Which Boat?
Written by Jillian Cutting
Illustrations by Madeline Beasley
The Story
Children add and
subtract numbers
on their tickets to
find out which boat
to go on.
Maths Ideas
Unit 2
• A number can have many names.
5 can be 3 + 2, 1 + 4 and 5 + 0
• Addition and subtraction are opposite operations.
3 + 2 = 5; 5 – 2 = 3
• Subtraction undoes addition.
• The communicative property of addition means that children only
have to learn half the addition facts. 5 + 2 = 2 + 5
Introduction
• Ask five children to act out going on a boat trip. Children get in the
boat one at a time. Record the number sentences for all the patterns for
the number 5.
1 child gets into the boat.
How many can you say are waiting to get on?
Write the number sentence.
1+4=5
• Then act out coming home from the boat trip. Children get out of the
boat one at a time.
1 + 4 = 5
5–1=4
2 + 3 = 5
5–2=3
3 + 2 = 5
5–3=2
4 + 1 = 5
5–4=1
5 + 0 = 5
5-5=0
• Introduce the story Which Boat? and read it as a Shared Reading,
making the meaning of the story clear. Discuss water safety issues.
What do you think the children in the boat are wearing to keep safe?
How many boats can you see? What would you say the numbers are on each boat? What might the children be going to do?
How will the children know which boat to go on?
• Read page 4 of the story to find out. Go through the story together,
matching the children with the boat they are going on.
Which boat do you think Mrs Brown will go on? Why?
• Reread the story together, practising the number combinations to 7.
© Wendy Pye Publishing Ltd 2011
Follow-up Activities
Which boat to get on?
Give each child a ticket with a number name for 5, 6 or 7 on it.
1 + 4, 1 + 5, 6 + 1
Which boat do you think you get on? 5, 6 or 7?
Children cut out a boat and write 5, 6 or 7 on it. Then each child writes
names for that number on the boat.
12
3
Number
Maths Language
add
subtract
number facts
count
how many?
number name
number sentence
take away
Online Activities
Story Activity
This introduces the story Which Boat? Children are asked to give the
characters in the story tickets with numbers on. They then have to place
the characters in the correct boat.
3 + 4 makes 7, so the character gets on boat number 7
Activity 1: Build a Wall
Children click on number 5, 6 or 7. Number Cruncher builds a wall
showing the names for that number. Children are asked to complete the
number sentences to build up the number facts.
Activity 2: The Same Number Game
Children click on “Snap” when they see two names that represent the
same number. 1 + 4 is the same number as 5.
Other Activities
Patterns of 5, 6, 7
Use plastic blocks and mini cubes to make up patterns of 5, 6 and 7. Discuss what the children are doing. Record the additions on a chart. Then
take the blocks away and record what children find.
6 take away 1 leaves 5
Making number cards
Children use paper squares in two colours to make their own cards to
show the numbers that add up to 5, 6 and 7. Children can use these to
make up number sentences. 5 is the same as:
5+0=5 4+1=5 3+2=5 2+3=5 1+4=5 0+5=5
© Wendy Pye Publishing Ltd 2011