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Topic “Maths Number and Algebra”
Understand and use ordinals (1st, 2nd, 3rd etc)
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Write it Writing materials |
| This works best 1:1. Use this activity only with a child who can read and write. With children with less good literacy skills, you will need to talk about what you are going to focus on, but miss out the written support. With children who can cope with larger numbers, you might want to go beyond 10, be careful to explain how numbers such as 21st, 22nd and 23rd are formed. |
| Line up None | This works best with a class or group. You may want to focus more on the front of the line. | |
| PE Equipment as required by the PE activity | This works best with a class. | |
| Small World Small world equipment, including several ‘people’. | This works best 1:1. This activity is more suited to younger children. | |
| Actions Equipment as required by the actions. Visual prompt cards if required. | This works best 1:1 or with a small group. Make sure you stress words such as “first”, “second” etc. Bear in mind the child’s auditory memory – the more instructions you give, the harder it will be to remember them. |
Number action rhymes
Below are some action number rhymes which you can use to develop children’s understanding of numbers and also encourage them to initiate and continue the song/interaction with you.
Remember to sing these songs a few times with your child and show them how to move their hands/body by modelling it yourself.
understand and use less for quantity
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Less food 3 soft toys Plastic tea set Plastic food |
| Avoid working on "less" and "more" together as there is a risk that the child may confuse them. When the child is able to use "less" and "more" on separate occasions in separate activities, you can then use both together in this activity - e.g. ask "More/less banana here?" and so on. |
| Fruit Salad Two bowls and fruit to cut into fruit salad | You could do this activity at snack time - sharing some fruit between two or more children. | |
| Using "less" with various materials See-through plastic cups Materials to put in them, for example: water beans sand pegs bricks pens Optional: symbol for 'less' - this can help to reinforce the concept for some children. If you don't already have one, you can get a symbol for "less" through the Commtap Symboliser. | You need to make the learning very visible. Allow the child to explore materials and give time to respond to questions. Give lots of opportunity for repetition. Provide a central group of items against which 'less' can be compared. Avoid working on "less" and "more" together as there is a risk that the child may confuse them. When the child is able to use "less" and "more" on separate occasions in separate activities, you can then use both together in this activity: use three beakers, have more in one beaker and less in another (than the central beaker). | |
| Sharing out materials Materials, for example: beans sand pegs bricks pens Symbol for 'less' 2 different coloured sheets If you don't already have one, you can get a symbol for "less" through the Commtap Symboliser. | Avoid working on "less" and "more" together as there is a risk that the child may confuse them. When the child is able to use "less" and "more" on separate occasions in separate activities, you can then use both together in this activity: use three sheets, have more in one sheet and less on the other (than the central sheet). | |
| Biscuit decorating Biscuits Something to sprinkle on to them | Avoid working on "less" and "more" together as there is a risk that the child may confuse them. |
Understand and use more for quantity
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| More food 3 soft toys plastic tea set plastic food two bowls and fruit to cut into fruit salad | Have a tea party. Hand out the food. Point out which ones have more. Ask the child to give some food to one of the toys so that it has more. Make fruit salad. In two bowls. Cut up fruit for the 2 bowls and ask "More banana here? Can the child tell you what to put in each bowl using more? | Avoid working on "less" and "more" together as there is a risk that the child may confuse them. When the child is able to use "less" and "more" on separate occasions in separate activities, you can then use both together in this activity - e.g. ask "More/less banana here?" and so on. |
| Various materials See-through plastic cups Materials to put in them, for example: water beans sand pegs bricks pens Symbol for 'more' If you don't already have a symbol for "more" you can find one in the Commtap Symboliser. | You need to make the learning very visible. Allow the child to explore materials and give time to respond to questions Give lots of opportunity for repetition Provide a central group of items against which 'more' can be compared. Avoid working on "less" and "more" together as there is a risk that the child may confuse them. When the child is able to use "less" and "more" on separate occasions in separate activities, you can then use both together in this activity: use three beakers, have more in one beaker and less in another (than the central beaker). | |
| Sharing out materials Materials, for example: water beans sand pegs bricks pens Symbol for 'more' 2 different coloured sheets If you don't already have a symbol for "more" you can find one in the Commtap Symboliser. | Avoid working on "less" and "more" together as there is a risk that the child may confuse them. When the child is able to use "less" and "more" on separate occasions in separate activities, you can then use both together in this activity: use three sheets, have more in one sheet and less on the other (than the central sheet). | |
| Biscuit decorating Biscuits Something to sprinkle on to them | Avoid working on "less" and "more" together as there is a risk that the child may confuse them. |
