Start Unknown, Change Unknown, Result Unknown

As you know, you can't teach everything at once. So, all this business of start unknown, change unknown and result unknown on top of add to, take from, put together/take apart and compare...is quite daunting. Do the words ever end? No they don't because that is just part of the problem solving vocabulary in that lovely table in the Common Core document- you know the one.
This year I have been hearing more and more that my little second graders (from the classroom in which I team teach) need to be able to identify these situations and match stories to equations of all types. UGH!!! So, where do I begin to conquer the beast? Read the story, understand it, identify the position of the unknown and write an equation. Addition and subtraction are inverses so if one student solves it with addition (counting up) and another with subtraction...how do we now match to the correct equation among the foils!
Since I don't have the option to not teach this, I have decided to begin with straight computation lessons on solving equations with unknowns in all positions. The best part about this is that my students have found it fun to solve these complex equations. And, bonus! I believe they have become stronger mathematicians. Thus, to keep my kiddos fresh on the skills they have learned, I created some practice pages for addition and subtraction with unknowns in all places as well as vertically aligned practice and equations that start with the result. If you try them, be sure you have taught how to solve all of these situations and most importantly that subtraction starts with the whole group or sometimes I say subtraction starts with all you have, and be sure students understand what they call 'backwards' equations such as 9 = 15 - 6. That's lots of teaching but once you do it, you will have practice for them for some time to come. Click on the picture below to head over to my store and check these out.