Question

explain how a bar model can be used to show a subtraction problem

Answer 1

The bar model helps students visualize the relationships between the numbers given and the amount you are looking for in a word problem. What's great about this tool is that the model starts in elementary school with addition and subtraction problems and then can be expanded to work with multiplication and division problems, fractions, ratios, and percents. This model is incredibly
useful when you need to make sense of the given information and figure out how to attack a complex problem (MP1). Once students know how to create and apply these models, all they need is a surface to write on and a writing utensil.