Watch: Column addition
How to write column addition
When writing down sums, separate the numbers into ones, tens, hundreds and thousands.
List the numbers in a column and always start adding with the ones first.
- Estimate first and check afterwards - it's a good idea to estimate a rough answer first and then check your actual answer.
- Order doesn't matter - remember that 345 + 129 is the same as 129 + 345.
- Key words - look out for these words in problems: total, sum, altogether, more. They all indicate an addition calculation.
Activity 1
Activity 2
Activity 3
Teaching resources
Are you looking for more resources on column addition? This animated short film is from the 成人快手 Teach series, Hypatia's Mathematical Maze, and introduces the concept of adding and subtracting using written methods.
成人快手 Teach has thousands of free, curriculum-linked resources to help deliver lessons - all arranged by subject and age group.
NEW! Play Guardians: Defenders of Mathematica - the winter update. gameNEW! Play Guardians: Defenders of Mathematica - the winter update
It's Mathematica as you鈥檝e never seen it before, with all-new festive backgrounds and costumes. Available for a limited time only. Use your maths skills to save the day before it's too late!
More on Adding and subtracting
Find out more by working through a topic
- count2 of 3
- count3 of 3