After we have a Break, we always write about it! Here are the steps:

1. Think about your Spring Break. It was probably very different this year! Maybe close your eyes and try to see, hear, taste, smell, or feel your Spring Break.

2. Answer these guiding questions on paper or just in your head to help you think about your writing:

   • What did you do?

   • Who did you see?

   • What did you eat?

   • Where did you go (or not go)?

   • When was your favourite Spring Break ever?

   • Why was that Spring Break the best ever?

3. Choose your main idea. Ms. Rashleigh suggests that your first sentence could be "This year Spring Break was..."

4. Start writing! Your first sentence should be your main idea: This year Spring Break was...

Take a look at my example in the photo to get an idea of what your writing might look like!

5. Write a closing sentence that has your main idea in it. Yours might say "This year Spring Break was definitely..."

6. Share your writing with someone! Ask for ideas of how to make it better, and make sure you notice any mistakes and fix them. You can do it!

Creative writing can be about anything. This is your chance to write whatever you like! You will need to use Creative Thinking to help you think of a good idea. Here's how to do it:

1. First you need a topic. That means an idea that you can write about. It is good to choose a topic that you already know a lot about so that you can do great writing. Some ideas to write about are:

   • Yourself

   • An adventure

   • A mystery

   • A narrative story (about something that could happen to you or someone you know)

   • A diary entry

   • A made up person's journal

2. When you have picked your topic, start writing down some ideas. You could use a brainstorm like we use in class:

   • put your main idea in the middle, then think of some supporting details to write around it: at least 3 of them.

3. Give your writing a title that is creative and tells what your topic is. For example: The Adventure.

4. Start writing! Start with your main idea, then your supporting details. Tell your reader a lot about your topic. Try to use juicy words to make it fun to read.

5. When you think you are finished, read your writing again. Make sure you fix any mistakes. Maybe re-write it and add some new details!

6. Share your writing with someone. Ask them for advice! Then go and make your writing even better by adding to it or fixing your mistakes.

Opinion writing is letting someone know what you think about something, in writing. Here's how to do it:

1. First you need something that you have an opinion about! My suggestion for today is: "The best kind of ice cream is..."

2. Now make a list of the reasons why you have that opinion.

3. It's time to start writing! Give your work a title, then begin with your main idea: "The best kind of ice cream is..."

4. Then start adding your reasons like this: "_ is the best kind of ice cream because..."

5. When you have lots of reasons and maybe some details like how smooth and cool and delicious the ice cream is, then you need a concluding sentence. Like this: "If you ask me, my answer will always be the same. The best kind of ice cream is..."

6. Now re-read your work! Are there any mistakes to fix? Is there a new detail you could add to make it better? You might consider re-writing your work to make a first good copy.

7. Share your opinion. Read your writing to someone in your house and see what they think. Is their opinion the same? Why or why not?

A prompt is an idea, question, picture, or part of a sentence that helps us to start thinking about writing. Sometimes whole books are written from one prompt that lots of different authors were each asked to write from! Here's how it works:

1. First, the writer thinks about the prompt that they are given. They might ask themselves: What are some things I know about it? What are some ways that I could write about it? Is there something from my life that can make a connection with it?

2. Then they start planning. They might use something like our main idea template to help them decide on their main idea and supporting details for their writing.

3. They start writing!

4. After they have done their writing, good writers re-read their work to see if they can make anything better. Sometimes they add more, or take some of it away. They might share it with someone to get some more ideas or find mistakes.

5. Then writers make a good copy to publish! This might take lots of tries before they get it right.

Your job today is to be a good writer! Follow the steps that good writers follow when they are writing from a prompt.

Here is your prompt:

Spring is...

This writing job is one that can be as long or short as you like! You are an expert on the topic. Tell me about yourself!

1. Brainstorm some things that are true about you.

   • Your favourite things

   • What you look like

   • What you like to do

   • Things that you have/are/can

2. Start writing with your first sentence:

Let me tell you about myself!

