Partition and recombine to add

The ArithmeKit 29 from Buzzard Publishing's CanDoMaths series is a comprehensive set of exercises designed to enhance Year 6 students' addition skills through the method of partitioning and recombining. This technique involves breaking down numbers into their constituent parts (tens, ones, etc.) and then adding these parts together to find the total sum. For instance, to solve the problem 40+50+6+5, students would partition the numbers into tens and ones, add them separately, and then recombine to get the final answer. The exercises also include matching pairs, where students must find two sums that equal the same total, and fill-in-the-blank problems that require them to use partitioning to find the missing numbers.

Moreover, the ArithmeKit introduces critical thinking challenges where students must identify patterns and commonalities among correct examples, such as when adding two two-digit numbers results in a one in the ones column. It encourages students to use practical resources to validate their answers and to explore multiple methods of problem-solving. For example, they are tasked with convincing a character named Coco that 37 + 54 equals 91 using partitioning. The kit also includes creative tasks where students can create their own problems, ensuring they understand the concept of partitioning and recombining to add. The goal is to build a strong foundation in arithmetic by allowing students to see the relationships between numbers and to develop various strategies for solving addition problems.