In this fun-filled sports day themed scheme of work for Year 4, your class will first recap on how to use the formal column methods for both addition and subtraction.

They will then apply this knowledge and understanding to a range of increasingly challenging yet engaging differentiated activities and games. This five-lesson scheme comes with detailed lesson plans, lesson slides and printable resources.

Column Addition 1

In this first lesson, children recap on their knowledge and understanding of the formal column method for addition. They are encouraged to estimate their answers by rounding to the nearest 10 or 100 before working out the actual answer. In their independent activities, children apply this method in order to add up points from different events during a school sports day.

Column Addition 2

Children continue to develop their knowledge of the formal column method by solving additions where carrying is needed more than once. They will understand that the digits they are carrying represent either tens or hundreds. Children will then progress to adding three 3-digit numbers together, also involving carrying more than once. In their independent activities, they will apply this knowledge to work out who has won the gold, silver and bronze medals for different sports day events.

Column Subtraction 1

To begin, children recap on their knowledge and understanding of the formal method for subtraction. They will estimate their answers by rounding to the nearest 100 before calculating the actual answer. Children will discuss and solve number sentences which involve one exchange from the tens or the hundreds column, and explain what happens to the numbers when an exchange is needed. They will apply this knowledge in their independent work in order to solve a range of sports day related calculations.

Column Subtraction 2

In this lesson, children continue to develop their understanding of the column method for subtraction. They find out how to solve number sentences where exchanging is needed more than once, and where one or more of the digits in the larger number is zero. In their independent activities, children will sort true and false statements by finding the difference between two sports day team’s scores. Alternatively, they will create a ‘personal best’ score by solving questions that are levelled according to difficulty, and adding up the points they achieve from each correct answer.

Word Problems

In this final lesson, children apply their knowledge and understanding of the formal column method for both addition and subtraction by solving a range of one- and two-step word problems. They will play the Quadrathlon Board Game, where they have to answer word problems to gain bronze, silver then gold medals in four different events! Alternatively, children will take part in an orienteering challenge where they need to find and answer questions in the correct order!