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      Interpret and represent addition stories

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can interpret and represent addition stories that involve increasing an amount in a range of ways using the ‘First, then now’ structure.

      Key learning points

      1. In a ‘First, then, now’ story, the first number is increased to make the whole.
      2. When using addition to increase an amount, the number that is increased must always be represented first.
      3. This can be represented with practical equipment and as a bar model or a number line.
      4. An equation can be written to match these representations.

      Keywords

      • First - Before anything else.

      • Then - After something in time.

      • Now - At the present time.

      • Increase - To make something larger/greater in size or quantity.

      Common misconception

      In the ‘then’ part of the story, the change in amount may be hard to identify.

      Draw attention to the change, talking about it as a increase in amount.

      Teacher tip

      Please note, as with all Year 1 slides, these slides have been designed to aid teacher subject knowledge for delivery. The intention is not for children to view them all in the form of a presentation, but to help you consider how they can be brought to life in your classroom.

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), 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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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Alex writes an equation to match this story. 4 + 2 = 6 What does the 2 represent?

      An image in a quiz
      The amount at the start of the story.
      Correct answer: The amount that was added.
      The amount at the end of the story.

      Q2.
      Which story could match the picture?

      An image in a quiz
      There were 5 apples. Then, 2 more apples were added. Now, there are 7 apples.
      Correct answer: There were 2 apples. Then, 5 more apples were added. Now, there are 7 apples.
      There were 6 apples. Then, 2 more apples were added. Now, there are 6 apples.

      Q3.
      True or false? The image shown represents this story. First, there were 4 beads on my bracelet. Then, I added another 3 beads. Now, there are 7 beads on my bracelet.

      An image in a quiz
      Correct answer: True
      False

      Q4.
      Which equation matches the picture?

      An image in a quiz
      5 + 1 = 6
      6 - 1 = 5
      Correct answer: 1 + 5 = 6

      Q5.
      Which equation matches the story? First, there were 5 ducks in a pond. Then, 3 more ducks jumped in. Now, there are 8 ducks in the pond.

      3 + 5 = 8
      Correct answer: 5 + 3 = 8
      8 - 5 = 3

      Q6.
      Write an equation to match the picture.

      An image in a quiz
      Correct Answer: 6 + 3 = 9, 6+3=9

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Look at the picture of the ‘First, then, now’ story. Which is the amount that was increased?

      An image in a quiz
      Correct answer: 3
      4
      7

      Q2.
      True or false. This picture matches the story below. First, there were 6 children sitting at the table. Then, 4 more children sat at the table. Now, there are 10 children at the table.

      An image in a quiz
      Correct answer: True
      False

      Q3.
      Which bar model represents this story? First, I saved 3 pennies. Then, I saved 5 more. Now, I have 8 pennies.

      An image in a quiz
      Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
      An image in a quiz

      Q4.
      How many must have been added in the story below? First, there were 6 counters on the tens frame. Then, counters were added. Now, there are 6 counters on the tens frame.

      Correct Answer: 0, zero, Zero

      Q5.
      True or false. This number line represents the story below. First, my sunflower was 5 cm tall. Then, it grew 2 cm more. Now, it is 7 cm tall.

      An image in a quiz
      Correct answer: True
      False

      Q6.
      Which equation matches the number line.

      An image in a quiz
      4 + 5 = 9
      Correct answer: 5 + 4 = 9
      5 + 9 = 9

      To help you plan your 1 maths lesson on: Interpret and represent addition stories, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...