Addition and Subtraction - Checking strategies - Planning

In the third week of Autumn term, Year 4 students delve into the realm of addition and subtraction with a focus on checking strategies. The lesson is designed to equip students with the skills to verify their answers using inverse operations. It begins with a recap of previous learning, where students are encouraged to engage in partner talk to discuss the concept of inverse operations. The class is introduced to simple fact families, helping them understand the reciprocal relationship between addition and subtraction. Through a series of activities, students are shown how to confirm the accuracy of addition by using subtraction, and vice versa, thus reinforcing their comprehension of the inverse relationship.

Building on this foundation, the lesson progresses to more complex exercises where students explore fact families in greater depth. They are taught the Commutative Law of addition, which states that numbers can be added in any order without changing the result. This knowledge aids them in discovering additional related facts. The lesson also challenges students to think critically about the placement of the equal sign and encourages them to write equations in various formats. Independent work is supported by differentiated worksheets that cater to varying levels of understanding, from working towards fluency to achieving greater depth. The plenary session invites students to reflect on their learning, asking them to identify what they have understood, the skills they've used, and any challenges they faced. The goal is for students to leave the lesson with a solid grasp of how to use inverse operations to check their work and an understanding of the importance of fact families in addition and subtraction.