Okay so in school I am doing this litterly right now. So all u have to do is when it is a different sign you subtract, when it is the same you add. So think of it as, Different/Difference and Same/Sum. when the sign is different u find the difference and when u have the same sign you find the sum.
Example 1: -3+8= 5
Use the same sign as the largest number
Example 2: 5+(-10)= -5
Hopefully This helped! It is easier then you may think once you get the hang of it! ( You get the hang of it REALLY fast ) :)