Read the story aloud once, then a second time slowly. Take two or three hands-up answers to which words are the clue before anyone works out a total.

Underline more sign up on the board and revoice: 'more join' means we put the two amounts together — that's adding.' Don't rush to the answer; the job here is naming the signal, not the sum.

153 + 128: circle "more come" and "altogether" — groups joining, so add. 153 + 128 = 281 fans.

345 - 268: circle "sells" and "left" — ask do the jerseys go up or down before revealing. 345 - 268 = 77 jerseys.

314 - 246: the make-or-break one. Build it on the board — draw the two scores as bars side by side, mark the gap between the tops, name it the difference. "How many more" asks how big that gap is; take the smaller from the bigger. 314 - 246 = 68 points. Let two or three pupils argue why it feels like adding but is subtracting.

Two-step (no screen): read the story — €175 one stall, €168 another, then €240 spent. Say the plan aloud: first add the two collections, THEN take away what was spent. 175 + 168 = 343, then 343 - 240 = €103 left. This sets up why some stories need two number sentences.

This round is for talking it through together — pupils take turns at the board and the class agrees or corrects out loud. The watching class follows along and calls out the clue words.

For each story, insist the class names the clue words before anyone chooses the operation — that habit is the whole lesson. Revoice a strong answer: 'so "left" tells us the bars go away, that's why we subtract.'

The Kerry vs Mayo story is the one to slow down on: 'how many more' is a subtraction even though it sounds like counting up. Ask a pupil to prove it makes sense — 22 take away 15 is 7, so Kerry won 7 more.

These are the practice questions — 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 first three build the pattern: a clean add, then the 'how many more' difference that trips people up, then a plain take-away. Have the class predict + or − aloud before each pupil chooses.

The last two items are the key one — they are one two-step money story split into its two jobs so pupils see both on screen. Do the first item (175 + 168 = 343) as an add, then the answer 343 is carried straight into the next item as the starting amount. Name the two jobs clearly: 'first we joined the two collections to get €343, now we take away the €240 we spent.' Then the pupil enters the take-away on the interactive activity.