Curriculum
NUMERACY
Developing a strong sense of number in our learners
Number sense is so important for your young learners because it promotes confidence and encourages flexible thinking. It allows children to create a relationship with numbers and to talk about them using accurate mathematical language. If we relate numbers to the way we learn to read and write, numbers are just like letters. Each letter has a sound and when you put them together they make words. Well, every digit has a value and when you put those digits together they make numbers!
Children with strong number sense think flexibly and fluently about numbers. They can:
Visualise and talk comfortably about numbers. Number Bonds are one tool to help them see the connections between numbers.
Take numbers apart and put them back together in different ways — e.g. breaking the number five down several times (such as: 5+0=5; 4+1=5; 3+2=5; 2+3=5; 1+4=5; 0+5=5 and so on), which helps your children learn all the ways to make five.
Relate numbers to real-life problems by connecting them to their everyday world. For instance, asking how many apples they've picked at a farm. For example; “Andy and Maria picked 10 apples. What different combinations of apples could they have each had?”
Answer: Andy had 3 apples and Maria had 7 apples OR Andy had 5 apples and Maria had 5 apples. When there is more than one answer to a maths question, it helps children to see numbers as fluid and flexible.
Solve problems mentally. Instead of relying on memorisation, children are encouraged to use mental maths. (calculating problems in their head). So, if they know 6+6=12, then they know 6+7=13. They can use their double fact knowledge (6+6) to help find a harder fact (6+7) and build on concepts they already know to think about more complex problems.
Strong number sense helps build a foundation for mathematical understanding. Focusing on number sense early in life helps build the foundation necessary to compute and solve more complex problems as children grow. Building a love for maths in your children begins with building an understanding of numbers.
At St Matthew’s we aim to get your children thinking about connection to maths in a variety of ways. Gone are the days of children filling out worksheets, correcting as a class and then celebrating or lamenting depending on the number of ticks or crosses they received.
It is important that children are encouraged to look at mathematical problems and solutions in a multifaceted way. We can achieve in a variety of ways.
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Make (Making Connections with maths ideas)
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Say (Saying the maths)
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Write (Writing the maths)
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Do (Making Connections with maths ideas)
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Curriculum Coordinator