Mastering Subtraction: Third Grade Math Lesson Plan
Lesson Title:”Mastering Subtraction: Third Grade Math”
Lesson Objective: Students will be able to subtract whole numbers up to 100 and understand the concept of borrowing.
Materials:
Introduction (10 minutes): Start the lesson by reviewing the concept of subtraction. Write the number sentence “8 – 3 = 5” on the whiteboard and have students count out 8 base-10 blocks, then take away 3 to show the visual representation of the problem.
Direct Instruction (20 minutes): Introduce the concept of borrowing. Write an example of a problem that requires borrowing on the whiteboard and have students work in pairs to solve the problem using base-10 blocks. As they work, circulate the room to provide assistance and check for understanding. Next, have students work independently to complete a worksheet that practices subtraction problems that require borrowing. This will serve as a formative assessment of their understanding of the concept.
Guided Practice (20 minutes): Divide the class into small groups and provide each group with a set of subtraction problems. Have them work together to solve the problems, using base-10 blocks to visualize the process and practicing borrowing when necessary. As they work, circulate the room to provide assistance and check for understanding.
Independent Practice (20 minutes): Provide students with a worksheet to complete independently. This worksheet should include a variety of subtraction problems, including some that require borrowing.
Closure (10 minutes): As a class, review the concepts covered in the lesson and have students share any strategies they found helpful when solving subtraction problems that require borrowing. Next, create a class chart listing the strategies discussed.
Assessment: Formative assessment will be used throughout the lesson to check for understanding, including the worksheets completed during direct instruction and guided practice. A summative assessment will be given at the end of the unit to assess student mastery of the concept.
Note: It is important to relate the concept of borrowing to the base 10 system and how digits represent different values based on their position. Also, students should understand that when subtracting numbers in columns, if the digit in the ones column is less than the digit being subtracted, they have to borrow from the next column.
