New
New
Year 3

Use column subtraction to subtract from a 2- or 3-digit number

I can use column subtraction to subtract from a 2- or 3-digit number.

New
New
Year 3

Use column subtraction to subtract from a 2- or 3-digit number

I can use column subtraction to subtract from a 2- or 3-digit number.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Start by subtracting the number with the smallest place value first.
  2. The minuend always appears first in a column subtraction.
  3. The subtrahend is written underneath the minuend.

Keywords

  • Minuend - The minuend is the number being subtracted from.

  • Subtrahend - A subtrahend is a number subtracted from another.

  • Column subtraction - Column subtraction is a way of subtracting numbers by writing a number below another.

Common misconception

Pupils may make errors when subtracting zero or when writing zero in the ones, tens or hundreds column of the difference.

Encourage pupils to write zero, using the examples given in the slide deck. Write zero in the hundreds column of the difference when using column subtraction; explain this is not written when the calculation is presented as a horizontal equation.

Pupils may find base ten blocks helpful in representing and understanding column subtraction. Explain that only the minuend needs to be represented. The subtrahend is subtracted from this.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which number in the bar model is the minuend?
An image in a quiz
21
55
Correct answer: 76
Q2.
Which number in this equation is the difference? 65 − 42 = 23
65
42
Correct answer: 23
Q3.
Which number in this column subtraction is the minuend?
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Correct Answer: 87, eighty-seven
Q4.
What is the name of the part that is circled in the column subtraction?
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Difference
Minuend
Correct answer: Subtrahend
Q5.
Which equation exactly matches the column subtraction?
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45 − 14 = 31
45 = 31 + 14
Correct answer: 45 − 31 = 14
14 + 31 = 45
Q6.
Which column subtraction shows the correct difference?
Correct answer: a)
b)
c)

6 Questions

Q1.
Which number in the column subtraction is the minuend?
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: 94
52
42
Q2.
Which number in the column subtraction is the subtrahend?
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Correct Answer: 52, fifty-two
Q3.
Calculate the missing difference using the column subtraction.
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13
14
Correct answer: 23
33
Q4.
Calculate the missing difference using the column subtraction.
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Correct Answer: 112, one hundred and twelve
Q5.
What is the missing tens digit?
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Correct Answer: 4, four, 4 tens
Q6.
What is the missing subtrahend?
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Correct Answer: 304, three hundred and four