Year 1: Putting groups together: add
Part of the Year 1 adding and subtracting within 10 chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page · Download worksheet (PDF) · Answers (PDF)
Putting groups together: add
When we put groups together, we add. The + sign means add. The = sign shows the total.
Look at these apples and stars. There are 3 apples and 4 stars. Altogether there are 7 things.
Key ideas
- + means add, or put together.
- = means the total is the answer.
- Count on: start at the bigger number, then count on the smaller number.
- You can add in any order: 3 + 4 and 4 + 3 both make 7.
Key words. To add is to put groups together. Count on means keep going up from a number.
Method. Start at the bigger number, then count on the smaller number.
- Start at the bigger number, 5. It is quicker to start with the bigger number.Start: 5
- Count on 2 more. Say one number for each step on.5, then 6, 7
- Write the total. The last number you say is the total.7
Check. Count all 7 things one at a time. You get 7 again. ✓
Watch out. Do not say the starting number again. Start with the next number after it.
Key words. To add is to put groups together. Count on means keep going up from a number.
Method. Start at the bigger number, then count on the smaller number.
- Start at the bigger number, 6. It is quicker to start with the bigger number.Start: 6
- Count on 2 more. Say one number for each step on.6, then 7, 8
- Write the total. The last number you say is the total.8
Check. Count all 8 things one at a time. You get 8 again. ✓
Watch out. Do not say the starting number again. Start with the next number after it.
Key words. The + sign means add. The = sign means the answer is.
Method. Count each group. Then join them with a + sign and write the total after an = sign.
- Count the first group. Say how many there are.2
- Count the second group. Say how many there are in the other group.5
- Join the groups with the + sign. The + sign shows that we put them together.2 + 5
- Write the whole sentence. The = sign comes before the total.2 + 5 = 7
Check. Count all the things in both groups: 7. ✓
Watch out. Put the + sign between the two groups, and the = sign before the total.
Watch out
Watch out: start at the bigger number. For 2 + 7, start at 7 and count on 2: 8, 9. It is quicker than starting at 2.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Use two groups of buttons or pasta shapes. Put them together and count all of them. Then ask your child to start at the bigger group and count on the smaller one. Say the sum out loud: “Three add four makes seven.”
Exercise 2A Putting groups together
Non-calculatorKey words. To add is to put groups together. Count on means keep going up from a number.
Method. Start at the bigger number, then count on the smaller number.
- Start at the bigger number, 3. It is quicker to start with the bigger number.Start: 3
- Count on 2 more. Say one number for each step on.3, then 4, 5
- Write the total. The last number you say is the total.5
Check. Count all 5 things one at a time. You get 5 again. ✓
Watch out. Do not say the starting number again. Start with the next number after it.
Key words. To add is to put groups together. Count on means keep going up from a number.
Method. Start at the bigger number, then count on the smaller number.
- Start at the bigger number, 6. It is quicker to start with the bigger number.Start: 6
- Count on 1 more. Say one number for each step on.6, then 7
- Write the total. The last number you say is the total.7
Check. Count all 7 things one at a time. You get 7 again. ✓
Watch out. Do not say the starting number again. Start with the next number after it.
Key words. To add is to put groups together. Count on means keep going up from a number.
Method. Start at the bigger number, then count on the smaller number.
- Start at the bigger number, 5. It is quicker to start with the bigger number.Start: 5
- Count on 2 more. Say one number for each step on.5, then 6, 7
- Write the total. The last number you say is the total.7
Check. Count all 7 things one at a time. You get 7 again. ✓
Watch out. Do not say the starting number again. Start with the next number after it.
Key words. To add is to put groups together. Count on means keep going up from a number.
Method. Start at the bigger number, then count on the smaller number.
- Start at the bigger number, 6. It is quicker to start with the bigger number.Start: 6
- Count on 3 more. Say one number for each step on.6, then 7, 8, 9
- Write the total. The last number you say is the total.9
Check. Count all 9 things one at a time. You get 9 again. ✓
Watch out. Do not say the starting number again. Start with the next number after it.
Key words. To add is to put groups together. Count on means keep going up from a number.
Method. Start at the bigger number, then count on the smaller number.
