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Common Core Math2nd GradeMeasurement & Data

2.MD.5: Solve Length Word Problems

Also written as 2.MD.B.5 and CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.B.5 · Cluster: Relate addition and subtraction to length.

Make Length Word ProblemsAll 26 2nd Grade Math Standards

The Official Wording

Use addition and subtraction within 100 to solve word problems involving lengths that are given in the same units, e.g., by using drawings (such as drawings of rulers) and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem.

Common Core State Standards, Grade 2, Measurement & Data · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026

What 2.MD.5 Means in Plain English

Second graders solve stories about lengths, all in one unit, by adding or subtracting within 100: a 48-inch ribbon is cut and 29 inches remain, so how long was the piece? They draw a bar or a ruler, write 29 + ? = 48, and find 19 inches.

This is 2.OA.1 with a ruler attached: same situations, same unknown positions, but every quantity is a length, which makes the drawing concrete. It pairs with sums and differences on a number line (2.MD.6). In 3rd grade the stories switch to grams, kilograms and liters (3.MD.2).

2.MD.5 I Can Statements

  • I can draw a picture to show a length word problem.
  • I can write an equation with a symbol for the unknown length.
  • I can add or subtract lengths within 100 and label the unit.

2.MD.5 Worked Example

A ribbon with a piece missing, drawn as a bar, written as an equation with a question mark, and solved by counting up.

Problem

A ribbon was 48 inches long. Mr. Lee cut off a piece for a bow. Now the ribbon is 29 inches long. How long was the piece he cut off?

The missing piece of ribbon
  1. Draw the ribbon as one bar: the whole is 48 inches. One part is 29 inches, the other part is the piece I do not know.A bar labeled 48, split into 29 and ?
  2. Write what the picture says: the two parts make the whole.29 + ? = 48
  3. Count up from 29 to 48 in easy jumps: 29 to 30 is 1, 30 to 40 is 10, 40 to 48 is 8.1 + 10 + 8 = 19
  4. Answer the question with a length, not just a number.The piece was 19 inches long.
Answer19 inches

Check it: Put the two parts back together: 29 + 19 = 48, the whole ribbon.

Common Mistakes with 2.MD.5

Grabbing the numbers and adding

48 + 29 = 77 for the ribbon, because “there were two numbers”

Try this: Have the student draw the whole ribbon first and mark what is known. Adding only fits when the whole is unknown.

Dropping the unit in the answer

“19” with no inches, or “19 ribbons”

Try this: Reread the question together and ask what kind of thing it wants. A length question gets a length answer with its unit.

Mixing units inside one problem

Adding 3 feet of rope to 20 inches of rope and writing 23

Try this: Keep problems in one unit at this grade, and when a mixed one appears, ask whether 3 and 20 measure the same thing.

Where 2.MD.5 Fits

Comes Before1.MD.2Measure a length by laying copies of a shorter object end to end and counting them.2.MD.4Measure two objects and subtract to find how much longer one is.
Alongside2.OA.1Solve one- and two-step word problems within 100 with the unknown in any position.2.NBT.5Add and subtract within 100 fluently.2.MD.6Show sums and differences within 100 as jumps on a number line.
Comes Next3.MD.2Solve one-step word problems about mass and liquid volume in the same unit.3.OA.8Solve two-step word problems using all four operations.

Practice 2.MD.5

Word Problem GeneratorFree ToolAddition and subtraction stories within 100 at the 2nd grade level. Read the numbers as inches or centimeters and have students draw a bar for each one.Grade 2Add and subtractWithin 100
Make Word Problems
Number Line GeneratorFree ToolA labeled 0 to 50 line is the ruler drawing the standard asks for: students mark 29, jump to 48 and add up the jumps.0 to 50Step 1Labeled
Make a Number Line

Quick Check

  1. Kai’s jump rope is 45 inches long and Dee’s is 38 inches long. Laid end to end, how long are they together?
  2. A board is 90 centimeters long. Mrs. Ortiz saws off 35 centimeters. How long is the board now?
  3. A snake was 62 centimeters long in spring. By fall it was 81 centimeters long. How much did it grow?

2.MD.5: Other Names

2.MD.52.MD.B.5CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.B.5

Common Core State Standards © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved. Official wording from the Common Core State Standards PDFs at corestandards.org, last checked October 14, 2026. The explanation, I can statements, example, mistakes and practice on this page are EMStudio’s own, written beside the official wording. They are not part of the standard.