Review column addition and identify the addends and sum

I can identify the addends and the sum in column addition.

Download all resources

Share activities with pupils

New

Year 4

Review column addition and identify the addends and sum

I can identify the addends and the sum in column addition.

Download all resources

Share activities with pupils

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

View new resources

Slide deck

Download slide deck

Skip slide deck

Lesson details

Key learning points

The addends are written in columns with the same value digits in the same column.
One addend is written above the other one.
The sum is recorded underneath the addends with the same value digits in the same column.

Keywords

Addend - An addend is a number added to another.
Sum - The sum is the the total when numbers are added together.
Equation - An equation shows that one number or calculation is equal to another.
Column addition - Column addition is a way of adding numbers by writing a number below another.

Common misconception

Pupils may misidentify the sum and addends within column addition.

Emphasise the use of the 'equals' symbol within the column addition. This is where the sum appears. It is important that pupils understand commutativity and that the addends can appear in any order and will still result in the same sum.

In this session, pupils revisit the layout of column addition with a focus on identifying where the addends and the sum appear. They are encouraged to see the parts and whole when making links between column addition, Base 10 representations, bar models and horizontal equations.