New
New
Year 1

Find the difference between consecutive numbers

I can recognise and use consecutive numbers.

New
New
Year 1

Find the difference between consecutive numbers

I can recognise and use consecutive numbers.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. In a subtraction equation, when the subtrahend is one less than the minuend, all except one is subtracted.
  2. Numbers that are one more or one less than each other are called consecutive numbers.
  3. Consecutive numbers have a difference of one.
  4. Spotting consecutive numbers in subtraction equations can help us to solve equations more quickly.

Keywords

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

  • One less - The number before a given number is one less than it.

  • Consecutive - Numbers which follow each other in order, without gaps.

Common misconception

Children may resort to counting strategies to find the difference e.g. counting back four from five to solve 5 - 4

Always make a clear link between 'all except one' object leaving, and the subtrahend being one less than the minuend.

The aim here is for children to recognise the relationship between the minuend and the subtrahend, realising that the difference must be one, rather than resorting to counting-based strategies. Explore 'difference of one' contexts working to 'consecutive numbers have a difference of one'.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), 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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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the equation to the total.
Correct Answer:One more than 5 is,6

6

Correct Answer:One more than 8 is,9

9

Correct Answer:One more than 4 is,5

5

Correct Answer:One more than 9 is,10

10

Q2.
Match the equation to the answer.
Correct Answer:One less than 3 is,2

2

Correct Answer:One less than 6 is,5

5

Correct Answer:One less than 9 is,8

8

Correct Answer:One less than 7 is,6

6

Q3.
Addition is commutative. Which equations have the same sum?
Correct Answer:1 + 6,6 + 1

6 + 1

Correct Answer:9 + 1,1 + 9

1 + 9

Correct Answer:3 + 1,1 + 3

1 + 3

Correct Answer:2 + 8,8 + 2

8 + 2

Q4.
Match the equation to the answer.
Correct Answer:10 - 1 =,9

9

Correct Answer:1 + 5 =,6

6

Correct Answer:6 - 1 =,5

5

Correct Answer:9 + 1 =,8

8

Q5.
Jacob has one pound. He needs five pounds to buy a new book. How many more pounds does he need?
Correct Answer: 4, 4 pounds
Q6.
First, Sam has 10 cherries. Then, she eats some of the cherries. Now, she has one cherry left. How many cherries did she eat?
Correct Answer: 9, 9 cherries

6 Questions

Q1.
True or false. 4 and 5 are consecutive numbers.
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Correct answer: True
False
Q2.
4 is the consecutive number before 5 What is the consecutive number after 5?
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Correct Answer: 6
Q3.
What is the missing subtrahend?
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Correct Answer: 5
Q4.
What is the missing subtrahend in this equation? 8 - = 1
6
1
Correct answer: 7
Q5.
Which equation shows that consecutive numbers have a difference of 1?
4 + 2 = 6
1 + 5 = 6
6 - 3 = 3
Correct answer: 7 - 6 = 1
Q6.
I had 6 cakes. Now, there is 1 cake left. How many cakes have been eaten? Which bar model represents this problem?
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Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz