Problem solving: number sentences
Turn a story into a number sentence. Put a box □ where the number you don't know goes, then find it.
- UK: Year 1
- France: grade 1
- Germany: grade 1
- Iran: grade 2
- Syria: grade 1
- Ukraine: grade 1
- Russia: grade 2
Guide
This studio practises one problem-solving strategy: write the problem as a number sentence, with a box □ for the missing number (□ + 4 = 9). It matches missing-number problems from Year 1 onwards and the Iranian Year 2–3 lesson on using symbols.
In each mission your child first picks the facts they need and the question. Then they place numbers in the gaps of the number sentence, tap the circle in the middle to change the sign (+ − × ÷) and put the box □ where the unknown number goes. Number sentences always read left to right.
The box can be anywhere: 27 + □ = 53, □ × 6 = 24 or □ ÷ 4 = 7. A common mistake is to guess the operation from one word ("shared", "gave"). Writing the sentence shows where the unknown number really is.
The last mission has two operations (multiply, then add), like the notebook-and-rubber problem in the Iranian Year 2 book. The "why" question at the end of each mission is the look-back step: put your answer in the box and see whether the sentence is true.