3rd Grade Two-Step Add and Subtract Word Problems Worksheet: 3 Stories

One calculation is not enough for these stories. This 3rd grade two-step add and subtract word problems worksheet has three problems, and each needs an addition and a subtraction. Lucy counts the coins left in her piggy bank. Angelina saves for a $560 TV set. James compares his bowling score with a friend's. A large grid space follows each story. A pink piggy bank and a boy throwing a bowling ball decorate the page. Page two writes out the steps for the first two stories and gives only the final sentence for the third.

Add first, then subtract

In all three stories, the first step is an addition. Lucy has 42 + 55 = 97 coins, and after her mom borrows 32, she has 65 left. Angelina has $150 + $450 = $600, so after paying $560 she keeps $40. James scores 71 + 51 = 122 points, and his friend scores 179, which is 57 more. Ask your child to point to the clue words, such as borrowed, withdraw and more, before choosing each sign.

These are addition and subtraction word problems within 1,000, as third graders practice them. Note that story 1 counts pennies and dimes as coins, not as money, so the answer is 65 coins and not an amount in cents.

At the table: a plan before the sums

Ask your child to say the two steps out loud before writing anything: "First I find the total, then I take away." For story 3, the steps are 71 + 51 = 122 and 179 − 122 = 57. Page two shows only the final sentence for this one, so the working must come from your child.

The stories have a few slips to correct aloud. "Two-steps" in the title should be "two-step", "went for bowling" should be "went bowling", and "than him" should be "than he did". The money answer also has a stray period before "After buying the TV set".

After the page: the piggy bank game

Put a few coins in a cup and count them together. Then add some coins, take some away, and ask how many are left now. Your child writes both steps, which turns the game into two-step problems with real money. Finally, check the three answers against the answer key on page two.