New
New
Year 1
Show one more and one less than a number using representations
I can use representations to show that the number before a given number is one less and the number after a given number is one more.
New
New
Year 1
Show one more and one less than a number using representations
I can use representations to show that the number before a given number is one less and the number after a given number is one more.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- The number before a given number is one less than it.
- The number after a given number is one more than it.
- A staircase of blocks can be used to highlight one more and one less.
Keywords
One more - The number after a given number is one more than it.
One less - The number before a given number is one less than it.
Before - A number that is before another comes earlier in our count.
After - A number that is after another comes later in our count.
Common misconception
Children may confuse one more and one less, particularly when finding missing numbers.
Use the stem sentence ___ is one more / one less than ___ because it comes after / before it in our count.
Ask children to describe each column from the staircase to make links to previous work partitioning 1 to 5 eg. 2 is one more than 1. In this lesson, you start to make links to the bar model which will be introduced later in the unit.
Teacher tip
Licence
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).
Starter quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
What is the next number in the count when counting forwards from 2? 2, 3, _
2
3
Q2.
What is the next number when counting back from 5? 5, 4, _
4
5
Q3.
What is one more than 4?

3
4
Q4.
What is one less than 4?

4
5
Q5.
What is the whole?

1
3
Q6.
What is the whole?

1
4
Exit quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
Which part-part-whole model is showing Laura’s cubes correctly partitioned?




Q2.
Which part-part-whole model is showing Andeep’s cubes correctly partitioned?




Q3.
One more than 3 is 4, so one less than 4 is _
2
4
Q4.
One less than 5 is 4, so one more than 4 is _
3
4
Q5.
Laura thinks the missing number will be the same for both of these. Is she correct?

No
Q6.
Andeep thinks the missing number will be the same for both of these. Is he correct?

Yes