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4th Grade · Math · 4.NBT.B.4

Addition Lesson Plan for 4th Grade

A ready-to-teach addition lesson for 4th Grade. Everything below is classroom-tested structure: an objective, a 45-minute sequence, a way to check who got it, and 6 printable practice pages.

Approximately 45 minutes

Learning objective

  • Add pairs of 2-digit numbers without regrouping
  • Practice column addition where digits in each place sum under 10
  • Build foundational addition accuracy with 2-digit numbers

Materials

Lesson steps

  1. 1. Warm up together (5 min)

    Open with a quick count-around or number talk that touches addition. Ask students where they have seen addition outside of math class. You are listening for who already has the vocabulary and who does not, so keep it light and let several students answer.

  2. 2. Model it (I do) (10 min)

    Work two examples of addition on the board, thinking out loud the whole way. Say the quiet parts: what you notice first, which step you do next, and why. Deliberately make one small error on the second example and let the class catch it.

  3. 3. Practice together (we do) (10 min)

    Work three more problems as a class. Ask a different student to supply each step rather than the whole answer. If a step stalls, drop back to concrete objects or a drawing before moving on.

  4. 4. Independent practice (you do) (15 min)

    Hand out "Add whole hundreds (missing addend)". Students work independently while you circulate. Note who is fluent, who is counting on fingers, and who has not started, because that grouping drives tomorrow's small group.

  5. 5. Close the loop (5 min)

    Pull the class back. Ask one student to explain a problem they got right and one to name something that is still confusing. End on the confusion, not the success, so students learn that naming a gap is normal.

Check for understanding

Collect the practice pages and sort them into three piles: fluent, developing, and not yet. Any student in the third pile needs addition retaught in a small group before the class moves on.

Differentiation

Extra support. Students who stall: pull them into a small group and rebuild addition with concrete materials or a simpler text before asking for the written work again. Do not send the page home as homework, it will just rehearse the misunderstanding.

Extension. Students who finish early: ask them to write their own addition problem for a partner to solve, then check the partner's work. Creating a problem is harder than solving one and it surfaces whether they really understand addition.

Skills covered in this lesson

Add 2-digit numbers (no carrying) · Add 2-digit numbers (sum under 100) · Add 2-digit numbers · Add 1-and 2-digit numbers mentally (3 addends) · Add whole tens · Add whole hundreds · Add whole hundreds (3 addends) · Complete whole hundreds (missing addend) · Add whole hundreds (missing addend) · Complete whole thousands (missing addend) · Add a 3-digit number and a 1-digit number · Add three 2-digit numbers

Practice pages for this lesson

6 items, 6 printable pages that match the independent-practice step.

Questions teachers ask about teaching addition

What addition skills are expected in fourth grade?
Fourth graders should fluently add multi-digit whole numbers using the standard algorithm (CCSS 4.NBT.B.4). They work with numbers up to one million, including problems that require regrouping across multiple places. Students should also add decimals and fractions with like denominators. Estimation becomes a key companion skill: students should round addends before computing to check whether their exact answer is reasonable. Fourth grade is also when students begin adding more than two numbers in a single problem. Worksheets that present multi-digit addition problems with progressively larger numbers, including four-digit and five-digit addends, build fluency with the standard algorithm. Mixed practice that includes estimation alongside exact computation reinforces the habit of checking work.
How do you help fourth graders who still struggle with regrouping?
If a fourth grader struggles with regrouping (carrying), revisit place value understanding using base-ten blocks or place value charts. Have the child verbalize each step: "7 plus 8 equals 15. I write 5 in the ones place and carry 1 ten to the tens column." Use graph paper to keep digits aligned in columns, which prevents many careless errors. Break problems into partial sums: add the ones, then the tens, then the hundreds separately, and combine. Worksheets that provide scaffolded problems with the regrouping step partially completed help children who need extra support. Consistent daily practice with three-digit addition before moving to larger numbers builds the automaticity needed for multi-digit work.
What is the connection between addition and estimation in fourth grade?
Fourth graders should estimate sums before computing to develop number sense and catch errors. For example, before adding 3,847 plus 2,156, a student should round to 4,000 plus 2,000 and estimate the sum as about 6,000. If their exact answer is 60,003, the estimate reveals a likely error. Estimation also supports real-world problem solving where exact answers are unnecessary, like budgeting or planning. The Common Core expects students to assess the reasonableness of answers (CCSS 4.OA.A.3). Worksheets that require students to estimate first and then compute, with a final step of comparing the estimate to the exact answer, build this metacognitive habit. Estimation becomes increasingly important as numbers grow larger and operations become more complex in upper elementary grades.

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