This week in math, we are learning how to break apart numbers to subtract. To assist my students in doing this, I’ve uploaded a “120 chart” on my website. Students may use this as a visual aide to assist them with doing breaking apart numbers to subtract and, eventually, my hope is that students will be able to visualize this chart in their head, so that they may solve problems that may seem complicated using only “mental math”.

Using the 120 chart to solve a problem like “50 – 37 = ?” my students are expected to know how to:

1. Break apart 37 into 7 ones and 3 tens
2. Find 50 on the hundred chart and point to it
3. “Jump back” 3 tens and 7 ones
4. Land on the number 13, which is the correct answer to the problem “50 – 37 = ?”

Please find the 120 chart here: https://missmcwoodson.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/120chart.pdf or in the right column on my website, under “Take Home Binder”.