L10 – WWW – Y2 Number and Place Value Problems

Working Without Worksheets – Year 2 Lesson 10: Use Number Facts and Place Value to Solve Problems Challenge your Year 2 pupils to apply their place value knowledge with this Working Without Worksheets lesson on solving number problems. Instead of worksheets, children explore reasoning puzzles and record their working directly in their maths books, building both fluency and problem-solving confidence. The lesson begins with a starter recap of tens and ones in 2-digit numbers, using quick questions to refresh place value understanding. Pupils are then introduced to a series of reasoning riddles such as: “I have 7 tens and 3 less ones than 7. What number am I?” “My tens and ones digits are the same. I am less than 22. What number am I?” Working in pairs and as a class, children use base ten equipment, digit cards, and number lines to solve these problems, explaining their reasoning. Independent activities challenge pupils to solve new puzzles and show their working directly in their books, encouraging neat presentation and logical explanations. A plenary brings the class back together to share different strategies and highlight common misconceptions. What’s Included in the Pack? ✔ Full teacher planning with objectives, problem examples, and plenary guidance ✔ Starter activity: recap partitioning numbers into tens and ones ✔ Vocabulary focus: tens, ones, greater, less, equal, digit, value ✔ Practical problem-solving using manipulatives (base ten, digit cards, number lines) ✔ Reasoning riddles and challenges to solve independently in books ✔ Plenary: class discussion of strategies and misconceptions ✔ No worksheets—children record directly in their books Why Teachers Love This Resource: ✔ Focuses on reasoning and problem-solving, not just fluency ✔ Includes ready-to-use number riddles with varying challenge levels ✔ Hands-on and discussion-based, encouraging multiple strategies ✔ Worksheet-free: pupils record working in books for accountability ✔ Ready-to-use slides and