4-Digit Subtraction with Regrouping

Inside the case file

4 digit subtraction with regrouping worksheets for 3rd grade and 4th grade, five St Patricks Day math cases, each a Mystery Detective page. No prep March math activities with full answer keys, then math centers, early finishers, homework, spiral review and sub plans, print and go. A shamrock that appeared before the bell, green balloons that walked out and a pot of gold somebody found first carry the theme, borrowing across four columns is the route to the culprit, and every answer crosses a suspect off the lineup, so a CSI Mini Mystery Detective keeps a fourth grader borrowing to the last column.

Four digit subtraction is a big step for a third grader in March, and a leprechaun to unmask is what gets five CSI Mini Mystery Detective math cases of it done with a grin. The lineup does the checking for them, so the marking is student-led and yours is a quick glance at the key.

The Cases

1. Shamrock Surprise - it appeared before the bell
2. Who has Green Balloons - the balloons leave the classroom
3. The Green Cake - who baked for the staffroom
4. Pot of Gold at Rainbow - somebody found it first
5. Leprechaun Costume - a teacher in green, but which one

What's Inside

• Five case files, each with a crime sheet and its own lineup of suspects
• Four digit subtraction with regrouping on every page
• Borrowing across four columns, including through zeros
• Each answer matches one suspect and no other, so the page checks itself
• A full answer key for every case
• Print and go: no cutting, no laminating, nothing to prepare

What Is a CSI Mini Mystery Detective?

A CSI Mini Mystery Detective is a single page case your class cracks with math. The suspects stand in a lineup with a number each, the crime sheet produces those numbers, and a correct answer knocks one suspect out until the last name standing is the culprit. There is no kit and nothing to assemble, so what carries it is the arithmetic, which is what makes detective activities land where math worksheets slide off. One case runs a class period.

When to Use This Resource

Four digit borrowing is where a small error turns into a completely wrong answer, so it needs more practice than the unit gives it. Use this in March for the season, and again any time the class is heading towards decimal subtraction and needs the columns to be automatic. Because the wrong difference names the wrong suspect, students trace the error back to the column instead of starting again.

It suits test prep, homework, math centers, morning work, early finishers, sub plans, homeschool lessons and spiral review, with a class, a small group or one student.

Grade Levels

Written for 3rd grade and 4th grade, where four digit subtraction sits in the standards. Fifth graders use it as a fluency refresher before decimal subtraction, and second graders take it once three digit borrowing is secure.

Why Teachers Love These Cases

• Four columns of borrowing, which is more than most worksheets ask for
• Students trace their own error back to the column that went wrong
• No prep, and the answer keys make grading quick
• Works with a whole class, a small group, partners, or one student alone

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