Grade 4 Bar Models: Comparison Problems

Worked examples

Real problems from the practice worksheets, solved one step at a time.

1. Example 1

   Amy has 17 books. Mia has 9 more than Amy. How many does Mia have?

   1. Draw Amy's bar for 17. Mia has 9 more, so Mia's bar is the same length plus an extra piece of 9.
   2. Add the extra piece to Amy's amount. 17 + 9: make a ten first. 17 + 3 = 20, then 20 + 6 = 26.
   3. Mia has 26 books.

   Answer: 26

2. Example 2

   Sam has 12 marbles. Mia has 8 more than Sam. How many does Mia have?

   1. Draw Sam's bar for 12. Mia has 8 more, so Mia's bar is the same length plus an extra piece of 8.
   2. Add the extra piece to Sam's amount. 12 + 8 = 20.
   3. Mia has 20 marbles.

   Answer: 20

3. Example 3

   Lisa has 31 stickers. Amy has 26 stickers. How many more stickers does Lisa have than Amy?

   1. Draw two bars: Lisa's bar is 31 and Amy's bar is 26. Line them up — the extra piece on Lisa's longer bar is the difference.
   2. To find the difference, subtract the shorter bar from the longer bar. 31 − 26: take away the tens, then the ones. 31 − 20 = 11, then 11 − 6 = 5.
   3. Lisa has 5 more stickers than Amy.

   Answer: 5