Grade 1 · Math
Act Out Addition and Subtraction
- 5 sessions
- About 10 minutes each
Use objects and drawings to understand short addition and subtraction stories within 20.
Session 1
Act out a story
Read question 1 about red and yellow flowers. Make a group of 7 counters and a group of 9. Join the groups and count the total. Draw the groups and write a matching number sentence. Say what your answer counts.
Mixed Word Problems: Addition and Subtraction to 20
Open collectionSession 2
Show taking away
Read question 2 about lending books. Start with 17 counters and move 8 away. Count the books Tom still has. Write a subtraction sentence and explain why the 8 books are no longer in Tom’s group. Check with the adult after trying.
Mixed Word Problems: Addition and Subtraction to 20
Open collectionSession 3
Decide from the story
Complete questions 3 and 4. Retell each story before choosing what to do with your counters. One story combines two groups and the other removes some objects. Draw or write your method, then compare with the key.
Mixed Word Problems: Addition and Subtraction to 20
Open collectionSession 4
Try the next pair
Turn to page 2 and complete questions 5 and 6. Show what happens with counters or a drawing. Try choosing the operation before the adult helps. After checking, explain one answer in a complete spoken sentence.
Mixed Word Problems: Addition and Subtraction to 20
Open collectionSession 5
Make your own story
On scrap paper, make a story about joining or taking away, using a total no greater than 20. Tell it to an adult, show it with counters, and write the number sentence together if needed. Ask the adult to check that your story, drawing, and equation agree.
For the adult
Use worksheet 20740, Mixed Word Problems: Addition and Subtraction to 20. Both student PDF and key have two pages. Print one student copy and use up to 20 counters, blocks, or drawn dots. Read the stories aloud so reading difficulty does not hide mathematical understanding. This plan suits children who count objects to 20 and can show joining or taking away with support; it is not an introductory counting lesson. Several questions cross ten. If that is too difficult, practise the same situation with smaller numbers on scrap paper before returning to the printed question. Ask what happened in the story rather than teaching a keyword rule. Count or draw to check; do not time the work. Accept different correct methods and note when an adult supplied a step.
For the adult
Use worksheet 20740, Mixed Word Problems: Addition and Subtraction to 20. Both student PDF and key have two pages. Print one student copy and use up to 20 counters, blocks, or drawn dots. Read the stories aloud so reading difficulty does not hide mathematical understanding. This plan suits children who count objects to 20 and can show joining or taking away with support; it is not an introductory counting lesson. Several questions cross ten. If that is too difficult, practise the same situation with smaller numbers on scrap paper before returning to the printed question. Ask what happened in the story rather than teaching a keyword rule. Count or draw to check; do not time the work. Accept different correct methods and note when an adult supplied a step.
Reread and check
- I can tell what happened in the story.
- My objects or drawing match the numbers.
- I chose addition or subtraction for a reason.
- My answer says how many of the right thing.