3. Write, write, write! Write some sentences about you. The more the better.

4. When you're finished writing, draw a picture of yourself that shows some of the details that you wrote about.

The great thing about books is that there is a book for everyone. This is your chance to share what you think is the best book. Here's how to do it:

1. Look at the books that you have in your house. Think about which one is your favourite. If you could read just one book right now, which one would you choose?

2. If you can, take or draw a picture of your book.

3. Make a list of things you like about that book.

4. Write down some reasons why you think someone should read that book, or reasons that it is the best book.

5. Share your best book with someone. Tell them what you like about it, and then ask them if they have a best book!

In Division 3 we like to make predictions: good guesses about what might happen in the stories that we read. Your job is to choose a story that you haven't read yet, or maybe that you haven't finished, and make a prediction!

1. Choose a book. This must be a book that you have not yet read, or one that you have not yet finished.

2. Think about everything that you already know about the story in the book. You can use clues like the title of the story, the picture on the cover, and what you might have already read. These clues will help you to make a good prediction.

3. Now write or draw about what you think might happen next or how you think the story will end. Will it be a happy ending? Will any problems get solved? How will they get solved? What other events might happen in the story?

4. When you have finished your prediction, put it away somewhere that you can check back on it as you read.

5. Keep reading and checking back to see if any part of your prediction has actually happened in the story!

Good readers learn to put the parts of a story together to make the whole story. You can help your brain to do this by retelling a story! Here's how:

1. Log into RAZ Kids. **If you don't have a computer ask someone to read a story with you, or read it on your own.

2. Choose a story and listen to it. Read along.

3. Read the same story 2 or 3 times.

4. Choose some parts of the story and write or draw about them. There should be at least 3.

5. Make sure you start near the beginning, and end at the end. Your story snapshots should be in order.

6. Retell the story by saying it in your own words. Use the snapshots to help you. Try to remember all of the important things that were in the story (characters, events, places).

7. If you want to, you could tell the story to someone in your own words!

Most of the time a recipe is made to help us in cooking. The recipe shows us what ingredients to use, and how to use them to make the kind of food that we want to make. Today we are going to make a Recipe For Fun. Here's how it will work:

1. First you need to be a good listener. Ask the other people in your house: "What do you think is fun?"

**It might be helpful to take some notes so that you do not forget anyone! We want our recipe to have some fun in it for everyone.

2. Now start writing out your recipe! Your recipe should have...

   • A title (to show what you are making).

   • Ingredients (what you will need to have fun).

   • Instructions (for how to put the ingredients together to make fun for everyone).

**See Ms. Rashleigh's example if you're not sure what to do!

3. When your recipe is finished, try it out! Get all of the ingredients together, and make some fun for everyone!

Sometimes stories look like words on a page. Sometimes stories can look like a photo, a timeline, or a diorama. Your job is to build a story. Here's how:

1. Decide what materials you want to use. Pictures that you draw? Clay? Toys in your house? Photos of yourself acting out the story?

2. Plan out the steps of your story. We call these events or plot. It may be good to draw or write them down.

3. Start building your story. This could be with pictures on paper (like a comic strip). It could be with toys in a box (like a diorama). It could be with some photos on a camera or phone (like our timeline in class).

4. Practice saying your story to yourself so that you know what happens in it. What is your story about? Who is in your story? What happens in your story?

5. Share your story with someone. Tell them about what's happening in your comic, diorama, or timeline.

It is good to remember events in our lives. There are important things like birthdays, holidays, and special occasions that are especially fun to remember. Try capturing an event:

1. Think of a time when you had a special event. Who was there? What happened? When was it? Why did it happen? Where did it happen? Do you have any photos or items from that event?

2. Now think of how you might capture the event in something you can create. This could be a picture that you draw, or a scrapbook page that you create. It could be some writing like a diary entry that tells or shows about the event.

3. Get the materials together that you need to capture your event.

4. Get started! Capture your memories of the event in the way that you chose. Maybe attach something from the event.

5. When it's finished to your best ability, share your creation with someone who was there with you, or someone you wish could have been there! Tell them all about the event you have captured.