Uses coins to 10p
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Coins
Pretend money in 1p coins Objects to buy from a shop Piggy bank, which you can open easily. Soft toys | 1. Start by making sure the child can count 10 coins accurately. Ask the child to post 5/6/ etc coins into a piggy bank. 2. Can the child choose one of your hands hidden behind your back with some coins in and count them correctly? 3. Can the child tell you to post coins? Will the child notice if you do it wrong? 4. Play games with giving soft toys pocket money e.g. teddy gets 3p and dolly gets 7p. 5. Play shopping games. Label objects and take turns to 'buy' from the shop. Children may want to play with items bought. This will help motivate them for the activity. 6. Take turns to be the shopkeeper and count the correct money has been given. | Have fun! This is an activity that can be done in small groups Allow children time to count and manage the coins. |
| Pictures of coins Draw pictures of 1p coins on a sheet of paper |
Match quantities up to 8
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Pens in pots 2 Plastic pots Up to 16 pens/coloured pencils | 1. Put out 2 pots one in front of yourself and one in front of the child 2. Get child's attention and slowly count 3 pens into your pot. Say 'Your turn' to the child and, if necessary, help the child put 3 pens in his/her pot. 3. Reward with praise and/or a sticker. 4. Repeat the activity with different numbers of pens working up to 8 at the end. | Keep the activity snappy and fun. Have your equipment ready in advance so that the child does not loose interest. |
| Lego towers Pile of Lego bricks | Keep the activity snappy and fun. Have your equipment ready in advance so that the child does not loose interest. | |
| Peg board patterns Peg board and pegs | Keep the activity snappy and fun. Have your equipment ready in advance so that the child does not loose interest. | |
| Drawing simple shapes. Paper and pens | Keep the activity snappy and fun. Have your equipment ready in advance so that the child does not loose interest. | |
| Generalise the skill throughout the school day | Keep the activity snappy and fun. Have your equipment ready in advance so that the child does not loose interest. |
First last next
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Understanding "first" Lego bricks Miniature plastic animals and play mobile people. Two part story sequence pictures Home made drawings | Play games in a small group lining up at the door or the window. Point out who is first. Change the order and ask 'Who is first now?' At dinner time comment on what the child takes first. Say 'Look.......first you are eating..........' Build Lego towers. Take a pile of Lego bricks and say 'What colour do you want first?' Build a tower yourself and comment on your first colour. Follow the same routine when choosing pens to do a colouring in picture. Make a line of plastic animals or Playmobil People. Make sure they all point in the same direction and say 'Look.......... cat is first.' Can the child make a line and answer if you ask 'Who is first?' Look at the time table for the school day and comment on what comes first. Use 2 part sequencing stories and comment on what picture comes first. Ask the child to make a story and ask 'What is the first picture?' Draw pictures of stick men walking in one direction -can the child draw a circle round the first man etc. | Use objects to explain this concept and then move onto work with paper stories etc. Extend the concept into everyday life as much as possible. Repeat and repeat examples of first and last in the environment. |
| Understanding "last" | ||
| Understanding "next" | Make sure you are teaching this concept with physical things before you teach 'next' for a list of activities. Use a visual template to help a child order these concepts when you start to use these concepts to label class activities. Otherwise the concepts can seem very abstract and the child might get muddled. |
Add or take away one from a number of objects
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Add one to any given number between 1 and 10 - to understand that adding one means 'more' 2 small containers Sets of bricks, compare bears, pens, lego etc Number lines 1 - 10 that you can write on. | 1. Count say 4 items into a container and 4 into a similar container. Line them up, build them into towers , let the child discover that these are the same amount. 2. Tell the child "Put one more here." Go through the counting and comparing routine again and label the group with the extra item as "Look........one more here...this makes 5" etc. 3. Use two number lines. Match the number of items in each container with its position on the number lines. Say 'Look......here are 4 and here are 4.....they are the same. They are both 4." Tell the child "Add one more to this container". 4. Compare the two containers with the two number lines. Say "Look............this is 4" and mark 4 on the number line, and "Look .......this is 5" and mark 5 on the other number line. Compare the number lines , point out that one number line has "more" than the other. 5. Go through this process with different numbers. You want the child to be able to associate the real objects with the more abstract concept of a number on the number line. 6. Extend the concept to everyday life e.g. does the child want one more spoon of yoghurt?, or one more colouring pen in his/her bag? | You need to make the learning very visible. Start working with objects and move onto working with worksheets when the child is performing well with objects. Allow the child to explore materials and give time to respond to questions. Give lots of opportunity for repetition Work in short bursts and give many small rewards throughout the learning time. One aim is to help the child understand that real objects can be represented abstractly with numbers. |
