Hillsborough County Public Schools

Elementary Mathematics Parent Connection

Grade 2 Unit 7: 3-Digit Addition and Subtraction

In this unit your child will work to build a conceptual understanding of addition and subtraction of 3-digit
numbers. Having a conceptual understanding of these operations is being able to model and describe the
actions taking place in an addition or subtraction word problem.

Building an understanding of addition and subtraction with base-blocks:

o Your child will begin by modeling situations that involve these operations using base-ten blocks.
They will create models and pictures that directly match the actions that are taking place in a
problem.
For example:

Mr. Treble has 213 flutes and 382 clarinets.

How many instruments does Mr. Treble
have?

Based on this model, you can see there are 5 hundreds, 9 tens and 5 ones which represents 595
instruments in all.

o By creating models with base-ten blocks, students will see the action in the word problem. This
is why we avoid using keywords such as, altogether, How many more and How many.
Time spent modeling with the base-ten blocks will allow your child to understand the steps
when solving addition and subtraction problems using the traditional algorithm.

Building an understanding of Open Number Lines:

o A number line with no numbers or markers, also called an empty number line, is a visual
representation for recording and sharing students thinking strategies during the process of
mental computation.

Example: Wal-Mart had 321 cars parked in front of

the building and 117 cars parked behind the
building. How many more cars were parked
in front of the building?

The student created an open number line to solve the problem. The student started at 117 and counted
up three to land at a decade number of 120. Then, the student added 80 more to land at 200. The
student made a jump of 100 to land at 300 and then a jump of 21 more to land at 321. The student
counted the value of their jumps to find the difference between 117 and 321.

o Open number lines allow students to solve the problems in a manner that makes sense to
them.
 Connecting to the Traditional Algorithm:

Modeling Modeling and

Addition Recording Subtraction Other Helpful Links:
Interactive websites:
iTools Base- Hundred Blocks http://goo.gl/XNMLhI
Mega Math 3 digit Addition http://goo.gl/ZkvLly
Mega Math 3 digit Subtraction http://goo.gl/33KsBE

Sample tasks your child should be able to work through by the end of the unit:
Christi and Jayda combined their piggy
Use an open number line to solve the following banks. Together, Christi and Jayda have
problem: Sarahs piggy bank had 183 pennies and 191 502 dimes. Lori put in 238 times. How
nickels. How many more nickels did Sarah have than many dimes did Christi put in?
pennies?

Purposeful Practice you and your child may work on at home together.
Pose a story problem to your child. Ask them to model the actions taking place in the problem using an
open number line or quick picture.
After your child has drawn their open number line or model ask questions such as:
o What action is taking place in the problem?
o What operation would you use to solve this problem?
o What do your jumps represent? What did you choose to jump that amount?
o What do the pieces in your model represent?
o How do you know when you need to regroup?
Use playing cards to create 3 digit numbers to add and subtract. Your child can use any of their
strategies to solve the problem. Have them explain the steps they used in solving the problem.