Max Maths, Year 6, Learn together, Mental addition and subtraction (2)

In Max Maths for Year 6, students are encouraged to develop their mental arithmetic skills, particularly with subtraction. One example given is the subtraction of two large numbers that are multiples of 100: 8,800 and 2,500. To simplify the process, the strategy involves breaking down the numbers into their base units without the hundreds. Students first find the difference between 25 and 88, which is 63, and then multiply the result by 100 to account for the original scale of the numbers. This way, they can easily calculate that 8,800 minus 2,500 equals 6,300 without needing to write anything down or use a calculator.

Another mental subtraction strategy taught is for numbers that are very close to each other, such as subtracting 4,003 from 3,998. Instead of traditional subtraction, students are shown how to 'count on' from the smaller number to the larger one. This method involves adding increments of one to the smaller number until reaching the larger number. In this case, it takes five steps (or an addition of five ones) to go from 3,998 to 4,003, indicating the difference is 5. Additionally, recognising that 3,998 is only 2 away from an even 4,000 can help students quickly determine the difference without laborious calculations. These mental techniques are invaluable for improving speed and confidence in maths.