Why do this problem?

This problem would fit in well when children are doing addition and subtraction of numbers under $20$. It would help them to see that these are not all "sums" but have some real-life connections.

Key questions

Do those two numbers add to $16$?

Possible extension

Learners could find how many biscuits each dog would have if there were $10$, $11$, $12$ ... $20$ altogether.

Possible support

Using $16$ counters will help children work on the problem.