Year 1 Mathematics · AC9M1N04

Addition and Subtraction within 20

Addition joins parts to make a whole. Subtraction can remove a part or find a missing part. Strategies help us work within 20

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Learning goalsSay it simply

Addition joins parts to make a whole. Subtraction can remove a part or find a missing part. Strategies help us work within 20.

Learning routine: Read → Model → Choose strategy → Calculate → Check

Success looks like

  • Add within 20
  • Subtract within 20
  • Use part-part-whole
  • Make ten
  • Explain strategy
Key conceptTeach from the board

Use part-part-whole and make ten

8 + 58 + 2 + 310 + 3 = 13

For subtraction, think about the missing part or count back carefully.

Match the strategy to the numbers

count onmake tendoublesrelated facts

Do not use one strategy for every problem; choose the one that fits.

Explain your thinking: Say what each part of the model represents, then explain why the answer or conclusion follows.

Clean visual examplesOne-page board

Clean one-page examples

AC9M1N04 - Addition and Subtraction within 20
Example 1

8 + 5 8 + 2 + 3 10 + 3 = 13

Example 2

count on make ten doubles related facts

Example 3

Build the parts Use counters to show 9 + 6 and make ten first. Model: 9 + 1 + 5

Example 4

Subtract as missing part Solve 14 − 6 by asking 6 + ? = 14. Model: 6 + 8 = 14

Curriculum examplesCurriculum examples

These curriculum examples extend the central model into varied contexts. They are learning contexts, not extra definitions to memorise.

E1

using drawings, physical and virtual materials and number combinations within 10 to add and subtract collections to 20

Try and explain: Draw 15 counters and cross out six. What remains, and which number sentence matches?

Answer and teaching point

Nine remain. 15 − 6 = 9; the crossed-out counters show the amount taken away.

E2

adding and subtracting numbers within 20, using a variety of representations and strategies such as counting on, counting back, partitioning and part-part-whole knowledge of numbers to 10; for example, using partitioning and combining 7+5=7+3+2=10+2=12

Try and explain: Use making ten to calculate 9 + 5. Explain how you split five.

Answer and teaching point

Split five into one and four: 9 + 1 + 4 = 10 + 4 = 14.

E3

developing and using strategies for one-digit addition and subtraction based on part-part-whole relationships for each of the numbers to 10 and subitising with physical and virtual materials; for example, 8 and 6 is the same as 8 and 2 and 4

Try and explain: You know 6 + 6 = 12. How does that help find 6 + 7?

Answer and teaching point

Seven is one more than six, so the total is one more than 12: 13.

E4

representing story problems involving addition and subtraction of numbers within 20 using a Think Board, recognising and using + and - symbols and the equal sign to represent the operations of addition and subtraction; showing and explaining the connections between any materials used using the language of plus and minus, and the numbers within the story problem

Try and explain: Ten birds sit on a fence. Four more arrive. Draw the story and write an equation that matches.

Answer and teaching point

10 + 4 = 14. The drawing should join a group of ten and a group of four; fourteen is the whole.

E5

creating and performing addition and subtraction stories told through First Nations Australians’ dances

Cultural safety: Use a community-approved source, name the specific Nation or community where the source does, and avoid presenting diverse First Nations knowledges as one generic tradition. Follow local cultural and intellectual property protocols before inviting community participation.

Use ten as a stepping stone

Explain an addition or subtraction strategy using parts within 20.

Worked example

Work out 8 + 5 without counting all thirteen objects from one.

  1. Eight needs two more to make ten. Split the five into two and three.
  2. Add the two to eight: 8 + 2 = 10. Three of the five are still left.
  3. 10 + 3 = 13, so 8 + 5 = 13. Check by removing five from thirteen.

Watch for this mistake: Do not use the whole five again after making ten. The two used and the three left must still total five.

Try it, then explain

  1. Use ten to solve 9 + 4. Show how you split 4.

    Hint

    Nine needs one more.

    Answer and explanation

    Split 4 into 1 and 3: 9 + 1 + 3 = 13.

  2. Find 14 - 6 by going back through ten.

    Hint

    First remove enough to reach ten.

    Answer and explanation

    14 - 4 = 10; two more must be removed, so 10 - 2 = 8.

Questions and answersWith answers

Key idea: Addition joins parts to make a whole. Subtraction can remove a part or find a missing part. Strategies help us work within 20.

Remember

  • Add within 20
  • Subtract within 20
  • Use part-part-whole
  • Make ten
  • Explain strategy

Quick questions

  • Solve 8 + 5 using make ten.
  • Solve 16 − 7 using a strategy.
  • What related fact helps with 13 − 6?
  • When is counting on useful?

Return to the concept model if an answer is uncertain. Use the model to explain, not just to guess.

Practice and reviewReady for practice
  • Counting all every time — Count on from the larger number when possible.
  • Mixing add and subtract — Read the story: are parts joining or is a part being removed/found?
  • Stopping at 10 — After making ten, remember to add the leftover part.
Curriculum alignmentStart here

Addition joins parts to make a whole. Subtraction can remove a part or find a missing part. Strategies help us work within 20.

Learning routine: Read → Model → Choose strategy → Calculate → Check

Success looks like

  • Add within 20
  • Subtract within 20
  • Use part-part-whole
  • Make ten
  • Explain strategy

AC9M1N04: add and subtract numbers within 20, using physical and virtual materials, part-part-whole knowledge to 10 and a variety of calculation strategies

Australian Curriculum Version 9.0

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