This understanding involves interpreting a two-step situation within 100, identifying the quantities and relationships, and determining an intermediate result before finding the final unknown through addition and/or subtraction. The learner connects the context to equations, drawings, bar models, or number-line representations, recognizes that operation order follows the situation rather than a fixed rule, and checks whether the result is reasonable; the scope excludes larger numbers, more than two steps, and formal algebraic generalization.
A two-step problem has two actions. Solve the first action to find an intermediate amount, then use that amount for the second action.
Example:
Mia has 36 stickers. She gives 14 stickers to her friend. Then she gets 9 more stickers. How many stickers does Mia have now?
After giving away stickers, Mia has 22 stickers.
The equations match the story:
Check: Giving away stickers should make the amount smaller, and getting more should make it larger. Starting with 36, ending with 31 is reasonable because she gave away 14 but got back only 9.
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