Add means put together
Year 1
Understand add and minus as actions
See addition as putting together and minus as taking away.
Lesson overview
Number - addition and subtraction
Addition means joining more to a group. Minus means taking some away from a group. Before we worry about harder number sentences, we can watch what happens to the objects and describe the action clearly.
Minus means take away
Watch the action
Worked example
Start with 5 counters. Take away 3 counters. What happens?
- Start with 5 counters.
- The words take away tell us this is minus.
- Remove 3 counters from the group.
- There are 2 counters left.
Try it
Look for the action first, then answer the question.
Question 1
Which action means add?
Question 2
Which action means minus?
Question 3
Start with 4 counters and add 3 more. How many counters are there now?
Question 4
Start with 9 counters and take away 2. How many counters are left?
Question 5
What should you look for first in a story problem?
Common mistakes
These reminders help when spotting add and minus as actions.
- Adding more when the action is really take away.
- Taking objects away when the action is really put together.
- Looking only at the numbers and not at what the action words mean.
Related topics
These connect closely to add and minus as actions.
- Understand zero as a concept.
- Read, write and interpret mathematical statements using +, - and = signs.