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Column subtraction 5: Sensational Seabirds

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The Number Bit!

In this exciting lesson, you will need to solve a range of subtraction word problems that feature British seabirds. Try using PAWS to arrive at the right answer!

 =  Picture the problem in your mind.

=  Annotate the word problem by highlighting the important information.

W =  Write down the number sentence that needs to be solved.

S  =  Solve the number sentence using an efficient strategy.

Prior learning: Subtract a 3 or 4 digit number from a 4 digit number using the formal written method of column subtraction (with more than one exchange, including an exchange across more than one place value).

Use PAWS and column subtraction to solve the following word problem.

On Bass Rock, a volcanic island that stands 107 metres above sea level at its highest point,137,352 gannets had gathered. Of these birds, 76,292 were female.

How many male gannets were there on Bass Rock?

Did you know?

Northern gannets are large and bright white seabirds with black wingtips. They circle above the ocean before diving headfirst into the water at high speed to catch fish with their long beaks. Huge numbers breed in colonies called gannetries. The largest gannetry in the world is on Bass Rock in Scotland. Here, an estimated 150,000 gannets gather at the peak of the breeding season.