Addition and Subtraction Spot the Mistake

The "Spot the Mistake" resource provided by KS2Gems is an interactive PowerPoint designed for Year 3 students to enhance their addition and subtraction skills. The activity comprises 10 deliberately incorrect calculations, with five examples for addition and five for subtraction. The purpose of the exercise is to encourage children to critically analyse each calculation, identify where the error lies, articulate the nature of the mistake, and then perform the calculation correctly. This method not only tests the pupils' computational accuracy but also deepens their conceptual understanding and promotes the use of mathematical language.

For each example, the incorrect calculation is presented to the students who are then tasked with three steps: pinpointing the error, explaining why it's a mistake, and recalculating to find the correct answer. This activity serves as an excellent tool for starting or concluding a lesson, and it can also be used to address common errors observed in students' work. The resource is designed to make learning engaging and to stimulate critical thinking. It is noted that all calculations contain one mistake, except for those on slides 7 and 12, which may have more, adding an extra layer of challenge for the students.