How it works
Find the whole and the parts in the story.
If the whole is missing, add the parts.
If a part is missing, take the other part from the whole.
Worked examples
Put together
- Ben has 4 apples in the bowl. He has 2 apples in the bag. How many apples does Ben have in all?
- Draw the two parts.
- The whole is missing, so add.
- So the answer is 6.
Find the start
- Ana had some fish. She gave 18 away. Now she has 2 fish. How many fish did Ana have at the start?
- Ana gave 18 away and has 2 left.
- She had the 18 and the 2 together: add them.
- So the answer is 20.
A number sentence
- Leo has 20 cars. 9 are on the mat. The rest are in the box. Which number sentence finds how many are in the box?
- Find the sentence with a missing part.
- 9 and what makes 20?
- So the answer is 9 + ? = 20.
A taste of the worksheet
These are the first problems of set A. The printable sheet has many more, with an answer key.
- Ben has 8 apples. He eats 5. How many apples does Ben have now?
- Ben has 5 apples. He gets 4 more. How many apples does Ben have now?
- Ben has 3 apples in the bowl. He has 2 apples in the bag. How many apples does Ben have in all?
- Ben has 5 apples in the bowl. He has 2 apples in the bag. How many apples does Ben have in all?
- Ben has 2 apples in the bowl. He has 6 apples in the bag. How many apples does Ben have in all?
Words to know
- whole
- All of something.
- part
- A piece of the whole.
Watch out for
- Read the whole story before you add or take away.
- Ask what is missing: the whole or a part.
- Check the answer makes sense.
Try it
Ana has 6 fish in the tank. She has 9 fish in the bowl. How many fish does Ana have in all?
15.
Ana has 20 fish. 18 are in the tank. The rest are in the bowl. How many fish are in the bowl?
2.
Ana had 16 fish. She gave some away. Now she has 14 fish. How many fish did she give away?
2.
For grown-ups
Make up short stories about snacks or toys and ask 'how many in all?' or 'how many are left?'