One of the first things that we notice when we choose a book is the cover. A book cover should show some hints to the reader for what the book is about. Your job is to create a new cover for one of your favourite books. Here's how to do it:

1. First choose your book! Choose one that you know well because you have read it lots of times.

2. Now notice what is already on the cover. Notice the colours, pictures, and words that the publisher chose.

3. Think about what is in the story. Would you add or take away anything from the cover? Would you make a totally different cover?

4. Start planning. This could be in your head, or on paper using words and drawings. Make a plan of what you will put on the new cover of your book. It should look very different from the original.

5. Get started! On a piece of paper, draw and colour a new cover for your book! Make sure to include:

• The title

• The author's name

• A picture

• Fully meeting colour

6. When your new cover is finished, compare it to the original cover. Then share it with someone, tuck it inside the book, or even attach it to the book on top of the original cover.

Experts are people who know a lot about a topic. Local experts are people close to us who know a lot about a topic. Your job is to think of something that you could be a local expert about! Then you're going to create something to show what you know, and share it. Here's how:

1. First you need a topic to be an expert about. This could be anything! Horses? Space? Plants? Books? Fairytales? Art? Cars?

2. Now start researching.

• Read books about your topic

• Look it up on a computer if you can

• Ask questions and listen to others near you who know about your topic

• Write and draw notes about what you learn

3. Now put everything that you have learned on a piece of paper. You could even fold it to make it look like a brochure.

4. Ask to share your brochure with someone in your home! Tell them everything that you know about your topic. They'll know that you're the local expert.

Music is powerful: it makes us feel emotions, and can even tell stories! Each of us has a different kind of music that we like best. Your job today is to choose a piece of music, listen to it, and then draw a picture or write about what the music means to you. Here's how to do it:

1. First you need some paper, a pencil, and a song. Your song could be classical, country, pop, or any other genre that you choose.

2. Listen to your song. It might help to do this with your eyes closed and your body still so that you can focus on how the music makes you feel, or what you think of when you're listening.

3. Now listen to the song again, and this time draw or write about what the music means to you.

*See Ms. Rashleigh's example for the song "You Are My Sunshine" by Johnny Cash.

4. This can be a fun activity to do with a family member! Listen to the same song, and see how different your pictures/writing are. Then, let them choose a song and do the activity again!

This is something that we have done before, but it has been a while so let me remind you about how it works:

1. First you need paper, and a pencil.

2. It's important to write the date on your letter so that the person reading it knows when you wrote it. The date usually goes in the top right corner of your paper like this:

April 16th, 2020

3. Then you need to decide who the letter is for and address them. One of the usual ways to do this is to write:

Dear _____________,

4. Next, think of some things that you might like to tell your reader in the main body of your letter!

   • What have you been doing lately that you could tell them about?

   • Is there a memory that you can share with them?

5. You could ask them some questions, too. This shows that you care about them. You could ask:

   • How are you?

   • What have you been doing lately?

   • How is your __________? (family? pet? job?)

6. When you have written everything that you want to write in the body of the letter, it's time to close it. Here are some ways to do that:

   • Sincerely,

   • Yours truly,

   • Cordially,

   • With love,

Choose one of these to go in the bottom left under the body of your letter like this:

Sincerely,

7. Now it's time to sign your letter to show that it was you who wrote it, and that you meant it! Put it underneath your close like this:

Sincerely,

𝓜𝓼. 𝓡𝓪𝓼𝓱𝓵𝓮𝓲𝓰𝓱

8. Now send it to the person it's for! Maybe you'll get a letter in return.

A journal is a good place to write down ideas, and memories about things that happen to us. The best part about keeping a journal is being able to look back and read about things that happened, and to remember them. Here are some steps for starting your journal:

1. Think about your day, or maybe a day that happened a while ago. It could be an exciting one, or just an ordinary day!

2. Answer these guiding questions on paper or just in your head to help you think about your writing:

   • What did you do?

