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Worksheets · 24 questions

Bigger or Smaller? Comparing Worksheet

Two small sums on each line and one question: which side is bigger?

Bigger or smaller? · Sheet 1 Name:
  1. 58 - 52 ? 45 + 12
  2. 80 + 7 ? 6 - 6
  3. 72 + 8 ? 52 - 24
  4. 22 + 67 ? 63 + 29
  5. 33 - 0 ? 61 - 43
  6. 97 + 2 ? 54 - 5
  7. 8 - 1 ? 67 - 18
  8. 8 + 66 ? 63 + 10
  9. 55 - 26 ? 42 - 16
  10. 33 + 39 ? 21 - 10
  11. 22 + 57 ? 91 - 45
  12. 38 + 18 ? 44 + 12
  13. 2 + 29 ? 22 - 11
  14. 23 - 10 ? 58 - 32
  15. 48 - 21 ? 91 + 7
  16. 76 - 43 ? 27 - 3
  17. 59 + 21 ? 44 - 21
  18. 23 + 62 ? 40 + 31
  19. 68 - 58 ? 65 - 24
  20. 95 - 17 ? 3 + 17
  21. 31 + 60 ? 84 + 4
  22. 56 + 35 ? 100 - 33
  23. 88 - 35 ? 94 - 71
  24. 99 - 63 ? 43 - 9
Bigger or smaller? · Sheet 2 Name:
  1. 7 - 6 ? 17 + 54
  2. 45 - 28 ? 98 + 1
  3. 76 - 23 ? 37 + 8
  4. 45 + 24 ? 22 - 15
  5. 31 + 29 ? 6 + 59
  6. 10 + 62 ? 22 + 5
  7. 17 - 7 ? 3 + 80
  8. 33 + 60 ? 66 + 33
  9. 52 - 0 ? 4 - 2
  10. 19 - 9 ? 58 + 38
  11. 8 + 82 ? 1 + 72
  12. 30 - 1 ? 26 - 7
  13. 68 - 0 ? 91 - 9
  14. 90 - 79 ? 8 - 8
  15. 14 + 78 ? 78 + 19
  16. 50 - 3 ? 43 - 17
  17. 54 + 4 ? 34 + 36
  18. 28 - 24 ? 72 - 71
  19. 91 + 9 ? 70 + 8
  20. 63 - 63 ? 33 + 9
  21. 35 - 12 ? 40 + 14
  22. 45 + 38 ? 8 + 14
  23. 57 - 11 ? 45 - 29
  24. 30 + 40 ? 59 - 32
Bigger or smaller? · Sheet 3 Name:
  1. 84 + 13 ? 26 - 3
  2. 19 - 13 ? 12 - 7
  3. 32 - 20 ? 42 - 28
  4. 67 - 8 ? 99 + 1
  5. 7 - 1 ? 86 - 69
  6. 6 - 3 ? 6 + 30
  7. 74 + 26 ? 21 + 24
  8. 2 + 97 ? 71 - 19
  9. 54 + 15 ? 94 - 64
  10. 37 + 58 ? 13 + 70
  11. 60 - 12 ? 2 + 37
  12. 78 + 11 ? 9 - 6
  13. 88 - 54 ? 86 + 14
  14. 16 + 47 ? 78 - 63
  15. 52 + 22 ? 72 + 7
  16. 56 + 1 ? 41 + 14
  17. 86 + 1 ? 20 + 59
  18. 95 + 3 ? 76 + 17
  19. 61 + 27 ? 88 - 73
  20. 57 + 25 ? 75 + 11
  21. 61 - 9 ? 3 + 75
  22. 14 - 9 ? 43 - 20
  23. 95 - 54 ? 4 - 1
  24. 27 + 54 ? 30 + 8

Answers

Sheet 1 1. < 2. > 3. > 4. < 5. > 6. > 7. < 8. > 9. > 10. > 11. > 12. = 13. > 14. < 15. < 16. > 17. > 18. > 19. < 20. > 21. > 22. > 23. > 24. >

Sheet 2 1. < 2. < 3. > 4. > 5. < 6. > 7. < 8. < 9. > 10. < 11. > 12. > 13. < 14. > 15. < 16. > 17. < 18. > 19. > 20. < 21. < 22. > 23. > 24. >

Sheet 3 1. > 2. > 3. < 4. < 5. < 6. < 7. > 8. > 9. > 10. > 11. > 12. > 13. < 14. > 15. < 16. > 17. > 18. > 19. > 20. < 21. < 22. < 23. > 24. >

What this practises

Comparing quantities, and the signs that say so. Underneath it is two sums and a judgement, which is more work than it looks.

It also keeps the meaning of the equals sign honest. Children who only ever see sums written left to right come to read "=" as "and the answer is", and comparing two expressions puts it back to what it means.

How to use it

Write <, > or = in the gap. The two sums on each line are easy on purpose: the comparison is the task.

What to look for

A child answering by the size of the numbers rather than the size of the answers — picking the side with the 9 in it. It is a reasonable shortcut and this sheet catches it in about four lines.

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