Read the story aloud once, then again slowly. Take two or three hands-up answers for the number sentence, not open call-outs. Do not confirm the value yet — hold the class on which sentence matches the story (something like box + 4 = 10), because building that sentence is today's real work.

Work each balance live; the class predicts the missing number before you reveal it.

• Action words first — before any balance, name the clue words with the class: more/got/altogether → plus; gave away/spent/left → minus. This is the skill the outcomes ask for.
• 6 + 3 story — both known parts join, so the missing number is the total. Ask which word told us to join?
• apples story — now the missing number is a part, not the total. This is the switch pupils find hardest.
• Cara stickers take-away (board only) — walk the four steps on the board: (1) spot "gave away" and "left", (2) write 10 − 3 = □, (3) find 7, (4) write the full sentence. Do not put this on the balance interactive; it only joins parts. Watch for pupils who write a plus because they see two numbers.
• spent-€3 story — "spent" and "had left" mean take away. To find the start on the balance, recombine what was kept (€5) with what was spent (€3). Listen for pupils realising the start must be bigger than €5. Link back: the take-away sentence would be start − 3 = 5, and the balance shows the join that undoes it.

Try Together: work each balance live with the class, taking hands-up answers and revoicing pupils' reasoning; the class agrees or corrects out loud before you reveal each missing number.

Do the buns story first. That is 7 plus a missing part joining to make 11. This is the tricky one — the missing number is a part, not the total, so ask which number is missing, one of the parts or the whole total? before you reveal it. Then do the conkers story. Cian gave away 5 from his 12, so the missing amount left plus the 5 he gave away joins back to 12. The unknown block is the amount left, so pupils slide it until the beam levels. Insist the sentence is spoken before anyone predicts the answer.

This is the practice round. Pupils take turns at the board, check each answer, and the class confirms before moving on. Keep the board work brisk rather than over-explaining.

The set moves from a simple join, to a missing part where the coins come first, then two missing-part join stories where the missing number is the part added. On each missing-part story hold out for the reading: ask which number is missing, one of the parts or the whole total? before anyone builds it, because pupils find the missing-part form hardest. Use the ✓ as part of your narration — "yes, that levels it".