Help Sheets
for Addition
and Subtraction
Outcomes
Early Stage:
I have explored numbers, understanding that they represent quantities, and I can use them to count,
create sequences and describe order. MNU 0-02a
I can use practical materials and can ‘count on and back’ to help me to understand addition and
subtraction, recording my ideas and solution in different ways. MNU 0-03a
1st Stage:
I can use addition and subtraction when solving problems, making best use of the mental strategies
and written skills I have developed. MNU 1-03a
I have investigated how whole numbers are constructed, can understand the importance of zero
within the system and can use my knowledge to explain the link between a digit, its place and its
value. MNU 1-02a
2nd Stage:
Having determined which calculations are needed, I can solve problems involving whole numbers
using a range of methods, sharing my approaches and solutions with others. MNU 2-03a
Having explored the need for rules for the order of operations in number calculations, I can apply
them correctly when solving simple problems. MTH 2-03c
I can show my understanding of how the number line extends to include numbers less than zero and
have investigated how these numbers occur and are used. MNU2-04a
Guide to: Addition (Horizontal Layout)
For Example: John has 5 sweets and buys 4 more. How many sweets
does John have altogether?
Step 1: Write the calculation as shown in the box
Step 2: 7 units add on 2 units equals 9
Record this answer
5+4=9
Addition Words:
add, find the sum, find the
total, how many altogether,
count on
Step 3: Check your answer by using the inverse operation: 9 - 4 = 5
A Guide to: Addition (Horizontal Layout) with Carrying
For Example: There are 11 people on a bus, at the next stop 2 more
people get on the bus. How many people are there on the bus now?
Step 1: Write the calculation as shown in the box
Step 2: 11 units add on 2 units equals 13 units
Record this answer
11 + 2 = 13
Addition Words:
add, find the sum, find the
total, how many altogether,
count on
Step 4: Check your answer by using the inverse operation: 13 – 2 = 11
A Guide to: Addition (Horizontal Layout)
For Example: John has 23 sweets and buys 16 more. How many sweets
does John have altogether?
Step 1: Write the calculation as shown in the box
23 +16 = 39
Step 2: Start at 23 on the number line.
Add 10 on and then add 6 on.
23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
Step 3: Check your answer by using the inverse operation. 39 - 16 = 23
Addition Words:
Words:
add, find the sum, find the
total, how many altogether,
count on
A Guide to: Addition (Horizontal Layout) with Carrying
For Example: There are 34 people on a bus, at the next stop 8 more
people get on the bus. How many people are there on the bus now?
Step 1: Write the calculation as shown in the box
Step 2: Start by adding the units
4 units add 8 units equals 12 units
Record the 2 units and carry 1 ten
Step 3: Now add the tens column
3 tens add the carried 1 ten equals to 4 tens
Record the 4 tens and say the answer
34 + 8 = 42
Addition Words:
add, find the sum, find the
total, how many altogether,
count on
Step 4: Check your answer by using the inverse operation. 42 – 8 = 34
Guide to: Addition (Counting On)
For Example: John has 7 sweets and buys 2 more. How many sweets
does John have altogether?
7+2=9
Step 1: Write the calculation as shown in the box
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Addition
Addition Words:
add, find the sum, find the
total, how many altogether,
count on
Step 2: Start at 7 and count on 2
Record this answer
Step 3: Check your answer by using the inverse operation: 9 - 2 = 7
A Guide to: Addition (Counting On)
For Example: There are 11 people on a bus, at the next stop 2 more
people get on the bus. How many people are there on the bus now?
11 + 2 = 13
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Step 1: Write the calculation as shown in the box
Step 2: Start at 11 and count on 2 units
Record this answer
Addition Words:
add, find the sum, find the
total, how many altogether,
count on
Step 4: Check your answer by using the inverse operation: 13 – 2 = 11
A Guide to: Addition (Missing Number)
For Example: John and Bob have 5 sweets altogether. John has 3 sweets,
how many does Bob have?
3+
=5
Step 1: Write the calculation as shown in the box
Step 2: How many do we need to add on to 3 to make 5?
Step 2: 3 add on 2 equals 5
Record and say the answer.
Step 3: Check your answer:
3+2=5
Addition Words:
add, find the sum, find the
total, how many
many altogether,
count on
A Guide to: Addition (Missing Number)
An Example: There are 9 cars in the car park altogether. There are 4 red
cars, the rest are blue cars. How many blue cars are there?
Step 1: Write the calculation as shown in the box
Step 2: There are 9 altogether, and 4 of these are
red. 9 take away 4 equals 5
Step 3: Check your answer: 5 + 4 = 9
+4=9
Addition Words:
add, find the sum, find the
total, how many altogether,
count on
A Guide to: Addition with Tens and Units without Carrying
For Example: John has 23 sweets and buys 16 more. How many sweets
does John have altogether?
Step 1: Write the calculation as shown in the box
Step 2: Start by adding the units column
3 units add on 6 units equals 9
Record this answer
Step 2: Add the tens column
2 tens add on 1 ten equals 3 tens
Record and say the answer
23
+1 6
39
Addition Words:
add, find the sum, find the
total, how many altogether,
count on
Step 3: Check your answer by using the inverse operation
A Guide to: Addition with Tens and Units with Carrying
For Example: There are 34 people on a bus, at the next stop 8 more
people get on the bus. How many people are there on the bus now?
