Crossing Out Pictures and Removing Counters to Subtract Within 10

Here is where this shows up in real life. Grown ups do this too. A driver crosses off deliveries as they are made and can see instantly how many stops are left. This is worth learning because drawing a problem is the fastest way to unstick yourself when you feel confused.

Watch for it today, and when you spot it, tell someone what you noticed and how you knew. Here is something worth knowing today. You can see subtraction with your eyes. Draw eight circles. Then cross out three of them.

Count the circles that are not crossed out: five. With counters, slide the ones that leave to the side and count the ones that stay. Both ways show the same story. Drawing helps most when a problem feels confusing, because your eyes can hold the amounts while your mind does the thinking.

One caution about drawing. Draw all the circles first, then cross out, and never erase the crossed ones. If you erase them, you lose the record of what happened and cannot check yourself. The crossed out marks are proof of your thinking, so leave them showing. Practice this a few times and it will start to feel easy.