Question

One of your Grade 3 learners did the following context-free calculation: 523−347 and got 224 as an answer. Identify the misconception the learner has and explain how you will support the learner to correct this misconception.

Please provide a detailed explanation of the misconception and describe the strategies or support you would offer to help the learner understand subtraction accurately.

Answer 1

The misconception is incorrectly subtracting the hundreds place from the ones place, resulting in a larger difference. To correct this, explain the step-by-step process of subtraction.

Step-by-step explanation:

The misconception the learner has is that they are incorrectly subtracting the hundreds place from the ones place resulting in a larger difference than expected. To support the learner in correcting this misconception, I would explain the step-by-step process of subtraction and provide examples to reinforce the concept.

1. Start by subtracting the ones place: 3 - 7 = -4
2. Since there is no tens place in the second number, move to the hundreds place: 2 - 4 = -2
3. Combine the negative result in the ones place with the negative result in the hundreds place: -2 - (-4) = -2 + 4 = 2

Therefore, the correct difference for 523 - 347 is 2.