Subtraction within 10: Taking Away and Fact Families

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

The Amazing Take-Away Adventure!

Hey, Math Explorer! Have you ever shared your snacks with a friend? Imagine you have 5 yummy apple slices. That's your whole pile. Then, you give 2 slices to your buddy. You just did subtraction! You "took away" a part of your snack to find the part you have left.

Subtraction is just like being a detective. We start with the total number of things (the whole) and find out what's left when some are taken away.

From Pictures to Numbers

Let's look at our apple slices. We can draw it!

🍎 🍎 🍎 🍎 🍎

We started with 5 apples. We took away 2. Now we have 3 left! We write this as a number sentence, or an equation:

5 - 2 = 3

🔍 Key Takeaway: Meet the Fact Family!

Did you know that addition and subtraction are best friends? They work together in a "Fact Family" using the same three numbers. For our apple slices, the family members are 2, 3, and 5.

✓ 2 + 3 = 5
✓ 3 + 2 = 5
✓ 5 - 2 = 3
✓ 5 - 3 = 2

See? They all belong together! If you know one fact, you can figure out the others. It's like a superpower!

Let's Solve a Mystery!

Now it's your turn to be the detective. Let's try a real-world problem.

There are 8 ducks swimming in a pond. 🦆 Suddenly, 6 ducks fly away! How many ducks are left swimming in the pond?

Think: What is the whole? What part was taken away? What equation can you write to find the missing part?

8 - 6 = ?

You've got this, superstar! Keep practicing, and you'll be a subtraction master in no time. Every time you share or finish something, you're practicing math!

Sample questions

1. You have 7 yummy cookies. You eat 3 of them. How many cookies are left?

○ 3

✓ 4

○ 10

○ 5

Answer: 4 — Start with 7 cookies and take away 3.

2. Look at this number bond. If the whole is 9 and one part is 4, what is the other part?

○ 4

○ 13

✓ 5

○ 6

Answer: 5 — If you have 9 and take away 4, what is left?

3. There are 8 birds sitting on a branch. 2 birds fly away. How many birds are still on the branch?

✓ 6

○ 2

○ 10

○ 7

Answer: 6 — Start with 8 birds and count back 2.

Skills in this topic

Relate subtraction to taking away a part from a whole using number bonds.
Subtract numbers within 10 using concrete objects and pictorial representations.
Write and solve subtraction equations within 10.
Understand the relationship between addition and subtraction within 10 (fact families).
Analyze and solve real-world problems involving subtraction within 10, identifying the unknown.

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