This resource provides students with the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of addition and subtraction concepts. Its versatility makes it the perfect task for a Maths activity or an assessment piece!

To complete the task, students are given an addition or subtraction problem to glue on their solving mat worksheet. They are required to identify which part of the problem is unknown, record the related number sentences (fact family), choose whether they will need to add or subtract to solve the problem, draw a diagram (part-part-whole or bar model), show their working out, write a word problem and write the answer in the answer box. Each solving mat worksheet includes a list of strategies to assist students during the problem-solving process.

To support students in recognising which part of the problem is unknown and which operation is best to solve it, we recommend that students are modelled examples of both types of problems and have access to hands-on materials, such as counters, to assist them in their working out.

This resource includes a solving mat worksheet, 2 pages of addition and subtraction problems and answer pages. The addition and subtraction problems progress in difficulty from the left column to the right column:

• column 1 includes simple 2-digit problems with a missing whole
• column 2 includes simple 2-digit problems with a missing part
• column 3 includes more challenging 2-digit problems with a mixture of missing parts and wholes
• column 4 includes 3-digit problems with a mixture of missing parts and wholes that are suited to students who can extend their problem-solving skills further.