Maths Calculation

Springfield calculation policy!

"Children learn to be mentally agile when thinking about numbers and are encouraged to make jottings to support and clarify their mental strategies.

There are certain key models to support calculation, which children will use when they lack an alternative efficient strategy.  All children will be very familiar with these models when they reach the appropriate stage.

Children will have frequent opportunities to develop, refine and practise calculation strategies in context.

All calculations are met in a setting."



A calculation policy - showing how operations develop with year group

A calculation policy - showing operations across each year group



Addition - "I will try an empty number line"



I had five cards and my friend gave me one more.
5 + 1



I have six cards and you have seven cards. Let's put them together.
6 + 7



You gave me 8 cards to add to my collection of 24.
24 + 8     (8+24)



You have 48 cards and I have 36. Let's put them together.

48 + 36 - number line (video) 


48 + 36 - number line - key strategy (video)


78 + 55 - partition (video)



Subtraction - "I will try an empty number line"



I had five cards but I lost one.
5 - 1



I had eight cards. I gave you 3 of them.
8 - 3



I had 23 cards.  I gave 7 to my younger brother.
23 - 7



I had 152 cards and sold 37 of them.  What did I have left.

152 - 37 - going down the number line (video)

(also applicable to two digit numbers)


152 - 37 - going down the number line - key strategy (video)

(also applicable to two digit numbers)



Multiplication - "I will try using a grid"



The five people on my table have three cards each.  How many do we have altogether?

3 x 5 - learning that leads to knowing multiplication facts
to at least 10 x 10



I have collected 7 sets of cards.  There are 38 in each set.  How many cards do I have?

38 x 7 - grid method (video)


There are 23 children in our class.  We want to give them 17 cards each.  How many cards do we need?

17 x 23 - grid method - key strategy (video)



Division - "I will try using an empty number line"



I have 19 cards to share between myself and two friends.  How many do we get each?

19 ÷ 3 - learning that leads to knowing multiplication facts
to at least 10 x 10.

Always talk about how to deal with situations where you can't divide exactly by a whole number.  What you do depends on the story!

I have 48 pencils and I am putting them in packs of 8.  How many packs do I get?

48 ÷  8 - number line - repeated subtraction - key strategy - video



My dad is going away for 161 days.  How many weeks is that?

161 ÷ 7 - number line - repeated subtraction - key strategy - video


A factory is packing kiwi fruit into boxes of 9.  How many boxes needed for 306 kiwi fruit?

306 ÷ 9 - repeated subtraction - video