In this strategy, we are focusing on the difference between two numbers that are 1, 2 or 3 apart. Note that the subtraction form is not about “taking away”, but is about “finding the difference”. This can be illustrated neatly on a number line, looking at the number of hops between the two target numbers. For example, 11 – 8 = ___ : use the number line and count the hops when moving from 11 back to 8.
