Give five seconds of quiet think-time before any hands go up. Then take two or three different methods, not repeats of the same one. The two methods this opener naturally invites are partition (split the 27 into 20 and 7) and count on (hop to a friendly ten first). Jot each on the board and quietly name it. The third strategy, near double, does not fall out of 38 + 27 because these are not near-twins, so do not fish for it here — it is introduced freshly in the next step. Do not correct or rank the methods yet.

Walk each example one at a time and name it aloud as the arcs draw. The plain-language meaning of each strategy is now on the board too, so point to it as you say it.

• Partition — point out the big tens jump first, then the units jump. Say we split the 27 into 20 and 7.
• Count on — emphasise reaching 50 before adding the rest. Ask why 50 is a friendly place to stop.
• Near double — ask the class what they notice about 35 and 36 before you reveal the jumps. The almost twins spotting is the whole point.

Do not move on until the class can name which strategy suits each kind of sum.

This round is for talking it through together — one pupil works at the board, the class agrees or corrects out loud.

The widget starts on 48 with a 20–80 line so all three sums fit; reset the start point for each sum (48, then 27, then 55) before the pupil draws. For 48 + 23, watch for pupils who bridge through 50 (hop 2, then 21) versus those who partition (+20, +3) — both are correct, name each. For 27 + 29, the near-double spotting is the prize; revoice so 29 is just one less than 30. For 55 + 8, counting on to 60 first is the tidy route. Let a pupil pick the strategy first, draw the arcs, then the class confirms the landing number.

This round is the practice bank — one pupil works at the board, the class checks each answer and confirms before moving on. Keep the board work brisk rather than over-explaining.

The labels now suggest a route rather than prescribe one, and more than one jump path works on each, so let pupils pick the strategy that fits. 89 + 46 reads naturally as a partition (+40, then +6) as well as a count-on; accept both. The later sums cross into a new ten (and 89 + 46 crosses into the hundreds), so the bigger jumps are worth narrating: which jump crosses a ten or a hundred, and why does that make it trickier? Let the class predict the landing number before the pupil presses Check.

Close by asking the class to name their own favourite strategy from today and one sum it suits.