Step 1: Write the calculation as shown in the box
Step 2: Start by adding the units column
4 units add 8 units equals 12 units
Record the 2 units and carry 1 ten
Record the 1 ten as shown
34
+ 8
42
Step 3: Now add the tens column
3 tens add the carried 1 ten equals to 4 tens
Record the 4 tens and say the answer
Step 4: Check your answer by using the inverse operation
Addition Words:
add, find the sum, find
the total, how many
altogether, count on
A Guide to: Addition with Hundreds, Tens and Units - No Carrying
For Example: There are 123 children in Guides and 132 children in the Scouts.
How many children are there altogether?
Step 1: Write out the calculation as shown in the box
Step 2: Start by adding the units column
3 units add on 2 units equals 5 units
Record this answer
Step 3: Add the tens column
2 tens add on 3 tens equals 5 tens
Record this answer
Step 4: Add the hundreds column
1 hundred add on 1 hundred equals 2 hundred
Record and say the answer
123
+132
255
Addition Words:
add, find the sum, find the
total, how many altogether,
count on
Step 5: Check your answer by using the inverse operation
A Guide to: Addition with Hundreds, Tens and Units with Carrying
For Example: There are 349 people in the tennis club and there are 241 people in
the hockey club. How many people altogether are in tennis and hockey clubs?
Step 1: Write the calculation as shown in the box
Step 2: Start by adding the units
9 units add 1 unit equals 10 units
Record the 0 units and carry 1 ten
Record the 1 ten as shown
349
+241
590
Step 3: Now add the tens column
4 tens add 4 tens equals 8 and add the carried 1 ten equals to 9 tens
Record the 9 tens
Step 4: Now add the hundreds column
3 hundreds add 2 hundreds equal 5 hundreds
Record and say the answer
Step 5: Check your answer by using the inverse operation
Addition Words:
add, find
find the sum, find the
total, how many altogether,
count on
Guide to: Subtraction (Number Line)
For Example: John has 7 sweets and eats 2 of them. How many sweets
does John now?
7-2=5
Step 1: Write the calculation as shown in the box
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Addition Words:
add, find the sum, find the
total, how many altogether,
count on
Step 2: Start at 7 and then take 2 away
Record this answer
Step 3: Check your answer by using the inverse operation: 5 + 2 = 7
A Guide to: Subtraction (Number Line)
For Example: There are 11 people on a bus, at the next stop 2 people get
off the bus. How many people are there on the bus now?
11 - 2 = 9
Step 1: Write the calculation as shown in the box
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Step 2: Start at 11 and take away 2
Record this answer
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Addition Words:
add,
add, find the sum, find the
total, how many altogether,
count on
Step 4: Check your answer by using the inverse operation: 11 – 2 = 9
A Guide to: Subtraction with Tens and Units without Exchanging
For example: There are 16 cars in the cinema car pack and 4 cars in the
office car park. How many more cars are in the cinema car park?
Step 1: Write the calculation as shown in the box
16
- 4
12
Step 2: Start with the units column
6 units take away 4 units leaves 2 units
Record this answer
Step 3: Now calculate the tens column
1 ten take away 0 ten leaves 1 ten
Step 4: Record and say the answer
Subtraction Language:
subtract, minus, difference
between, subtraction, count
on/back, exchange, more than
and less than
Step 5: Check your answer by using the inverse operation
A Guide to: Subtraction with Tens and Units with Exchanging
For example: There are 31 cars in a car park. How many cars are left after
8 have driven away?
2
Step 1: Write the calculation as shown in the box
Step 2: Start at the units column
You cannot take 8 units away from 1 unit
You now have to exchange 1 ten for 10 units
Record this as shown
Step 3: 11 units take away 8 units leaves 3 units
Record this
Step 4: 2 tens take away zero tens leaves 2 tens
Record this.
Step 5: Record and say the answer
31
- 8
2 3
Subtraction Language:
subtract, minus, difference
between, subtraction, count
on/back, exchange, more than
and less than
Step 6: Check your answer by using the inverse operation
A Guide to: Subtraction with Hundreds, Tens and Units without
Exchanging
For Example: There are 325 cars in a car park at 8 o’clock. At 10 o’clock
there are 114 cars in the car park. How many cars left the car park?
Step 1: Write the calculation as shown in the box
Step 2: Start with the units column
5 units take away 4 units leaves 1 unit
Record this answer
Step 3: Now calculate the tens column
2 tens take away 1 ten equals 1 ten
Record this answer
325
-114
211
Subtraction Language:
subtract, minus, difference
between, subtraction, count
on/back, exchange,
exchange, less than
Step 4: Now move to the hundreds column
3 hundreds take way 1 hundred equals 2 hundreds
Record this answer
Step 5: Record and say the answer
Step 6: Check your answer by using the inverse operation
A Guide to: Subtraction with Tens and Units with Exchanging
For Example: There are 314 cars in a car park. How many are left after
183 cars have driven away?
Step 1: Write the calculation as shown in the box
Step 2: Start at the units column
4 units take away 3 units equals 1 unit
Record this
2
31 4
- 18 3
1 31
Step 3: Now calculate the tens column
You cannot take 8 tens away from 1 ten
You now have to exchange 1 hundred for 10 tens
11 tens take away 8 tens equals 3 tens
Record this
Subtraction Language:
Step 4: 2 hundreds take away 1 hundred equals 1
Record this
subtract, minus, difference
between, subtraction, count
hundred
on/back, exchange, less than
Step 5: Record and say the answer
Step 6: Check your answer by using the inverse operation