   • Who did you see?

   • What did you eat?

   • Where did you go?

   • Why do you want to remember that day? Was there something special about it, or do you want to remember it because it was ordinary?

3. Put the date on your page. It should go in the top right hand corner. Like this:

April 20th, 2020

4. Start writing! Your first sentence can start however you like. A suggestion is:

Today...

Take a look at my examples to get an idea of what your writing might look like!

5. Finish the body of your writing, telling all about your day and answering those guiding questions from number 2.

6. Share your writing with someone! Ask for ideas of how to make it better, and make sure you notice any mistakes and fix them. You could keep a journal every day, or every week!

Being a good reader means being a good thinker. This activity is good practise for doing both of those things! Here's your job:

1. Read a book.

2. Answer these questions in your head or on paper:

• What was the best part of this book?

• How was this book like another book I know?

• Is this book like me in some way?

• What does this book tell or show me about the world?

3. Next time you read a book, ask yourself the same questions! That way you'll practise being a good thinker while you read.

Onomatopoeia! That's a big word, but it means all of the little words that we use to talk about sounds. Some examples of onomatopoeia are:

• zoom

• pop

• bang

• crash

• slurp

• hum

• gurgle

1. Your job is to choose an onomatopoeia word.

2. Write your word in bubble letters.

3. Colour it in and make it look exciting!

Some ways to do that are with bright colours, an exclamation mark, and an exciting background.

4. When you're finished, put it somewhere that you can see it when you read.

5. While you're reading as usual, look out for onomatopoeia words in your books!

Let's practise our communication skills! There are many ways to communicate. In this activity, we will use oral communication, as well as pictures and written words to communicate. Here's how:

1. First choose an ordinary event that happens in your family. Maybe it's...

• making breakfast or dinner

• getting dressed in the morning

• brushing your teeth

• going for a walk or ride

• playing a game

• building something

2. Draw or take a picture of the event (like you would do to put it with a story in the newspaper or an article online).

3. Think of some details about the event that you could stretch out to make it sound exciting. Like this:

In a twist of fate yesterday, Dad woke up late! He jumped out of bed, raced to the bathroom sink, and squeezed the last of the toothpaste onto his brush. Then he brushed his teeth in record time and raced down the stairs to make breakfast. It was a photo finish, but breakfast made it onto the table just in the nick of time! Only time will tell what will happen tomorrow.

4. Write a sentence or two about what's happening in the picture, and do your best to make it sound exciting (even though it's ordinary)!

5. Share your news story by reading it to someone out loud. Tell them a bit extra about what's happening in the photo. Can you even make your voice sound exciting?

You can find a neat writing template beside this activity.

This practise activity is a great way to get back into thinking about subtraction. You can use items that you already have in your home! Here's how it works:

1. Think of something that you have a lot of in your home. Small toys? Rocks? Coins? Pencils? Playdough pieces? Paper clips?

These items are called manipulatives because we can use them to help us do math!

2. Choose something that you have a lot of to collect around your house and get a big pile of those things together. For example, you might make a pile of paper clips or rocks.

3. Count how many you have in your collection. Write that number down! For example: 45 paper clips.

4. Now comes the minus part. You are going to choose how many of your items to take away. Write down the number you're going to take away underneath your first number. You're making a subtraction math sentence!

If I had 45 paper clips and I was taking away 13 of them my math sentence would look like the pink picture beside this lesson that shows 45-13.

Minus means that we are subtracting (sometimes we also call this "take away").

5. Now take away that number of things. Put them somewhere out of your way.

If I was showing 45-13 with paper clips I would move 13 of my paper clips away from the pile and put them somewhere else.

6. Count how many things you have left! This is how we find the answer to our math sentence.

If I had 45 paper clips and I took 13 away I would have 32 paper clips left!

7. Finish your math sentence by drawing an equals line, then writing the number for how many paper clips you have left underneath. See the pictures for an example with 45-13=32.

8. Now try the same thing but with different numbers of things! How many subtraction math sentences can you come up with. Use your manipulatives to check that they're true!

