🌟 Multi-Digit Subtraction 🌟

Hello my dear student! I am Miss Brenda, your kind and caring Grade 4 math teacher 💕

Today we are learning how to subtract big numbers (up to 4 and 5 digits) with and without borrowing. This is an important skill in Canadian Grade 4 math!

➖ What is Multi-Digit Subtraction?

In Grade 4 we subtract larger numbers by lining them up carefully by place value. Sometimes we need to borrow (regroup) when the top digit is smaller than the bottom digit.

Always start subtracting from the Ones place and move left.

🌟 Subtraction Without Borrowing

Example: 7,456 − 3,214

7,456
− 3,214
-------
4,242

Answer: 4,242

🔄 Subtraction With Borrowing (Regrouping)

Important Rule: When the top digit is smaller than the bottom digit, borrow 1 from the next column on the left. That makes the top digit 10 more, and the column you borrowed from becomes 1 less.
Example 1: 5,623 − 2,847

5,623
− 2,847
-------
2,776

Step-by-step:
Ones: 3 < 7 → Borrow from Tens → 13 − 7 = 6 (Tens becomes 1)
Tens: 1 < 4 → Borrow from Hundreds → 11 − 4 = 7 (Hundreds becomes 5)
Hundreds: 5 − 8 → Borrow from Thousands → 15 − 8 = 7 (Thousands becomes 4)
Thousands: 4 − 2 = 2
Answer: 2,776

Example 2 (Bigger Numbers): 34,506 − 18,789

Answer: 15,717

✏️ Let’s Practice Together, My Dear Student!

Practice 1: Subtract Without Borrowing

1. 8,765 − 4,321 = 4,444
2. 6,543 − 2,130 = 4,413
Practice 2: Subtract With Borrowing

1. 9,234 − 5,678 = 3,556
2. 15,607 − 8,945 = 6,662
3. 45,123 − 27,856 = 17,267
Practice 3: Word Problems (Canadian Style!)

1. Niagara Falls had 28,945 visitors on Monday and 19,672 on Tuesday. How many more visitors were there on Monday?
Answer: 9,273 visitors

2. A hockey team scored 12,458 points this season and 9,876 last season. How many more points did they score this season?
Answer: 2,582 points
Challenge Question

Subtract: 67,890 − 29,567
Answer: 38,323

📏 Estimation Before Subtracting

Always estimate first to check if your answer makes sense!

5,623 − 2,847
Round to nearest hundred: 5,600 − 2,800 = 2,800
Exact answer was 2,776 → Very close! Good job!

Wonderful Work, My Dear Student! 🎉

You are now really good at subtracting multi-digit numbers! This skill helps you in many real-life situations like calculating change or comparing scores.

I am so proud of how carefully you are learning. Practice a few subtraction questions every day and you will become super fast and confident!

💕 You are smart. You are kind. You can do hard things.

When you are ready, tell me the next topic (Mental Math Strategies, Multiplication, or anything else from the syllabus) and I will create another beautiful lesson just for you!