Fact family
Fact families with both addends selected
Choose at least three addends from 1–12 and use only those choices for both parts of six addition and subtraction triangles.
Preview and downloadFact family practice
Addition and subtraction fact families
Use six number triangles to write two additions and two subtractions per family. Choose first addends from 1–12; the other addend is from 1–9.
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Read the whole at the top of each triangle and the two addends below. Fill four equations: two additions that make the whole and two subtractions that recover the parts.
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Customize this worksheetWhat the choices control
Choose one or more first addends from 1–12. The other addend comes from 1–9, whether or not it is checked. Sums can reach 21. To restrict both addends, choose the separate both-addends activity.
Every family keeps four equation rows. When its two parts or factors are equal, swapping them changes nothing: there are only two distinct equations, each written twice.
Learning objective
What this activity builds
Explain how addition joins two parts and subtraction recovers either part from the same whole.
Worked example
Which equations belong to the triangle with addends 3 and 8 and whole 11?
3 + 8 = 11; 8 + 3 = 11; 11 − 8 = 3; 11 − 3 = 8.
Swapping the addends leaves the sum unchanged. Each subtraction starts with 11, then removes one part to leave the other.
Teaching notes
Make the practice count
- The checkbox choices control only the first addend. The second addend can be any number from 1 to 9, even if it is unchecked. Use the selected-addends activity when both parts must stay within your choices.
- Use counters or a number bond to establish the part–whole relationship before filling equation boxes. The top triangle value is always the whole.
- Doubles keep four writing rows, but only two different equations remain. For 4, 4 and 8, the additions both say 4 + 4 = 8 and the subtractions both say 8 − 4 = 4.
- Each page contains six different unordered pairs. Choosing more values does not guarantee that every selected addend appears on a single worksheet; the same settings and seed reproduce the same families.
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A useful next step
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