Addition and Subtraction Word Problems Within 20

Teaching notes for parents and teachers

How to teach it

Read one story aloud and act it out with counters. Ask the student to describe what changed before choosing the operation.

Example to work through together

Use the model below as you explain the example. Have your student point to the quantities as you discuss them.

Ask your student

Did the collection grow, or were some counters taken away?

If your student needs help

If the operation is wrong, replay the action rather than relying on a keyword.

Make a practice set

Select the worksheet, answer key, or both. When both are selected, the answer key prints after the questions. Keep it separate if you want your student to work independently.

After your student finishes

Check the equation as well as the answer. Ask the child what each number represents and whether the final amount fits the action. If the equation matches the story but the arithmetic is wrong, practice that fact separately before returning to another story.

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  Calculation practice

  Addition Within 20

  Count on or make ten to add two numbers.

  18 problems · Answer key included
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  Calculation practice

  Subtraction Within 10

  Take away or count back, including subtracting zero and subtracting a number from itself.

  18 problems · Answer key included
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  Missing-number practice

  Missing Addend Worksheets Within 20

  Find the missing part of an addition equation; use counting on or subtraction.

  12 problems · Answer key included
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  Word problems

  Find the Starting Amount Word Problems

  Work backward from a final total to find how many there were before.

  6 problems · Answer key included
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  Word problems

  Find the Missing Change Word Problems

  Use the starting amount and what remains to find how many cents were spent.

  6 problems · Answer key included

More about addition · Grade 1 worksheets · Grade 2 worksheets

Grade 1 selected skill connection: 1.OA.A.1 (result-unknown joining and taking-away stories). See the Common Core standards for this grade. This worksheet does not cover every requirement in the standard.

Grade 2 selected skill connection: Supporting 2.OA.B.2: explain mental addition and subtraction strategies within 20 through one-step stories; not a full fact-recall assessment. See the Common Core standards for this grade. This worksheet does not cover every requirement in the standard.