Subtraction: Taking Away

Five mangoes, and someone eats two. How many are left?

Look at five juicy mangoes in a basket. Let us count them together. Now imagine two friends each pick one mango and eat it. Some mangoes go away.

When we take things away, we call it subtraction. The word is subtract.

• Subtract = take away

Let us do it with ten frame counters. Here are five counters. Take away two counters. Count the ones that stay. One, two, three. We write it with a minus sign. Five minus two equals three.

• 5 take away 2 = 3

Here is a new story. Six birds sit on a wall, and four fly away.

Count the birds. Six birds, and four fly away. How many stay? Cross out four birds. Two are left. Six minus four equals two.

A number line helps too. Start at six, then hop back four steps. Subtraction is like going backwards. Each hop back takes one away.

What happens if we take away all the things? Take five from five.

• Take all away = zero

Now you try. Four sweets, and you eat one. Pick the right answer. Four sweets, take away one. How many are left? Subtraction means taking away, and what stays is the answer.