Subtraction in the Savanna

The Subtraction in the Savanna activity is based upon a modified template that Learning Magic has created for subtraction. We modeled this template after the IntelliMathics 3® Addition template (Addition in the Desert activity).

The modified template requires you to put out a specified number of items in a counting box, and then put out a secondary number of items in a second counting box to represent the number of items that will be removed from the initial number. The child must put items equal to the remainder in a final counting box and then write an equation to represent the story or question that was originally presented. This activity works with numbers from 1 to 6.

An example question: Four elephants and two giraffes were drinking at a waterhole. One elephant and one giraffe left. How many animals are remaining at the waterhole? The activity has self checking built in.The child's answers are recorded throughout their work, so that you can see their thinking as they correct problems along the way, if you have the full version of IntelliMathics 3®. A custom overlay is provided for use with IntelliKeys®.

Please note that this template (and the resulting activity) is similar to the IntelliTools Addition template in that it is only checking the correct total number of animals in each counting box (i.e. 6) and is not checking for the correct combination of animals (4 elephants and 2 giraffes). That is, for this example, 6 elephants would also be marked as correct. Required software: IntelliTools Classroom Suite Player®, or IntelliMathics 3®.