Skills: Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division

Resources: A variety of concrete resources to support pupils

Activity: Give this problem to students and allow them time to explore how they need to solve the problem. Use the questions below as prompts if they are unsure what to do next. Display the problem and read it aloud: A snail falls into a well that is 12 m deep. Every day he climbs up 2 m but each night he slips back down 1 m. How long will it take the snail to crawl out of the well?

Questions: At the end of the first day how far had the snail climbed? What about at the end of the second day? On what day was the snail half way out of the well?