Welcome, little mathematician! Today you will learn how to add. Adding helps you find out how many things you have when you join two groups. We will only use numbers up to 10, so your fingers, toys and drawings can all help you.
1. What does it mean to add?
To add means to get a bigger group. You start with some things, and then you join more things to them. At the end you ask: How many are there now?
The answer to an addition is called the sum. If you have 3 crayons and 2 crayons, the sum is 5 crayons.
Addition is joining two groups to find how many there are in all. The numbers you add are the addends. The answer is the sum.
2. Adding as putting together
Sometimes two groups are already there, side by side. You put them together and count everything. Look at the counters below: 3 orange and 2 blue.
Three orange counters and two blue counters are put together. Now there are 5 counters in all. We can say it with numbers: 3 plus 2 equals 5.
There are 4 red cars and 3 blue cars in the parking lot. How many cars are there in all?
We put the groups together: \(4 + 3 = 7\). There are 7 cars in all.
3. Adding as adding to
Sometimes a story has a start and then something happens: more things come, join, arrive or are added. The group gets bigger. This is called adding to.
Four birds sit on a branch. Then 2 more birds fly in. Now there are \(4 + 2 = 6\) birds. Words like more, join, come and in all often tell you to add.
Ana has 5 stickers. Her friend gives her 3 more stickers. How many stickers does Ana have now?
She started with 5 and got 3 more: \(5 + 3 = 8\). Ana has 8 stickers.
4. Using objects and drawings
You can solve an addition by showing it. Use blocks, buttons, coins or counters. You can also draw dots or circles on paper.
- Make the first group with your objects.
- Make the second group next to it.
- Push the two groups together.
- Count all the objects. Start at 1 and touch each one.
A ten frame is a box with 10 spaces: 2 rows of 5. It shows numbers very clearly. Here are 5 orange counters and 3 blue counters.
The top row is full with 5. The bottom row has 3 counters. So \(5 + 3 = 8\). There are 2 empty spaces, because \(8 + 2 = 10\).
5. Using fingers and number lines
Your fingers are always with you! To add 4 and 3, show 4 fingers on one hand. Then raise 3 more fingers. Count all the raised fingers: 7.
A number line is a line with numbers in order. To add, put your finger on the first number. Then make one hop for each thing you add. You land on the sum.
Start at 3. Hop 4 times to the right: 4, 5, 6, 7. You land on 7. So \(3 + 4 = 7\).
Use a number line to find \(2 + 5\).
Start at 2. Hop 5 times: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. You land on 7. So \(2 + 5 = 7\).
6. Writing equations: the plus sign and the equal sign
Mathematicians write short sentences with numbers. They are called equations. An addition equation uses two special signs.
- The plus sign \(+\) means join or add.
- The equal sign \(=\) means is the same amount as.
First addend \(+\) second addend \(=\) sum. For example: \(3 + 2 = 5\).
You read \(3 + 2 = 5\) like this: three plus two equals five. Both sides have the same amount. Because of that, you can also write \(5 = 3 + 2\).
| Words | Equation | Sum |
|---|---|---|
| one plus one | \(1 + 1 = 2\) | 2 |
| two plus three | \(2 + 3 = 5\) | 5 |
| four plus four | \(4 + 4 = 8\) | 8 |
| six plus four | \(6 + 4 = 10\) | 10 |
On my planet we say that the order does not matter! \(2 + 6\) and \(6 + 2\) both make 8. When one number is big, start with the big one and count on the small one.
Two more facts to remember. Adding 0 changes nothing: \(6 + 0 = 6\). And adding 1 gives the next number: \(6 + 1 = 7\).
7. Acting out addition stories
You can be part of the story! Use your body, toys or classmates to act out a story.
- Story: 3 children are playing. 2 more children come to play.
- Act it out: 3 children stand in a circle. 2 children walk in. Now count the children: 5.
When you act out a story, say what is happening out loud: First there were 3. Then 2 came. Now there are 5. Then write the equation: \(3 + 2 = 5\).
8. Addition word problems
A word problem is a little story with a question. Follow these steps to solve it.
- Listen to the story. What do we know?
- Find the question. What do we want to know?
- Draw it or act it out.
- Write the equation.
- Say the answer in a whole sentence.
Do not forget to count the first group again. If you have 6 marbles and win 2 more, the answer is 8 marbles, not 2 marbles. Also, check your answer: when you add more than 0, the sum is bigger than each addend.
Key takeaways
- Adding means putting groups together or adding more to a group.
- The answer to an addition is the sum.
- The plus sign \(+\) means add. The equal sign \(=\) means the same amount as.
- We can add with objects, drawings, fingers, ten frames and number lines.
- Adding 0 changes nothing, and the order of the numbers does not change the sum.
- In a word problem, find the question, draw, write the equation, and answer in a sentence.
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