Solving 2-Step Word Problems with Double Subtraction: 3rd Grade Math

Understanding the Problem

• 🎯 The problem involves a movie theater with a total of 614 seats.
• 💡 We are given the number of red seats (137) and yellow seats (228).
• ❓ The goal is to find the number of seats that are green, which are the remaining seats.

Visualizing with a Tape Diagram

• 📊 A tape diagram can represent the total seats, with sections for red, yellow, and green seats.
• ➡️ The total (614) is the sum of red (137), yellow (228), and green seats.

Strategy: Double Subtraction

• 🔑 To find the green seats, we need to subtract the red seats and then subtract the yellow seats from the total.
• ➡️ This can be calculated as: Total Seats - Red Seats - Yellow Seats = Green Seats.

Step-by-Step Calculation

• 1️⃣ First, subtract the red seats from the total: 614 - 137 = 477.
• 2️⃣ Next, subtract the yellow seats from the remaining amount: 477 - 228 = 249.
• ✅ Therefore, there are 249 green seats in the theater.

Alternative Calculation Method

• 💡 The problem can also be solved by first finding the total number of red and yellow seats combined: 137 + 228 = 365.
• ➡️ Then, subtract this combined number from the total seats: 614 - 365 = 249.
• ✅ This confirms that there are 249 green seats.