Subtraction Station Anchor Chart
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4th Grade Math Reference
Subtraction Station
Operations & Place Value Base-Ten System
The Operation −
Subtraction
Taking one quantity away from another, or finding how much is left between two amounts.
Minuend − Subtrahend
Total − Part Taken Away
The Result =
Difference
The answer to a subtraction problem. It represents the gap or comparison between the numbers.
= Difference
“How many more / left over?”
The Strategy 10 for 1
Regrouping
Trading or unbundling 1 unit from the next larger place value to get 10 smaller units.
1 Ten = 10 Ones • 1 Hundred = 10 Tens
1 Thousand = 10 Hundreds
Rhyme
Helpful Rule of Thumb:
Look at the digits in the same place-value column:
More on top?
No need to stop!
More on the floor?
Go next door & get 10 more!
Numbers the same?
Zero's the game!
★
Regrouping in Action: 5,243 − 2,685
Work from Right to Left (Ones → Thousands)
Th H T O
4 11 13 13
5 2 4 3
− 2 6 8 5
= 2 5 5 8
Difference: 2,558
STEP 1: ONES
3 < 5 (more on the floor!). Borrow 1 ten from Tens place. 4 tens become 3 tens. The 3 ones become 13 ones. 13 − 5 = 8
STEP 2: TENS
3 < 8. Borrow 1 hundred from Hundreds place. 2 hundreds become 1 hundred. The 3 tens become 13 tens. 13 − 8 = 5
STEP 3: HUNDREDS
1 < 6. Borrow 1 thousand from Thousands place. 5 thousands become 4 thousands. The 1 hundred becomes 11 hundreds. 11 − 6 = 5
STEP 4: THOUSANDS
4 > 2 (more on top, no need to stop!). 4 − 2 = 2
✓
Always Check with Addition!
Addition is the inverse operation. Add the difference back to the subtrahend:
2,558 + 2,685 = 5,243 ✓
↔
Regrouping Golden Rule
Values stay equal! You are only renaming the number so you can subtract each column.
5,243 = 4,000 + 1,100 + 130 + 13
