Max Maths, Year 4, Work Book, Subtracting 2- and 3-digit numbers using counting blocks and column method (1)

The Max Maths Year 4 Workbook provides a structured approach to teaching students how to subtract 2- and 3-digit numbers. Practice 7 focuses on two main methods: using counting blocks and the column method. The first activity requires students to visually subtract by crossing out counting blocks and tallying what remains. For example, in the exercise, children are presented with problems such as subtracting 12 from 253 and 134 from 485, where they must physically cross out the blocks representing the numbers to be subtracted and then count the blocks left to find the answer.

The next section of the workbook shifts to the column method, a more traditional arithmetic approach. Students complete subtractions such as 564 minus 51 and 738 minus 106 by lining up the numbers in columns according to their place value and subtracting each column starting from the right. The exercises progress to filling in missing numbers to complete the steps involved in the column method. For instance, when subtracting 86 from 523, students must first subtract the ones, then the tens after regrouping, and finally the hundreds. Additional practice problems like 782 minus 127 and 564 minus 192 further reinforce the technique, helping students to become adept at the column subtraction method.