Lesson 5 Put Together and Take Apart Story Problems

  • Let’s solve more story problems.

Warm-up True or False: More or Less

Decide if each statement is true or false.
Be prepared to explain your reasoning.

Activity 1 At the Planetarium

Stars in the Helix Nebula.

Solve each problem.
Show your thinking using drawings, numbers, or words.

  1. There are 7 first graders and some second graders at the planetarium.
    There are 18 students at the planetarium.
    How many second graders are at the planetarium?

  2. When the show started, 18 stars lit up in the sky.
    13 stars were bright.
    Some of the stars were dim.
    How many stars were dim?

  3. Together, Diego and Tyler saw 15 shooting stars during the show.
    Diego saw 6 shooting stars. Tyler saw the rest.
    How many shooting stars did Tyler see?

  4. In the gift shop, Elena bought 12 star stickers.
    She also bought some planet stickers.
    Elena bought 20 stickers.
    How many planet stickers did she buy?

Activity 2 Which Equations Match?

Circle 2 equations that can be used to solve each problem.
Be ready to explain how the equations represent the story and why the other equation doesn’t.

If you have time: Solve each problem using both equations.

  1. Noah painted 9 white stars. 
    He also painted some yellow stars.
    Noah painted 17 stars all together.
    How many yellow stars did Noah paint?

  2. Kiran saw 16 objects in the sky.
    11 of the objects were stars.
    The rest of the objects were planets.
    How many of the objects were planets?