One of the most important things to remember when we are subtracting with many digits is to start in the ones place. That way, when we need to regroup, we can do it!

Today we are going to practice starting in the ones place, without regrouping. Here's how:

1. Get some subtraction questions to work on! It's best if they have numbers with more than one digit in them that do not need regrouping. You could...

   • Print some from one of the website on the Resources page.

   • Write out your own questions.

   • Ask someone in your home to write out some questions for you.

2. Choose some colours. These could be markers, crayons, or pencil crayons. You will need one for every place value place. For example, you could have pink for the ones, purple for the tens, red for the hundreds, and yellow for the thousands.

3. Draw a box around the ones place digits of your first question. This should be in the colour that you chose for the ones place. Then do the subtraction just for those digits!

4. Next move onto the tens place colour. Draw a box around the tens place digits. Subtract with the tens place digits.

5. Now move onto the hundreds place colour, and draw a box around those digits, and subtract with them, and so on. Do this until all of your digits are colourful and subtracted.

6. Move onto the next question, following the same process. You're teaching your brain to always start multi-digit subtraction in the ones place! Great work!

To get better at something, we repeat it many times. This is also called practising. You are going to practise noticing when you need to regroup:

1. For this practise activity you can use number tiles or playing cards. If you don't have these at home, just cut some paper squares and write some digits on them! You should have at least two cards that have each digit on them:

• two each of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.

2. Mix your cards or number tiles up. If you are using playing cards, take out the 10s and face cards (Jokers, Kings, Queens, Jacks, and 10s) before you mix them up. Aces are 1s.

3. Now place your cards face down. Take one from the top of the pile and put it on the table, face up. Then take another one and put it face up, below the first: like the picture by this practise idea.

4. If the first card (the top one) is less than the second card (the bottom one) say: "regrouping". That is one point for you!

*If the first (top) card is bigger than the second (bottom) one, do the subtraction and the flip over two more cards and put one on top of each of those first ones.

5. Repeat until you have used all of the digits in your pile.

6. Count up how many regroupings you had, then mix up your digits and make a new pile. Play again and see if you can get more regroupings this time!

When we're getting better at a skill it's important for us to do it over lots of times. This builds connections in our brain so that we will remember it! Your job is to practise subtraction with and without regrouping. Here's how:

1. First, you need some subtraction questions. It's important that some have regrouping in them. You could make up your own, ask a family member to make some for you, or use the resources to find some.

2. Now, use the steps from "Regrouping: Putting it together" in our lessons section to do the subtraction! Some tools that you might want to remember:

   • You can use manipulatives to help you.

   • Highlight the 1s, 10s, and 100s places different colours.

   • Watch out for regrouping!

3. Check your answers! You might need an adult or answer key to help you with this.

4. When you have finished your questions, try a game or colouring page! Make one yourself by drawing a picture and hiding subtraction questions in it, or use the Moving West game that is suggested by this activity.

When we are subtracting we use place value to help us keep from making mistakes. We start with the digits in the 1s place, then subtract the digits in the 10s place, then subtract the digits in the 100s place and so on. In this <--- direction.

Sometimes, the top digit is less than the bottom digit. Like in the first pink picture by this lesson. When that happens we need to do regrouping! That's because there is not enough in the top digit to take away all of the bottom digit. We can also call regrouping "borrowing". When we are regrouping, we borrow one from the next place value.

For example: If I am doing a subtraction question, and I am subtracting the digits in the 10s place, and the top digit is smaller than the bottom digit, I will be borrowing one 100 from the 100s place. I borrow so that I have enough that I can take away the bottom digit. **See the pictures by this lesson to see what's really happening here.

Description of the pictures:

1. Write your number.

2. Build your number with materials you have at home.

Paper pieces, small blocks, clay, or playdough work well. Show how many 100s, 10s, and 1s are in your number.

