Part Part Whole

We are focusing on addition and subtraction in Math. We are using the part-part whole model to strengthen our understanding of the structure and meaning of both addition and subtraction. When we solve addition problems we take two parts (or addends) and put them together to make the whole (or sum).

This week we focused on story problems where we added two parts together to find the whole. We did this by adding on to a number. Tatum has 4 red apples. She bought 2 more apples. How many apples does she have now? In this problem we know that she has 4 apples (part) and gets 2 more (part). We have to combine those parts to find the whole.

We also solved problems where we had to combine two different parts together.Noah saw 2 ducks in the pond. He saw 3 ducks next to the pond. How many ducks did he see altogether? We had to combine our two parts 2 + 3 to find the whole. We practiced writing number sentences which represented our story problems as well.

We also noticed that there were many different ways to divide a whole into parts. If seven is the whole, the parts could be 7 and 0, 6 and 1, 5 and 2, or 4 and 3. We are just beginning to recognize how we can break apart a whole in different ways.

You can reinforce this skill by using toys and household items. Understanding the part-part whole model helps students with mental math and problem solving.


Next week, we will be using the part-part whole model to help us solve subtraction problems.