Teaching Addition and Subtraction in 2nd Grade

Teaching Addition and Subtraction in 2nd Grade

Hey y'all! We're gearing up for learning about addition and subtraction over here and it's a doozie. My kiddos in the past were so confused about the district's workbook program, and I just know I cannot put another class through that. Anyone else been there?

So this year, we're doing things differently. If you're not familiar with how we run math workshop in our classroom, you can check out the original post here.

This unit is 5 weeks long. We spend the first week learning about place value to the hundreds place. The kids play games and use task cards to develop a firm understanding of how numbers work.

The second week, we practice adding and subtraction without regrouping in all kinds of ways. The games and activities are so much fun and students beg to get to play them again and again. (Addition and subtraction with regrouping will be in the sequel of this unit, so hang tight.)  

The third week, we practice adding and subtracting by 10 and 100. The activities are similar enough to be easy to manage and understand, but unique enough to keep students' super-short attention.

Week 4 focuses on how to write these big numbers in expanded form. So many curriculum resources touch on this so briefly that the kiddos don't really understand it. By taking a full week on how to write them and what they mean, students develop a firm understanding of place value and how it all works together. This helps out immensely when we get to regrouping. 

And the last week, we put it all together in word problems. There are task card, puzzles, games, and a super silly scoot game to sum it all up at the end. And by silly I mean my middle schooler helped write some of the questions. They may cause extreme giggling. Just FYI. ;)

I hope your class enjoys these stations just as much as mine do. If you have any questions about to use math stations in your classroom, drop them in the comments and I'll answer them as quickly as possible. 

The addition and subtraction unit WITH regrouping can be found here, along with several other related units. Follow me either through email or on TPT (or both!) so you can stay up to date with the latest information. 

Have a wonderful week and I'll talk to you soon. 

Stay cozy,