Place your counters on the ten frames. You'll have one full ten frame and 4 counters on the second frame. That's 14!
Step 2: Look at the Extras. We want to get to our friendly number, 10. How many "extra" counters do we have on the second frame? That's right, 4!
Step 3: Break Apart. We need to take away 8. Let's break 8 into two parts. Since we have 4 "extras," our first part will be 4. What's the other part of 8? It's 4! (Because 4 + 4 = 8).
Step 4: Take to 10. Let's take away the first part. Swoosh! Take those 4 extra counters away. What do you have left? A perfect, full ten frame! We made 10!
Step 5: Take from 10. We're not done yet! We still need to take away the second part, which is 4. Let's take 4 counters from our full ten frame.
Step 6: Find the Answer! How many counters are left in your ten frame? Count them... there are 6! You are amazing! So, 14 - 8 = 6.

Key Takeaway: Your Super Subtraction Steps!

Start: Show your big number with ten frames and counters.
Break Apart: Break the number you're taking away into two parts. The first part is always the "extras."
Take to 10: Take away the "extras" first. Now you have 10!
Take from 10: Take away the second part from your full ten frame.
Answer: What's left is your awesome answer!

By making 10 first, big subtraction problems become small and simple. You are building a super strong math brain! Keep practicing with your counters, and remember that Number 10 is always your helpful friend.

Sample questions

1. You have 12 yummy apples. You eat 3 apples. How many apples are left?

✓ 9

○ 3

○ 15

○ 10

Answer: 9 — Imagine 12 apples. Take away 3. Count how many are still there!

2. There are 15 toy cars on the floor. 6 cars roll away. How many cars are still on the floor?

○ 6

✓ 9

○ 11

○ 21

Answer: 9 — Start with 15 cars. Remove 6. What's the new count?

3. You baked 13 cookies. You give 5 cookies to your friend. How many cookies do you have now?

○ 5

○ 18

○ 7

✓ 8

Answer: 8 — If you have 13 and give away 5, count what remains.

Skills in this topic

Subtract numbers within 20 by taking away concrete objects.
Use concrete objects to subtract by 'taking from 10' (e.g., 13 - 5 by taking 3 from 13 to get 10, then 2 more from 10).
Represent the 'taking from 10' strategy for subtraction using ten frames and counters.
Solve subtraction problems within 20 by finding the missing part of a number bond where the whole is 10.
Demonstrate how to solve 14 - 8 using two ten frames and explain the steps involved in taking from 10.

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