Making Word Sums

Overview

Today you will practise solving addition and subtraction word problems in small, careful steps. You will use pictorial (drawings), concrete (real objects), and then abstract (number sentences) methods to understand the problem before calculating.

Learning intentions

WALT solve multi-step addition and subtraction word problems by choosing the correct operations and explaining why.

• WALT represent the story with a picture first
• WALT use concrete objects to model what happens in the problem
• WALT write an addition or subtraction number sentence to match the story
• WALT check the answer makes sense in context

Success criteria

• I can tell whether the problem is about adding or taking away (or both).
• I can show the story with a pictorial diagram and/or objects.
• I can write a correct number sentence and solve it.
• I can explain why I chose that operation and check my answer.

Curriculum links

• Number — addition and subtraction (KS1–KS2 statutory: solve addition and subtraction multi-step problems in contexts, deciding which operations and methods to use and why)
• Using pictorial representations to support understanding of number operations
• Reasoning about which operation to use and justifying it

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Warm-up: Story to action. Teacher reads two short statements aloud: “You have 6 sweets. You get 2 more.” then “You have 6 sweets. You eat 2.” Student points to “ADD” or “TAKE AWAY” cards and gives a one-word reason.

2. 5–15 min · Concrete: Objects model the story. Teacher shows a word problem (written large): “Tom has 8 stickers. He gets 5 more stickers. How many does he have now?” Student uses counters to act out: start at 8, add 5, then counts the total. Teacher asks: “What did we do to the stickers—move them into the pile or take some away?”

3. 15–25 min · Pictorial: Draw the situation. Teacher provides a simple pictorial template: two boxes with “Start” and “Now”. Student draws 8 in the Start box, then draws 5 more to show adding. Teacher asks very small questions: “Do we start with 8? What do we do next? Where do the 5 go?”

4. 25–35 min · Abstract: Number sentence and solve. Teacher models turning the picture into an equation: “8 + 5 = 13”. Student copies the abstract number sentence on their sheet and solves. Teacher prompts: “Which symbol matches what happened in the story: + or −?”

5. 35–50 min · Multi-step: Add then take away. Teacher introduces a new problem (written clearly): “Sam has 10 pencils. He buys 4 more. Then he gives 3 to a friend. How many pencils does Sam have left?” Teacher breaks it into micro-steps on the board: Step A: Find after buying. Step B: Find after giving away. Student uses concrete counters first:

• Student builds 10, adds 4 (counts on)
• Then takes away 3 (moves 3 away) Teacher asks one question at a time: “After Step A, are we adding or taking away next?”

6. 50–56 min · Check: Reasonableness in context. Student completes a quick check:

• Teacher asks: “Should the answer be bigger than 10 or smaller than 10?”
• Student explains: “Bigger after adding, but then smaller than the ‘after buying’ number.” Teacher confirms the story match and error-checks counting.

7. 56–60 min · Exit ticket: One more micro-problem. Teacher reads: “You have 7 crayons. You buy 6 more. How many now?” Student responds with: pictorial draw OR objects, then number sentence, then final answer.

Resources

• Counters or small objects (stickers, blocks, or paper circles)
• Pictorial templates with “Start / Now” boxes
• “ADD” and “TAKE AWAY” cards
• Large-print word problem cards
• Paper and pencil
• Optional: number lines 0–20 for support

Assessment

• Observe choices of operation in the warm-up (ADD vs TAKE AWAY).
• During modelling: check that the student starts from the correct number and changes it correctly.
• After solving: listen for the explanation of why the operation was chosen.
• Exit ticket: verify correct equation and answer.

Differentiation

• Support:
• Use larger font and fewer lines of text.
• Provide sentence starters: “First I…, then I…”
• Use a two-colour approach: one colour for “start amount”, another for “added amount”.
• For take-away, physically remove counters while saying “take away 3”.
• Challenge (for any student needing less support):
• Ask “How do you know you need to add first?” before the student solves.
• Add a requirement to write both steps separately (Step A equation, Step B equation).
• Extension (advanced learner, if ready):
• Provide a third step word problem: add, then take away, then add again (e.g., “+ then − then +”).
• Ask the student to compare two different solving methods (picture method vs number sentence) and justify which is clearer.