- Start at the bigger number, 4. It is quicker to start with the bigger number.Start: 4
- Count on 1 more. Say one number for each step on.4, then 5
- Write the total. The last number you say is the total.5
Check. Count all 5 things one at a time. You get 5 again. ✓
Watch out. Do not say the starting number again. Start with the next number after it.
Key words. To add is to put groups together. Count on means keep going up from a number.
Method. Start at the bigger number, then count on the smaller number.
- Start at the bigger number, 4. It is quicker to start with the bigger number.Start: 4
- Count on 3 more. Say one number for each step on.4, then 5, 6, 7
- Write the total. The last number you say is the total.7
Check. Count all 7 things one at a time. You get 7 again. ✓
Watch out. Do not say the starting number again. Start with the next number after it.
Key words. To add is to put groups together. Count on means keep going up from a number.
Method. Start at the bigger number, then count on the smaller number.
- Start at the bigger number, 5. It is quicker to start with the bigger number.Start: 5
- Count on 2 more. Say one number for each step on.5, then 6, 7
- Write the total. The last number you say is the total.7
Check. Count all 7 things one at a time. You get 7 again. ✓
Watch out. Do not say the starting number again. Start with the next number after it.
Key words. The + sign means add. The = sign means the answer is.
Method. Count each group. Then join them with a + sign and write the total after an = sign.
- Count the first group. Say how many there are.2
- Count the second group. Say how many there are in the other group.6
- Join the groups with the + sign. The + sign shows that we put them together.2 + 6
- Write the whole sentence. The = sign comes before the total.2 + 6 = 8
Check. Count all the things in both groups: 8. ✓
Watch out. Put the + sign between the two groups, and the = sign before the total.
Key words. To add is to put groups together. Count on means keep going up from a number.
Method. Start at the bigger number, then count on the smaller number.
- Start at the bigger number, 5. It is quicker to start with the bigger number.Start: 5
- Count on 4 more. Say one number for each step on.5, then 6, 7, 8, 9
- Write the total. The last number you say is the total.9
Check. Count all 9 things one at a time. You get 9 again. ✓
Watch out. Do not say the starting number again. Start with the next number after it.
Key words. To add is to put groups together. Count on means keep going up from a number.
Method. Start at the bigger number, then count on the smaller number.
- Start at the bigger number, 6. It is quicker to start with the bigger number.Start: 6
- Count on 2 more. Say one number for each step on.6, then 7, 8
- Write the total. The last number you say is the total.8
Check. Count all 8 things one at a time. You get 8 again. ✓
Watch out. Do not say the starting number again. Start with the next number after it.
Key words. The + sign says add. The − sign says take away. The = sign says makes.
Method. Read the first number, then the sign, then the number after the = sign.
- Read the first number. Say the number word.five
- Read the sign. The sign tells us what to do with the numbers.The sign says add
- Read the answer after the = sign. The number after the = sign is the answer.seven
- Say the whole sentence in words. Put the words together in order.Five add two makes seven
Check. Also correct: five add two makes seven. Accept "makes" or "is" after the sign words. ✓
Watch out. Read the sign as words, not as a symbol. The = sign means makes or is.
Key words. Quicker means fewer steps to count.
Method. Count the steps for each sum. The sum with fewer steps is quicker.
- Look at 2 + 8. Starting at 2 means counting on 8 steps.2 + 8: 8 steps
- Look at 8 + 2. Starting at 8 means counting on 2 steps.8 + 2: 2 steps
- Choose the quicker one. Fewer steps is quicker.8 + 2
Check. Both sums make 10, so the answer is the same. Only the number of steps changes. ✓
Watch out. Start with the bigger number, so you have fewer steps to count.
Key words. Adding can be done in any order.
Method. Work out both sums. If the totals are the same, the sums are the same.
- Work out 3 + 4. Count on from the bigger number.3 + 4 = 7
- Work out 4 + 3. Swap the numbers and count again.4 + 3 = 7
- Compare the two totals. The same total means the sums are the same.7 and 7
- Write the answer. Yes. Both make 7.
Check. Count on from 4 to check: the total is 7. ✓
Watch out. Swapping the numbers does not change the total when we add.