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Addition · Grade 2

2nd Grade Addition and Subtraction Word Problems Within 100

Read what changes before choosing an operation. These one-step stories combine or remove counters, then ask for the new total or the amount remaining. Some calculations need regrouping; all quantities and answers stay within 100.

6 problemsAnswer key includedFree printableA4 & US Letter
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Decide what happened before lining up the digits

Maya is organizing counters for a classroom game. She has 38 and receives 27 more. She can calculate quickly, but first she needs to decide whether the story combines two collections or takes part of a collection away. Here, both groups belong in the final collection.

First collection: 38 counters.

New counters: 27.

38 + 27 = 65

38 + 20 = 58, then 58 + 7 = 65.

Connect the story to tens and ones

Thirty-eight is three tens and eight ones. Twenty-seven is two tens and seven ones. Together they make five tens and fifteen ones. Exchange ten of those ones for another ten: six tens and five ones is sixty-five.

The extra ten in a written addition method comes from that exchange. It is not an extra counter or a rule unrelated to the story. A child can draw tens and ones, split the second addend, or use a written method as long as the parts and total remain clear.

Read a taking-away story differently

Now imagine Maya has 52 counters and gives away 18. Eighteen belongs to the original fifty-two; it is not a separate collection to join. She needs 52 − 18 to find what remains. One strategy subtracts ten to reach forty-two, then eight to reach thirty-four.

52 − 10 = 42
42 − 8 = 34
34 + 18 = 52

The last equation checks that the remaining counters and the given-away counters rebuild the starting collection.

If a child subtracts each smaller digit from each larger digit: return to fifty-two as five tens and two ones. Exchange one ten for ten ones, then remove eighteen. Place value controls the meaning of the digits; their size alone does not decide which digit to subtract.

Choose a useful amount of support

Let the child explain one story before completing the page. If choosing the operation is difficult, use a sketch of the collections. If choosing is easy but calculating is hard, use tens-and-ones drawings in the available space. Check the equation and final quantity separately.

This set mixes addition and subtraction, with six questions per page. It can include zero and smaller numbers as well as two-digit quantities. It covers one-step, result-unknown situations; comparison stories, other unknown positions, and two-step problems need separate practice.

Make a practice set

Choose what to print. Selecting both shows the answer key on screen and prints the questions followed by the answers.

Print materials

After the practice

Ask for one addition check and one subtraction check. A correct answer should fit the story as well as the arithmetic. If the child is secure with the relationship but needs more calculation practice, choose the relevant regrouping worksheet below.

More about addition · Grade 2 worksheets

Grade 2 selected skill connection: 2.OA.A.1 (one-step, result-unknown stories only). See the Common Core grade guidance. This worksheet does not cover every requirement in the standard.