Foundation

Subtracting Superstars

In Maths, we have been developing our additive thinking, recently focusing on subtraction. We have been learning that subtraction is more than simply ‘taking away’ - we can use subtraction to take apart a whole and explore the relationship between the parts.

We have been using concrete materials to make and tell our own subtraction stories, helping us connect what we can see and act out with mathematical ideas. We have explored subtraction as taking apart, investigated the inverse relationship between addition and subtraction, and used number bonds/whole-part-part models to represent these relationships.

We have loved putting our mathematical thinking into action through games such as Subtraction Smash and Demolishing Towers. These games have provided lots of opportunities to practise subtraction while developing fluency, confidence and mathematical language of subtraction within 10.

We have also tackled some tricky open-ended challenging tasks, including the case of the 11 Gingerbread people who mysteriously ran off the baking tray! Students used what they know about subtraction to work out how many gingerbread men could have been left and represented their thinking with pictures, whole-part-part number bond models, and even subtraction sentences!

The Foundation Team

Jess Carter, Kirsty Johnson, Hannah Morris and Tanya Ward