3. Circle the digit that you're choosing to borrow from and draw an arrow to show where you're borrowing to.

4. Now borrow using your clay or whatever else you chose to use! But just borrow one.

That might be one 10, one 100, or even one 1000. Move the one that you are borrowing over to the next place value place to the right.

5. Break up the one you borrowed into the right size of pieces.

In the picture I did not have enough 10s. I borrowed one 100 and broke it into ten 10s (because I borrowed it into the 10s place). Then I had twelve 10s!

6. Now write down how many ones you have in the new number, how many tens, and how many hundreds.

In my example I had four 100s (because I moved one over to the tens so the 10s could borrow it), twelve 10s (because I borrowed one 100 which is ten 10s) and five 1s.

We're going to practise regrouping so that we get the hang of it. Here's your job for today:

1. Write out a list of numbers. Make sure that some of them have 100s (hundreds) places and maybe even 1000s (thousands) places! Your list could look like this:

   • 15

   • 26

   • 38

   • 111

   • 145

   • 237

   • 1,556

   • 8,888

2. Now circle or highlight one digit in each number. You choose which one! (ones? tens? hundreds?) Just don't circle any zeros (we can not borrow from nothing!).

3. Just like the example, practise regrouping the numbers.

   • Write your number

   • Build your number

   • Circle the number you are borrowing from

   • Draw an arrow to show where you are borrowing to

   • Move your manipulatives: borrow!

   • Count how many you have in each place value and write those numbers down under the 1s, 10s, and 100s.

4. Once you've done at least 5 you're getting pretty good at this. By the time you do 10 you're almost an expert!

Now that we know what is happening when we regroup, let's learn about all of the steps for subtraction with regrouping! Here's what we'll do:

1. First we need some subtraction questions with regrouping. You can make some up yourself, or find some from the subtraction links on the Resources page.

**If you are making the questions yourself make sure that one of the top digits in each question is smaller than the digit below it so that you have to regroup.

2. Now we answer the question just like we would for a no-regrouping question:

• Start by subtracting in the ones place. Take the bottom number away from the top number. Write how many you have left under the equals line. Then move to the tens place and do the same thing. Do this, moving to the next place value, until you have to regroup.

3. When you get to the place where you have to regroup, here is what you will do:

• We're going to borrow from the next place value in this <-- direction.

• Instead of circling the number you're borrowing from (like in the last lesson) cross it out.

• Write the amount left (one less than the number you are borrowing from) on top of that place value.

• Now show that you borrowed one (one 1000, or one 100, or one 10) by writing writing a 1 beside the digit that was too small to subtract from.

• Now you can subtract the digits in that place value!

**See the pictures by this lesson to see the step-by-step.

4. Keep subtracting one place value at a time in this direction <-- until you have subtracted them all. Regroup when you need to.

5. When you finish subtracting the whole number, move on to the next question and do the same thing!

This can be tricky, so if you'd like some help, here's a video.

This is a game to play with another person. You will need a deck of cards, or number tiles like in the Regrouping Sleuth activity above on this page.

1. Divide all of the number cards between the players. You should each have the same number of cards at the start.

2. Keep all of your cards face-down in a pile.

3. At the same moment, both players take the card on the top of their pile and place it face-up in front of them.

4. The players then use both numbers to make a subtract question. Remember to always subtract the lesser number from the greater number.

5. The first player to call out the correct answer to the subtraction question gets to keep both number cards.

**Just slide them over into another pile, face-up, to keep track of points at the end.

6. Repeat steps 3 to 5 until you have both used up all of the cards in your piles.

7. Count how many cards you have in your face-up points pile. The player with the most cards is the winner!

8. Mix up the cards, share them evenly between both players, and play again!

A rule in math is something that shows how a list of numbers connect.

For example: For the number list 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 the rule to get the next number is - 2 (or take away two each time you write the next number in the list).

Today you and a partner are going to play a game of guessing the subtraction rule! Here's how it works:

1. First you and your partner will each make a number list that has one secret subtraction rule.

*You should have at least 3 numbers in your list.

2. Then you will take turns looking at your partner's list and guessing what their rule is and having them guess your rule.

