Year 1 Addition and Subtraction Problem Solving

Teach Year 1 students to make sense of addition and subtraction stories rather than relying on isolated keywords. This unit uses a consistent Read, Draw, Model, Solve routine to help students identify the action and unknown, choose a useful representation, write a matching number sentence and explain their answer.

The editable teaching presentation introduces Add To, Take From, Part–Part–Whole and Compare structures through concrete and visual models. Guided examples use part–part–whole diagrams, tape diagrams, counters, ten frames, number lines and comparison bars. A reusable Think Board, task cards and a story-and-model match-up game provide practical opportunities to discuss and represent problems.

Five two-page worksheet sets develop classification, representation, missing-number reasoning, comparison and mixed problem-solving. Every worksheet page is immediately followed by its matching answer page. A two-page assessment, matching answers, rubric and editable 10-question quiz support review and evidence collection.

What's Included
• 24-slide editable teaching presentation
• 23-slide editable quiz with 10 question-and-answer pairs
• 38-page Unit Plan PDF
• Combined Preview PDF
• Four colour classroom posters: Add To, Take From, Part–Part–Whole and Compare
• Read, Draw, Model, Solve Think Board
• Three pages of task cards
• Four pages of Story and Model Match-Up cards
• Sort the Story — two worksheet pages and two answer pages
• Read, Draw, Model, Solve — two worksheet pages and two answer pages
• Missing Numbers in Stories — two worksheet pages and two answer pages
• Compare and Explain — two worksheet pages and two answer pages
• Mixed Problem-Solving Challenge — two worksheet pages and two answer pages
• Missing Parts and Explanation assessment — two pages and two answer pages
• Modelling Addition and Subtraction Assessment Rubric

Learning Focus
• Read and interpret addition and subtraction story contexts
• Recognise Add To, Take From, Part–Part–Whole and Compare structures
• Identify result, change, start, part and difference unknowns
• Represent problems using drawings, materials, diagrams, ten frames, number lines and equations
• Select efficient addition and subtraction strategies
• Explain and check how a model and equation match a story

Classroom Use
Use the presentation and posters for explicit whole-class teaching, then model the Think Board routine during guided practice. Task cards and match-up cards suit partner work, maths centres and small-group discussion. The worksheets progress from identifying structures to mixed application, and the assessment, rubric and quiz support review and reporting.

Formats, Page Counts and Answers
PDF and editable PowerPoint files. The Unit Plan has 38 pages, the teaching presentation has 24 slides and the quiz has 23 slides. Matching answers are included for all 10 worksheet pages and both assessment pages, and quiz answer slides follow each question.

Digital Product and Licence
Digital download only; no physical item is supplied. Licensed for one teacher/classroom or one household. Files may not be resold, redistributed or shared publicly.