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Subtract 3-digit multiples of 10 by finding the difference between them

Lesson details

Learning outcome

I can subtract 3-digit multiples of 10 by finding the difference between them.

Key learning points

  1. When numbers are close together, the difference between them is small.
  2. Finding the difference means we count on from the subtrahend to the minuend.
  3. A number line or a bar model can represent finding the difference.

Keywords

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

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

  • Difference - The difference is the result after subtracting one number from another.

Common misconception

Children will often reverse the minuend and subtrahend because they don't always appear in the order that they would in an expression.

Give time to ensure that the children understand the bar model representation and encourage them to discuss which number is the minuend and which is the subtrahend before engaging in a strategy for mental subtraction.

Teacher tip

This strategy is shown with number lines and jottings but the end goal is for the children be able to do it mentally so try to reduce such supports as quickly as possible. The spinners can be replaced with digit dice, digit cards or any random digit generator.

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), 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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Prior knowledge starter quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these subtraction expressions can be more efficiently solved by finding the difference?

Correct answer: 75 − 68 =
96 − 19 =
Correct answer: 32 − 25=
83 − 38 =

Q2.
What is the missing part in this bar model?

An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: 80, eighty, eight tens, 8 tens

Q3.
Match the numbers so that they make a pair with a sum of 100.

Correct Answer:20,80

80

Correct Answer:40,60

60

Correct Answer:75,25

25

Correct Answer:95,5

5

Q4.
Use a find the difference strategy to calculate: 54 − 47 =

Correct Answer: 7, seven, seven ones, 7 ones

Q5.
Use a partitioning strategy to find the sum of 135 and 270

Correct Answer: 405, four hundred and five

Q6.
Select all the multiples of 10

75
Correct answer: 90
Correct answer: 100
103
Correct answer: 150

6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these is the correct equation represented by this bar model?

An image in a quiz
240 − 270 = ?
Correct answer: 270 − 240 = ?
270 + 240 = ?
240 + 270 = ?

Q2.
Which of these is the correct equation represented by this number line?

An image in a quiz
Correct answer: ? = 850 − 810
? = 850 + 810
? = 810 + 850
? = 810 − 850

Q3.
What is the difference between the two values shown in the bar model?

An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: 40, forty

Q4.
What is the difference between the two values shown?

An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: 80, eighty, eight tens

Q5.
What is the difference between the two values shown?

An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: 90, ninety, nine tens, 9 tens

Q6.
Which of the pairs of numbers have the greatest difference?

270 and 290
Correct answer: 230 and 310
260 and 320
250 and 280

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