| To take away one from numbers between 1 - 10 - to understand that taking away one means 'less.' Materials as above | ||
| From a given number find the number before Miniature people Groups of cars or trains Books with pictures of lines of people or cars or trains e.g Richard Scarry's transport books. Stickers Blu Tack Home made coloured dots (red and blue) | ||
| From a given number find the number after Miniature people Groups of cars or trains Books with pictures of lines of people or cars or trains e.g Richard Scarry's transport books. Stickers Blu Tack Home made coloured dots (red and blue). |
Understand and use one more
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Tea party 3 soft toys plastic tea set plastic food two bowls and fruit to cut into fruit salad | Have a tea party. Hand out the food. Point out which ones have more. Ask the child to give a piece of plastic food to one of the toys so that it has one more - say that it has got "one more". Make fruit salad. Use two bowls. Cut up fruit for the two bowls and ask 'One more piece of banana here? Can the child tell you what to add to each bowl using 'one more'? | Avoid working on "one more" and "one less" together until the child has mastered both of these. When both are mastered, you can mix both concepts in this activity, for example asking "one less banana here?" |
| Number line | Avoid working on "one more" and "one less" together until the child has mastered both of these. |
Understand and use one less
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Tea party 3 soft toys Plastic tea set Plastic food Two bowls and fruit to cut into fruit salad | Have a tea party. Hand out the food. Point out which ones have less. Ask the child to take away a piece of plastic food from one of the toys so that it has one less - say that it has got "one less". Make fruit salad. Use two bowls. Cut up fruit for the two bowls and ask 'One less banana here? 'Can the child tell you what to take out of each bowl using 'one less'. | Avoid working on "one more" and "one less" together until the child has mastered both of these. When both are mastered, you can mix both concepts in this activity, for example asking "one more banana here?" |
| Number line Number line | Avoid working on "one more" and "one less" together until the child has mastered both of these. |
Counts up to 5 objects
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Activities from TAP sheet: "MN P6 counts to 3.doc" "Counts to 3" activities sheet on www.commtap.org. Materials as described on this sheet. | Use materials and activities described in this activities sheet. Extend the activities to go up to the number 5. | See the guidelines given on the sheet. |
Plays games using dice
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Basic board games with simple dice Larger home-made die with the following on the sides:
Simple board games (probably best to be home made so they can be simple and adapted to meet your needs e.g. reinforce the colours being taught etc). | 1. Take it in turn to roll a die. 2. Count the spots on the side that faces up. 3. Repeat the number a few times - 'ok, you go 3. Number 3; let's count 3 places...' 4. Move the counter forward 3 places, counting each square. 5. Roll again etc. | Repetition Count each spot/square by touching it with your finger Extension activity: each square could be one of 3 colours. When you land on a red square you choose a card from the red pile... so vocabulary or sight words etc. could be targeted too. |
| Counting actions Action Cards - clapping, jumping, nodding, stand up; Simple die (as above). |
Aware of unequal sets
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giving out Books/pencils/cups etc to class mates. Pile of items the teacher wants handed round to the class | Give the child a pile of books to hand out. Does the child notice if there is one too many or one too few? Set it up so that there is one too many/few and comment. Say 'Look......too many/too few books/pens' etc. | Commenting on 'unequal sets' is a very everyday activity. Children experience 'unequal sets' when there are too few chairs in the class room, too many children for the number of cakes at dinner. Comment on these experiences. Keep the activity concrete - work with objects at this stage. | |||||
| Completing a form board Form boards | |||||||
| Car parking Paper with parking slots drawn on e.g.:
Various cars | |||||||
| Snack time party Real party with small food items and a group of children. Cups with straws Pretend party with dolls and teddies and a tea set. | |||||||
| Lego models Building simple models |
Does actions in familiar number rhymes
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Number action rhymes | Follow the instructions on the number action rhymes sheet. |
Counts to 3
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Matching 1, 2, 3, objects to pictures representing 1, 2, 3, objects Large laminated cards with the number 1 and one black square and the number 2 and 2 black squares etc (large number cards - Word document); Sets of objects e.g. pens, cars, bricks; Tidy up bag/box. |
| Give lots and lots of chances to practice this skill. Use the number cards until the child is able to count to 3 most of the time to ensure feelings of success. Give a model if the child struggles and reward attempts as well as success with praise. |
| Fun games Marble run or garage and car run or magnetic fishing game; 1, 2, 3, cards. |
| |
| Drawings of faces Colouring pens; Paper. | See if the child can tell you how many things to draw. You could give them a choice, for example, should I draw 1, 2 or 3 spots? | |
| Monster faces Colouring pens; Paper. | ||
| Stickers Soft toys. | ||
| Count things in the everyday environment |
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