*You can use a 100s Chart to help you find the rule. Just count how many numbers there are between each number on your partner's list.

3. When you have both guessed each other's secret subtraction rule, make a new list and play again! See if you can make it a little harder each time!

You can find a printable hundreds chart here. A number line would also work well.

One of the reasons that math is important is that we use it to help us in real life. We do subtraction every day! Sometimes we just don't notice it. Your job is to notice or imagine some times when you can do subtraction every day. Here's how:

1. Get some paper and a pencil ready, and write out some subtraction sentences that don't have the numbers in them yet, like this: __ - __ = __.

2. Read through this list of times that Ms. Rashleigh has thought of when we might do subtraction every day (to help you start noticing):

• When we are eating something

• When someone leaves to another place

• When we put something away

• When we spend something (like money or points)

• When we use something up

• When we take something away from the rest

• When we are finding the difference (like measuring and comparing)

• When we erase something

3. Now keep your paper and pencil with you. Write down the every day subtraction sentences that you notice during your day.

For example: if you eat a sandwich for lunch, your subtraction sentence might be 4 pieces of sandwich minus 2 pieces of sandwich eaten equals 2 pieces of sandwich left (4 - 2 = 2).

Another example: if Ms. Rashleigh and her cat are in the kitchen, that's 2 creatures in the kitchen. If her cat leaves we subtract 1 creature from the kitchen. There is one creature left in the kitchen. 2 creatures minus 1 creature equals 1 creature (2 - 1 = 1).

4. Your goal is to notice and write down at least 5 every day subtraction sentences. If you don't notice enough today, keep noticing tomorrow! Ask someone in your family to help you. Subtraction is everywhere!

We now know everything that we need to know to subtract any number from another bigger number! Let's practise everything we know all together. Here's how:

1. First, write a giant number on a piece of paper. This could be a number that is into the millions, billions, or even further place values!

2. Then, write a smaller number underneath it. Make sure you line up the place values starting in the ones place!

*You can easily make your bottom number smaller by having one less place value. See Ms. Rashleigh's example.

**Doing this on graph paper, or using lines to help you line up your place values (like turning a lined piece of paper sideways) can be good helpers for this.

3. Write a subtraction sign and an equals line to show what kind of math you're doing.

4. Now start doing your subtraction in the ones place. Use all of the things we have learned about subtraction to help you:

• Starting in the ones place, then subtracting the next digit (or place value) <--- this way

• Regrouping

• Regrouping with zeros

• Using your tools like manipulatives, and colouring digits

5. Subtract every place value until you have subtracted all of the digits in the bottom number.

6. Check your answer! If you add (+) your answer to the smaller number from your subtraction sentence, it should equal the same as the bigger number from your subtraction sentence. If it doesn't, go back and check your work! You may ask for help if you need it.

7. Now repeat. Make some other giant numbers. Subtract them. Keep practising. The more practise the better you'll be!

A note to parents and kids:

Word problems can be tricky! We have to use everything we know, and our reading and critical thinking skills to figure out the answers. If this is feeling like too much for you right now, that's okay! Go back and do one of the other practise activities instead, or play a subtraction game! Students will do this learning again next year, and the years after that.

If you'd like to try this challenge, here's some advice:

1. Print or write out some word problems. You can find some here. You can also make your own worksheets here.

2. Read through the first question carefully. Maybe read it more than once!

3. Now, get three colours to write with. You will need one colour for each thing that you know, and another colour for what you need to find out.

4. Get your first colour ready. What is one thing that you know? Circle it with your first colour.

See that in the example pictures, we know that there are "53 seats". 53 seats is circled in pink to show that we know it.

5. As you read and circle, it might be helpful to draw what you know, too!

See that in the example, there are 53 pink L shapes, drawn to show the 53 seats.

6. Get your second colour ready! What else do you know? Circle it with your second colour.

See that in the example "35 of the seats were already taken" is circled in blue to show that we know it.

