Listen to this story: a hurler scored 24 points in one match and 18 points in the next match. How many points did she score altogether?

You don't have to work out the answer yet. Just tell me one thing: was that story asking us to add the two scores together, or to take one away from the other? Which word in the story told you?

Listen as I read four short stories. Each one hides a number sentence. Listen for the action: is something being joined together, or taken away? Spot the words that give the game away.

Now we read fresh stories together and decide the action before we work anything out. Each story appears on the board as we reach it. For each one we say the action out loud, then build the number sentence, then find the answer.

Now we tackle four more stories, one at a time as they appear on the board. For each one, spot the action, build the number sentence, and give the answer with its units. Watch for the gap story hiding in the middle.