Headline Story
Large Numbers, #5
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Introduction
This Headline Story does not include specific numbers in order to move children’s attention away from actual calculations and toward thinking about the operations of addition and subtraction. Encourage children to suggest a sequence of actions, such as starting with an amount of money and subtracting to show what was spent.
Headline Story
Allison has some money and wants to buy a pencil and a pad of paper.
Possible student responses
- First, she should count her money.
- Second, she should find out how much the pencil and the pad of paper cost.
- Third, she should make sure she has enough money.
- Finally, she can buy the items if she has enough money.
- Allison might use subtraction to compare the total cost to the amount of money she has. She might buy one item, subtract the amount from the money she has, and then check to see whether she has enough to buy the other item. For example, if she has 75¢ and the pencil costs 10¢ and the paper costs 50¢, then she will have enough money to buy both of them. If the pencil costs 5¢ and the paper costs 55¢, the combined cost is 60¢. If Allison has 60¢ or more she can buy them both.
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