Math // Addition & Subtraction

Addition and subtraction word problems

Solve addition and subtraction word problems within 10 using objects or drawings

Ages
4 to 6
Type
Method
Builds on
1 topic
Leads to
3 topics
Standards
2 codes

Quick check

If you say 'There are 7 birds on a fence and 3 fly away — how many are left?', can the learner work it out using their fingers, counters, or a quick drawing?

Ask this to see whether the topic is secure.

Topic // Mastery

What mastery looks like

What a learner can do once this topic is secure.
  • Solve 'There are 6 apples, 2 are eaten, how many left?' using counters
  • Solve 'add to' and 'take from' result-unknown problems
  • Solve 'put together/take apart' problems with total unknown

Topic // Map

Where this fits

What to learn first and what this topic opens up, with the reason for each link. Required links come first.
  • RequiredMust come first
  • HelpfulHelps, but not essential

Before this

1 topic

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Addition and subtraction word problems

Ages 4 to 6 // Method

Leads to

3 topics
  • Using objects to model real problemsHelpful

    Mathematical Thinking // Ages 5 to 6

    Solving word problems with drawings exercises early modelling

  • Real-World to Maths ConnectionsHelpful

    Mathematical Thinking // Ages 5 to 6

    Solving word problems within 10 with objects requires translating between situation and representation

  • Early Word ProblemsHelpful

    Addition & Subtraction // Ages 5 to 7

    Word problems to 20 extend from word problems within 10 — same problem structures at a higher range

Topic // Research-informed

Teaching notes

From the Marble Skill Taxonomy. These notes have not been validated in classrooms, so treat them as a starting point for your own judgement.

The approach

Ages 4-6 (Reception/Y1): solve one-step addition and subtraction word problems within 10 by MODELLING the situation with objects or drawings, then reading the answer off the model. The core skill is representing what the story describes (things arriving, leaving, two groups combined, two groups compared, or a mystery start), not keyword-matching. Systematically vary problem structure and unknown position; keep totals within 10 so counting stays manageable.

Common misconceptions

  • Keyword-matching ('altogether'→add, 'left'→subtract) instead of modelling the situation, which fails on compare and change/start-unknown problems.
  • Modelling only result-unknown structures and being stuck when the unknown is the change or the start.
  • Grabbing the two numbers in the problem and combining them regardless of what the story describes.
  • Miscounting the objects when acting out, or not matching the drawing to the actual quantities in the story.
  • For compare problems, adding the two amounts instead of finding the difference.

Useful representations

  • Counters/cubes acted on to match the story
  • Children's drawings/jottings (dots, crossing-out) of the situation
  • Part-part-whole model mapping story quantities to parts and whole
  • Simple bar/tape model for compare problems ('how many more')
  • Five-frame/ten-frame to organise the objects being combined or removed

Teaching practices

  • Teach modelling, not keyword-spotting: children act out or draw the SITUATION and read the answer from it, so 'altogether'/'left' don't become false triggers for +/−.
  • Systematically vary problem structure and unknown position (result-, change-, start-unknown; compare) so children build a robust sense of the operations, not one rote pattern.
  • Use consistent representations (counters, part-whole, bar/tape) so the model itself carries meaning across problems.
  • Have children retell the problem in their own words and point to each quantity in their model, tying language to representation to answer.
  • Start with result-unknown, keep numbers within 10, and introduce missing-number/compare forms only once modelling of simple problems is secure.

Activities to try

  1. 1

    Story-modelling with counters and a mat

    Why it works: You don't need a rule to decide 'add' or 'subtract' — you build what actually happened in the story with objects, and the answer is simply what you can then see and count.

    1. Listen to or look at a short situation, e.g. 'There are 6 apples on the tree; the wind blows 2 down.'
    2. Take 6 apple counters and place them on a mat to match the start of the story.
    3. Act out what happens — move the 2 fallen apples to the ground, or cross them out on a drawing.
    4. Count what is left on the tree and say the answer aloud (4).
    5. Retell the story in your own words and point to each quantity (the 6, the 2, what's left) in your model.
  2. 2

    Part-whole and compare: beyond result-unknown

    Why it works: When the unknown is a part or a difference, you still build the situation — lay out what you know and find what's missing — rather than just combining the two numbers you can see.

    1. Model a put-together problem with a missing part, e.g. 'There are 4 red counters and some blue ones, 7 altogether — how many are blue?'
    2. Build the whole (7) and lay out the known part (4) using a part-part-whole frame.
    3. Find the gap — the blue counters needed to fill the whole — and count them to give the answer (3).
    4. Model a simple compare problem, e.g. 'how many more', by lining up two groups side by side (a bar/tape layout) and finding the difference.
    5. For each problem, say whether it is a putting-together story or a comparing story, and explain how your drawing matches the words.
  3. 3

    Narrate and show (talk alongside the model)

    Why it works: Putting the story into your own words and linking each phrase to a quantity in your model builds sense-making, so the words guide the action rather than triggering a reflex operation.

    1. Tell an adult or peer what is happening in the story in your own words.
    2. As you narrate, show each step on the objects or drawing ('first there were six… then two fell…').
    3. Answer prompts such as 'which part do you already know?' and 'what are we trying to find?' while pointing to the model.

Topic // Standards

Curriculum standards

Codes for the curriculum statements this topic maps to. Each publisher owns its standard text.
Common Core State Standards for Mathematics
K.OA.2
The national curriculum in England: Key stages 1 and 2 framework document
Maths/Y1/AS/4

Math // Addition & Subtraction

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