Podium Power Subtraction Strategy Unit

A 20-lesson subtraction fluency unit for primary students, explicitly organized by mental math strategies: Counting Up, Number Lines, Making 10, Pretend 10, and Close to Doubles, all with Winter Olympic themes.

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Downhill Differences

Students learn the basics of subtraction within 20 by focusing on subtracting 0 and 1, using the theme of downhill skiing to visualize moving down the mountain.

Curling Count Up

Students practice the 'Counting Up' strategy for finding small differences, using the curling target (the house) to visualize distance between numbers.

Puck Play 10s

Students focus on the 'Friends of 10' subtraction facts, using the goal line in hockey to visualize how many more are needed to reach the total of 10.

Half Pipe Halves

Students use their knowledge of doubles to solve subtraction facts (halves), visualizing the symmetry of a snowboarding half-pipe.

Bobsled Backtrack

Students learn to use a number line to subtract by 'jumping back' along a track, using a bobsled theme to visualize the path.

Bobsled Bridges

Students refine their number line strategy by learning to jump back to 10 first, then the rest, for more efficient subtraction.

The Long Track Lines

Students use 'Open Number Lines' to visualize subtraction as distance, specifically for problems where counting back is less efficient.

Slapshot Ten Strategy

Students learn to decompose the subtrahend to subtract through 10, using a hockey theme to visualize hitting the target of 10 first.

Power Play Frames

Students use double ten-frames to visualize the 'Making 10' strategy, moving pucks to fill the first frame before subtracting the rest.

The Great Chase Strategy

Students learn to subtract 9 by first 'pretending' it's 10 and then adjusting by adding 1 back, visualizing the speed skating track.

Eight is Enough Strategy

Students learn to subtract 8 by first 'pretending' it's 10 and then adjusting by adding 2 back, continuing the speed skating theme.

The Adjuster Strategy

Students learn to subtract 7 by first 'pretending' it's 10 and then adjusting by adding 3 back, rounding out the "Pretend 10" strategy block.

Shredding Near Doubles Strategy

Students use their knowledge of doubles to solve subtraction problems that are just one away from a double fact (e.g., 15 - 7).

Double Grab Grab Strategy

Students extend their doubles strategy to solve subtraction problems that are two away from a double fact (e.g., 16 - 6).

Strategic Slalom Review

Students practice choosing the most efficient mental math strategy for various subtraction problems, using a skiing slalom theme to visualize navigating different obstacles.

Olympic Final Assessment

Students demonstrate their mastery of all subtraction strategies in a comprehensive unit assessment themed around the Olympic Medal Ceremony.

Training Camp Warm Ups

A set of daily choral count warm-ups focusing on skip-counting patterns within 100 to build number sense and preparation for mental subtraction.

Close to Doubles Mastery

Students master facts that are close to doubles by relating them to their halves fluency, using a skeleton racing theme to emphasize speed and precision.