Add 3-digit numbers using column addition

I can add 3-digit numbers using column addition.

Download all resources

Share activities with pupils

New

Year 3

Add 3-digit numbers using column addition

I can add 3-digit numbers using 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

When using column addition, start by adding numbers with the smallest place value first.
Use zero to show that there are no tens or ones in a 3-digit number.
Partition each number carefully into hundreds, tens and ones.

Keywords

Addend - An addend is a number added to another.
Sum - The sum is the the total when numbers are added together.
Column addition - Column addition is a way of adding numbers by writing a number below another.

Common misconception

Pupils may not use zero to show that there are no tens or ones number in a 3-digit number. They may also use a zero to show that there are no hundreds when adding a 2-digit to a 3-digit number.

Emphasise with pupils that they need to use a zero only when needed. The number 75 would not be written as 075, so should not be written like this in column addition.

Base ten blocks may be useful for some pupils in helping understand column addition with three digits. The number cards 0-5 will also be needed for task B.

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).