Supporting Mathematics at Home

Parents’ Information Session

Mental and Oral Starter

How have things changed…

Children being taught how to use a range of methods with practical resources to help develop their understanding

Children having time to talk together about their work

Children sharing their methods with the teacher and each other

Children being taught how to work mentally

Teaching and learning that is always built on what children have already learned

How would you find answers to these calculations?

• 3+1+4=

• 16+5+3+7=

• 34+45=

• 625+48=

Models and Images

Objects

Pictures

Coat hanger and pegs

Dice

Bead string

Tracks and number lines

Arrow cards

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Number bonds

Numicon Shapes allow children to ‘see’ the relationship between numbers and spot patterns…

+ =4 4 8

Action, imagery, structure, conversation

Images

The beadstring may be used to model the following strategies:- Doubling- Counting forwards and backwards- Using the relationship between addition and subtraction- Number facts- Partitioning

Beadstring

7 + 5 = 7 + 3 +

2

Informal Jottings - Using a number line

7 +3

Bridging through ten

Near doubles

+16

6 + 7 = 6 + 6 +

1 =

0 4 61 2 3 5 7 8 9 10

11

12

13

14

15

16 17 18

19

20

+2

0 4 61 2 3 5 7 8 9 10

11

12

13

14

15

16 17 18

19

20

+6

= 12

13

Models and Images

15 frogs on a lily pad 9 jump in, how many are left?

15 - 9

5 15

+1- 10

The empty number line

6 frogs are left

= 6

6

Compensating

Models and Images

Partitioning

5 6

50 6

Mental method, using partitioning

56

+ 41

90

7

90

+

6 1

50

40

6

1

+ + +

7

Partitioning

Use partitioning to solve the questions below

• 56+32=

• 43+55=

• 67+46=

On the move

Make a tower with Multilink (1 – 10)

Find a partner

With the same number in their tower

So towers have a difference of 3

So that if you subtract one tower from

the other you are left with 2

So that if you count back from one tower to

another the difference is 4.

How would you find answers to these calculations?

• 8 - 4=

• 48 - 22=

• 63 - 9=

The baker makes 54 loaves and sells 28.

How many has he left?

54 - 28

30 34 54

- 4- 20

26 loaves are left

- 4

26

Using the number line and bridging to count back

Using a blank number line

Use a blank number line to solve the calculations below

37 - 19=

84 - 57=

Key Principles

• Every day is a mental mathematics day• Hands-on learning is still important• Seeing mathematics through models and

images supports learning• Talking mathematics clarifies and refines

thinking• Make mathematics interesting• Learning from mistakes should build up

children’s confidence

Addition and subtraction activities at home

• calculating change - which coins, different combinations• deciding on coins to pay a bill• weighing fruit and vegetables in the supermarket• counting pocket money• calculating the price of a holiday from brochures• estimating the final bill at the end of shopping while waiting

at the checkout• calculating discounts e.g. 20% reduction, 50% sale price• using shopping bills to calculate change• calculating postage on letters using first or second class

stamps• calculating the cost of a meal using a menu• calculating the cost of the contents of a lunch box• using the till receipt to check the shopping• calculating the cost of the family going to the cinema,

swimming baths, etc

How can parents help…..

Talking about mathematics in everyday situations:

• counting when climbing the stairs, laying the table, shopping,

planning an outing, solving problems

Playing games:

• Snakes and ladders, Ludo, draughts

• Guess who?, Connect 4, Dominoes

• Snap, Happy Families

If they are stuck useful questions:

• What have you got to do?

• How have you started?

• What have you found out so far?