Addition & Subtraction Word Problems Within 100

Inside the case file

Addition and subtraction word problems, two-digit story problem worksheets, and add and subtract within 100 practice for 1st grade, 2nd grade, and 3rd grade are all included in this school-themed Mini Mystery Detective pack of math worksheets. Students solve one-step word problems to crack five detective cases, matching every answer to a suspect and crossing that suspect off until only the villain is left standing. Completely no prep - just print and go.

Use it as a two-digit addition and subtraction review, a regrouping and borrowing practice set, a no-prep math sub plan, a spiral review before a unit test, a homework packet, or a station in your math centers. The problems cover adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart and comparing, so students have to work out which operation the story is really asking for instead of repeating the same move all the way down the page.

What's Inside

• Solving one-step addition word problems within 100 - joining situations (the shelf held 43 crayons and the teacher added 18 more) and putting-together situations (55 big canvases and 11 small canvases)
• Solving one-step subtraction word problems within 100 - taking-away situations (73 sheets of paper and Room 2 used 38) and comparing situations (86 pencils and 40 pens, how many fewer pens)
• Working out which operation a story calls for when no key word gives it away, which is exactly where comparing problems catch students out
• Adding and subtracting two-digit numbers with and without regrouping and borrowing
• Reading a word problem carefully and pulling the two numbers that matter out of it
• Checking their own work - a wrong answer leaves two suspects standing, so students know to go back and find it themselves
• Every page provided ready to print with no preparation

Five school mysteries to solve: the paint pot puzzle, the empty seed tray, the silent stage, the late school bus and the playground prank. Answer keys included for every case.

What is a Mini Mystery Detective?

A no-prep detective activity where students solve math problems to cross off suspects and unmask the culprit. Every suspect wears an ID badge, and each correct answer matches one of them - so solving the page eliminates them one at a time until a single suspect is left. Skill practice plus critical thinking in one engaging, self-checking worksheet set.

When to Use This Resource

• Math centers and rotations
• Morning work and warm-ups
• Early finishers
• Sub days and emergency plans
• Homework
• Spiral review and test prep
• Small-group intervention
• Whole-class problem solving

Grade Levels

Designed for 2nd graders. Also beneficial for struggling 3rd graders who need extra practice with word problems and advanced 1st graders ready for a challenge.

Why Teachers Love Mystery Detectives

• Zero prep - just print and hand it out
• Self-checking, so students spot their own mistakes instead of waiting to be marked
• The detective hook keeps the whole class on task, including the students who usually stall on word problems
• Real skill practice, not busy work - every case is a full page of problem solving
• All four addition and subtraction situation types on every page, so no student can coast on one strategy
• Answer keys make marking quick

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