7. Keep changing your picture to show what you know!

See that in the example 35 of the L shapes are crossed out to show that 35 of the seats are already taken.

8. Get your third colour ready! What do we need to find out? Underline the question, or the problem that we are trying to solve.

See that in the example "How many seats were left?" is underlined in red to show that it is the question that we are trying to answer.

9. Look at your picture and think about what you know.

In the example we know that there were 53 seats, but 35 of them are crossed out because they are taken. There are still some seats that are not crossed out because they are still left. We could count the seats left!

10. Use your picture, and what you know, to answer the question or solve the problem.

In the example we can count the seats that are left (they are all circled in red) to find out that there are 18 seats left.

11. Write your answer in a sentence.

In the example the question was "How many seats were left?", so the answer was "There were 18 seats left".

12. You're finished! You could try another word problem, or do something else. Good work!

13. IF you wanted to check your work, you could add your answer to the smaller number from the question. If it equals the bigger number from the question then you are right!

In the example 35 + 18 = 53 so the answer was correct!

Another note: There are so many different ways to solve a word problem! This is just one way. If you have a better way, use your way! When we do this in class, we celebrate all of the ways that we find to solve each question.

Maybe you like to act it out! Maybe you like to talk about it and solve it out loud! Maybe you like to use mental math or manipulatives! Do what works for you.

Skip counting helps us with many different kinds of math! While we get ready to start learning to do multiplication, let's practise skip counting! Here's how:

1. Print or draw a number line.

2. Choose the number you want to skip count by!

3. Choose one colour of marker, pencil crayon, or crayon.

4. Start with your finger on the zero.

5. Then move your finger to the number you're skip counting by. Circle it with your colour!

6. Skip count again. Circle each number that you rest on when you're skip counting.

For example: if you're counting by 2s you will circle 2, 4, 6, 8, 10...

7. When you get to the end of your number line, choose a new colour and a new number to skip count by.

8. Do steps 4 to 6 until you have tried skip counting by at least 3 different numbers!

If you come to a number that's already circled, do a bigger circle around it so that you can see both colours.

See Ms. Rashleigh's examples in the pictures beside this activity.

We're going to make number strips! These strips make practising our multiplication facts easier, and we can make them look fun. Here's how:

1. Cut out some strips of paper. You will need at least 5. You could make as many as 10.

2. Place the strips horizontally (like in the example).

3. Write one number between 1 and 10 on each strip, at the left end. Do not use any number twice!

4. Now use a number line to help you skip count by the first number on each strip. Skip count until you get to the end of the strip, writing the next number you skip to each time.

5. Use colours over top of your pencil numbers to make your strips look nice.

6. Use your strips to help you skip count!

   • Are you doing a _ x 2 fact? Get your strip that starts with 2 and skip _ numbers over to find the answer!

   • Are you doing a _ x 5 fact? Get your strip that starts with 5 and skip _ numbers over to find the answer!

   • Are you doing a _ x 10 fact? Get your strip that starts with 10 and skip _ numbers over to find the answer!

If this is too much for you, you can print the skip counting book marks from 3 Dinosaurs (here) and use them to help you practise skip counting.

This is a game to play with another person. Just like in subtraction war, you will need a deck of cards, or number tiles to play.

1. Take out all of the face cards. Aces are ones, so they stay in.

2. Divide all of the number cards between the players. You should each have the same number of cards at the start.

3. Keep all of your cards face-down in a pile.

4. At the same moment, both players take the card on the top of their pile and place it face-up in front of them.

5. The players then use both numbers to make a multiplication fact.

This might be something like 5 x 3 or 9 x 8.

6. The first player to call out the correct answer to the fact gets to keep both number cards.

"5 times 3 is 15!"

Just slide the two cards over into another pile, face-up, to keep track of points at the end.

7. Repeat steps 4 to 6 until you have both used up all of the cards in your piles.

8. Count how many cards you have in your face-up points pile. The player with the most cards is the winner!

9. Mix up the cards, share them evenly between both players, and play again!

You can use a multiplication fact sheet like the one here to help you!