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Missing addend word problems

Find an unknown part or starting quantity in ten stories. Select practice with or without regrouping, number wording and extra information, then print questions and answers.

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Read the story, identify the requested quantity and show your reasoning. Include the correct unit in your answer.

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US Letter

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A4

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Read, model, calculate, check

Ask learners to identify what is known and what the question asks. A drawing, timeline or equation can make the relationship visible before they calculate. Check the answer against the original story and keep its unit.

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Learning objective

What this activity builds

Represent a missing part using addition and solve it through the inverse relationship with subtraction.

Worked example

A shelf can hold 72 books. There are already 48 books on it. How many more books will fill it?

48 + □ = 72, so 72 − 48 = 24 books.

The capacity is the total and the books already present are one part. The unknown is the other part.

Teaching notes

Make the practice count

  • Write the story as a missing-part addition first.
  • Use a bar model to distinguish a total from a part.
  • Check by adding the answer to the known part.

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Math SheetNameScore/ 10TeacherDateMissing Addend Word ProblemsRead each story carefully. Use the relevant facts to find the requested quantity.1. A collection has 86 items in all. One part has 54 items. How many items are in the other part?2. After 30 items were added, a collection had 31 items. How many items were there at first?3. A collection has 73 items in all. One part has 22 items. How many items are in the other part?4. After 13 items were added, a collection had 25 items. How many items were there at first?5. A collection has 44 items in all. One part has 24 items. How many items are in the other part?6. After 21 items were added, a collection had 22 items. How many items were there at first?7. A collection has 21 items in all. One part has 20 items. How many items are in the other part?math-sheet.comPage 1 / 2
Math SheetNameScore/ 10TeacherDateMissing Addend Word ProblemsRead each story carefully. Use the relevant facts to find the requested quantity.8. After 62 items were added, a collection had 84 items. How many items were there at first?9. A collection has 68 items in all. One part has 35 items. How many items are in the other part?10. After 52 items were added, a collection had 63 items. How many items were there at first?math-sheet.comPage 2 / 2

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