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Subtracting with base ten blocks

Subtracting including a borrow with base ten blocks

The skill being taught is subtracting numbers using the borrowing method with base ten blocks. It highlights breaking a ten block into ones to facilitate subtraction when the units at hand are insufficient.

Learn subtracting with base ten blocks

Teaching Transcript

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Let's subtract the 18 base ten blocks in the second group from the 22 blocks in the first group to find the difference

Subtracting means we remove the second group from the first. Let's start with the smallest place value, the ones. We can see that we only have 2 in the first group and are trying to remove 8, so there's a problem.

We can just take a ten block, and split it into 10 ones. So we have one less ten block, but now we have 12 ones.

Removing 8 of the 12, we are left with 4 ones

Now we have one ten block in the first and one in the second, so we remove it

So 22 minus 18 leaves us with a difference of 4

Skill Practice

Subtracting including a borrow with base ten blocks

Test your understanding of subtracting with base ten blocks by practicing it! Work through the below exercises to use it in practice.