Lesson 4.5 · Addition
Addition word problems
Adding happens all around you. A story about groups coming together is a word problem. You can solve it with pictures, fingers or counting on.
Three steps
Solve a story
- Listen to the story. What groups are there?
- Show it with a picture, objects or your fingers.
- Add to find how many in all. Write a number sentence like .
Worked example: Kites
Mia has 3 kites. Her dad gives her 2 more kites. How many kites does Mia have now?
Show it: 🪁 🪁 🪁 + 🪁 🪁
Add: one, two, three, four, five. . Mia has 5 kites.
Worked example: Kids on a slide
4 kids play on the slide. 4 more kids come to play. How many kids are there in all?
Start at 4. Count on 4: five, six, seven, eight. . There are 8 kids.
Worked example: Two kinds of pets
Sam sees 6 dogs and 3 cats at the park. How many pets does he see in all?
Start at 6. Count on 3: seven, eight, nine. . Sam sees 9 pets.
Tip
Look for words like more, in all, all together and now. They often mean add.
Common mistake
Only add the numbers of things in the story. Check your answer: does it make sense? The total should be more than either group.
Practice
Ben has 2 trucks. He gets 1 more truck. How many trucks does Ben have now?
🚚 🚚 + 🚚
Type a number.
There are 4 frogs on a log. 1 more frog hops on. How many frogs are on the log now?
Type a number.
Lily picks 5 red flowers and 2 yellow flowers. How many flowers does she pick in all?
🌹 🌹 🌹 🌹 🌹 🌼 🌼
Type a number.
There are 3 books on the table. Ana puts 5 more books on the table. How many books are on the table now?
Type a number.
Max has 2 hats. He gets 4 more hats. Which number sentence tells the story?
6 birds sit in a tree. 4 more birds land in the tree. How many birds are in the tree now?
Type a number.
Zoe has 7 stickers. She wants 10 stickers. How many more stickers does she need?
Type a number.