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Year 2

Use number facts to solve problems in measures and data contexts

I can use number facts to solve problems in measures and data contexts.

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New
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Year 2

Use number facts to solve problems in measures and data contexts

I can use number facts to solve problems in measures and data contexts.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Known addition and subtraction facts can be used to to help solve problems more efficiently.
  2. Drawing a bar model can help with understanding the problem.

Keywords

  • Difference - The result of subtracting one number from another. How much one number differs from another.

  • Whole - All of something. Complete.

  • Part - A piece or a section of something.

Common misconception

Children may have difficulty understanding the different ways in which 'difference' can be represented and the language associated with this.

Use a bar model to highlight the structure of the difference and create a range of problems, using different language, that could be solved using the same equation, e.g. problems which use both how many more and how many less/fewer.


To help you plan your year 2 maths lesson on: Use number facts to solve problems in measures and data contexts, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Ensure children spend time representing and understanding the structure of the problem and the operation required to solve it before trying to solve the equation. This is important so that they have the mental 'space' to focus on the most efficient way to solve the equation.
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This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
There were 72 children in the hall and 5 in the classroom. How many children were there altogether? Which part-part-whole model would represent this problem?
Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
Q2.
Sam spent 86 p altogether on an ice-cream and some sprinkles. The sprinkles cost 5 p. How much did the ice-cream cost? Which known fact will help you solve the problem?
8 - 6 = 2
6 + 5 = 11
Correct answer: 6 - 5 = 1
Q3.
Which known fact would you use to solve the problem shown below? There were some cars. 3 were red and 51 weren’t red. How many cars were in the car park?
4 - 1 = 3
Correct answer: 1 + 3 = 4
4 - 3 = 1
Q4.
Choose the known fact that would help solve this problem. I had some books on the shelf. 72 fell off, so there were 3 left. How many books were there on the shelf to start with?
Correct answer: 2 + 3 = 5
5 - 3 = 2
6 - 2 = 4
Q5.
Choose the known fact that would help to solve this problem. Sam spent 45 p and Alex spent less than Sam. The difference between the amounts spent was 3 p. How much did Alex spend?
5 + 3 = 8
Correct answer: 5 - 3 = 2
4 - 3 = 1
Q6.
Choose the known fact that would help to solve this problem. Alex had 49 shells. 5 were brown and the rest were white. How many were white?
5 - 4 = 1
5 + 4 = 9
Correct answer: 9 - 5 = 4

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Choose the bar model that correctly represents this problem. Sam built a tower that was 33 cm tall. Alex built a taller tower. The difference between them was 2 cm. How tall was Alex’s tower?
An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
Q2.
Which known fact would you use to solve the problem below? Sam built a tower that was 39 cm tall and Alex built one that was shorter. The difference between them was 4 cm. How tall was Alex’s tower?
Correct answer: 9 − 4 = 5
5 − 4 = 1
4 − 3 = 1
Q3.
Which equation could represent the problem shown? Alex spent 46 p and Sam spent 49 p. What is the difference between the amounts they spent?
Correct answer: 46 + ? = 49
Correct answer: 49 − ? = 46
46 + 49 = ?
49 + 46 = ?
Q4.
Use the bar chart to answer the question below. What is the difference in height between Sofia’s sunflower and Alex’s sunflower? cm
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: 6 , 6 cm
Q5.
Use the bar chart to answer the question below. Which known fact would help you solve it? Sam’s sunflower grew 3 cm in the next week. How tall was it now?
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: 6 + 3 = 9
6 - 3 = 3
9 + 6 = 15
9 + 3 = 12
Q6.
Which known fact could you use to solve this problem? Izzy’s sunflower was 27 cm tall and Jun’s was 22 cm tall. What was the difference between the heights of their sunflowers?
An image in a quiz
2 + 3 = 5
5 - 2 = 3
5 - 5 = 0
Correct answer: 2 + 5 = 7
Correct answer: 7 − 5 = 2