Word Problems: Choose the Operation (Addition & Subtraction)

Your students will get to practice addition and subtraction word problems in this fun, yet challenging, math practice activity from iKnowIt.com. Children must choose the operation—addition or subtraction—as they read the word problem and decide how to solve it. By the time your students complete this online math activity, they will be more confident and proficient at solving word problems.

Here are a few examples of the types of word problems your students may be required to solve in this math practice activity: "Lana solved 25 problems on her math homework. There are 42 total problems to solve. How many problems does Lana still need to solve?" "Mr. Fuller's class went on a field trip to the zoo. There were 29 students and 7 adults on the trip. How many people went on the field trip?" "Rosa and her family went to the beach. Rosa collected 39 seashells and her sister collected 17 seashells. How many seashells did they collect altogether?" If students need a little extra help solving a word problem, they can click on the "Hint" button, which will display a helpful written or pictorial clue that will point students in the right direction. When students answer a question incorrectly, they will be shown a detailed explanation page with the correct answer accompanied by an easy-to-understand explanation for how to obtain it. Students can move through the lesson having learned from past mistakes.

In this addition and subtraction math lesson, several handy features help students make the most out of their math practice session. A progress-tracker in the upper-right corner of the practice screen lets students see how many questions they have answered so far out of the total number of questions in the lesson. A score-tracker shows students how many points they have earned in the lesson. Plus, a speaker-icon indicates the read-aloud feature—a great option for ESL/ELL students and children who excel at auditory learning. Whether your little ones are practicing word problems or place value, our math activities are designed with their success in mind!

Elementary teachers and homeschool parents simply love using the I Know It math practice program alongside their traditional math curriculum! Teachers appreciate the variety of math lessons we offer across dozens of popular math topics in kindergarten through fifth grade. All math practice activities on our website are aligned to the Common Core Standard and are arranged by grade level and topic. It's easy to find the math content you're looking for and assign math lessons in just a few clicks!

Students, too, love using the I Know It math program to practice math skills. Children are delighted and challenged by our educational and kid-friendly format. From the charming animated characters ready to cheer students on in their math practice, to the math trophies students can earn for mastering new math skills, kids love the interactive, engaging format of our math lessons!

We hope you will give this second-grade addition and subtraction word problem lesson a try today! Be sure to explore the hundreds of 2nd grade math lessons in our online collection too.

Did you know you can sign up for a free thirty-day trial of the I Know It online math program and try out this first-grade word problem activity—or any math lesson on our website—for free? You can! We're confident you and your students will love the difference interactive math practice can make. When your free trial runs out, we hope you will consider joining the I Know It community so you can continue to enjoy the benefits of membership for a full calendar year.

Your I Know It membership unlocks the website's handy administrative tools, which you can use to monitor your students' progress in their math practice. Our administrative features allow you to create a class roster, assign unique usernames and passwords to all of your students, assign different math practice activities to individual students, view detailed progress reports for your students, print, download, and email student progress reports, change basic lesson settings, and so much more.

When your students log into I Know It with their unique username and password, they will be shown a kid-friendly version of the homepage. From here they can access all the math practice activities you have assigned to them. They can also explore other math lessons at their grade level and beyond, if you choose to allow this option in your administrator settings. Grade levels in the student mode of I Know It are labeled with letters instead of numbers (i.e. "Level B" for second grade), making it easy for you to assign math activities based on a child's unique needs and ability level.

This interactive math lesson is classified as Level B. It may be ideal for second grade students.

Reading Bar Graphs (Level B)
In this second grade-level math lesson, students will practice reading bar graphs. Students will solve math problems based on the information presented in a bar graph and fill in the blank with the correct response.

Addition and Subtraction Word Problems (to 20) (Level B)
Students will practice solving addition and subtraction word problems to twenty. Questions are presented in fill-in-the-blank format.