Handling Addition and Subtraction Story Problems

My second-grader is just being introduced to story problems in math. While she really knows her basic facts, she can't seem to get the hang of whether to add or subtract the numbers in the problems. Is there anything that I can do to help her learn how to solve these problems? -- Helpful
Answer: The best way to help your child is through having her handle objects so she can see exactly how addition and subtraction work, as in the following activities and ones that you create.
Addition: Begin by using five green and five red counters and an empty glass. Ask your child to place five green counters in the glass. Then have the child add three red ones to the glass. Next, she should describe what she did. She could say: I put five green counters in the glass then I added three red ones. Now I have eight counters all together. At this point, she should write the equation 5 + 3 = 8 to describe what she did. Do this activity using different numbers of green and red counters for several days.
Continue helping your child learn about addition by using addition flash cards with single digit sums and counters. Select at random a flash card, and use counters to show the problem. Then have her push them together to show the sum. It is a good idea to have pencil and paper handy so she can record the results of manipulating the counters. She also can add the dots on either side of a die.
Subtraction: There are three different subtraction models. Begin with take away. Use a set of subtraction flash cards with the facts 2-1, 3-1, 3-2, 4-1, 4-2, 4-3, 5-1, 5-2 5-3 and 5-4, as well as counters. Select one of the flash cards at random, and make up a story problem. For 5-2, you could say: Billy has five cookies. He eats two. How many does he have left? Your child should set out five counters and then remove two before writing out the problem. Later on, your child should make up a story problem for each selected flash card. She also can draw a picture rather than use counters.
Continue by using subtraction flash cards to illustrate the comparison model of subtraction using only one-digit numerals, such as 7-4. Again, make up stories. Say: Alice has four baseball cards. Susie has seven. How many more cards does Susie have than Alice? Your child should use counters to illustrate the problem. She should first lay out seven counters and then four counters beneath the seven. She will see that the second set of counters is three larger than the smaller set.
The final subtraction strategy is called the missing addend. Use the same flash cards as above. To show 7-4, the child would lay out seven counters in a row with another row of four counters beneath them. A story would be made up. Then your daughter would lay out the number of counters that must be added to the four counters to equal the counters in the first row.