1. Building Strong Numeracy Skills in your Child

3.  Shows the progression of students numeracy skills from Kindergarten to Stage 3.  By the time students reach Stage 3 they should know and use most of the strategies on the continuum.  If a student doesn’t know a strategy they can not move on to the next stage of development.

4.  Teachers plot students on the continuum using a variety of assessments.  This shows teachers where students are up to and what strategies they need to work on to reach the next level of development.  Teachers then plan their class lessons around the needs of the students in their class.

5.  The range of mental strategies students use for addition and subtraction.  Emergent Counting  Perceptual Counting  Figurative Counting  Counting On  Facile

6.  Emergent Counting  Beginning of Early Stage 1  Cannot count visible items  Does not know number words  Perceptual Counting  End of Early Stage 1  Counts items using concrete materials  Counts visible items to find the total  Objects remain in view while counting

7.  Figurative Counting  Visualises concealed items and counts from 1.  May use fingers if concealed items are greater than 10.  Counting On and Back  A number takes place of a completed count e.g. 6 + 5 ; 6 and 7,8,9,10,11.  Fingers may be used when counting on.  When students reach the counting on and back phase they can now begin to work on and understand place value.  Facile Strategies  Uses known facts, number structure and other non counting by ones strategies to solve number problems.

8.  Doubles and near doubles  E.g. 5 + 7; double 5 and add 2  Bridging to 10  E.g. 17 + 5; 17 and 3 is 20 and 2 more = 22  Jump strategy  E.g. 46 + 33

9.  Split Strategy  E.g. 46 + 33 = 40 + 6 + 30 + 3 = 40 + 30 + 6 + 3 = 70 + 9 =79  At this stage the students are only beginning to use these strategies to mentally work the sums out. Students may rely on recording these strategies to find the answer.

10.  Mental Strategies:  Jump Strategy  Split Strategy  Compensation Strategy  63 + 29; 63 + 30 = 93; subtract 1 to obtain 92  Bridging the decade  34 + 17; 34 + 10 is 44; 44 + 7 = 51  Using patterns to extend number facts  5 – 2 = 3; so 500 – 200 = 300

11.  Using formal and written algorithms for two, three and four digit numbers.

12.  By the beginning of Stage 3 students will have learnt all the necessary strategies needed to have strong numeracy skills in addition and subtraction.  Stage 3 is about giving students the opportunity to reinforce and practise these known numeracy skills.

13.  Websites:  Gloucester Public School Website  http://www.gloucester- p.schools.nsw.edu.au/years/year-1/help-your-child- learn http://www.gloucester- p.schools.nsw.edu.au/years/year-1/help-your-child- learn  School A to Z Website  http://www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/homework-and- study/mathematics/mathematics-tips http://www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/homework-and- study/mathematics/mathematics-tips

14.  Ask questions!  Talk about maths in short bursts.  Early Stage 1  Get your child to count everything – the number of plates on the table, how many pegs are needed to hang up the washing, the number of apples to buy at the supermarket etc.  Play games with dice – start with dot die.  Look for numbers in the environment.

15.  Stage 1  Play games with cards such as 21.  Play dice games using number die.  Start asking your child to think about ways to count faster e.g. counting on, counting by 2’s, counting by 5’s.  Ask addition and subtraction questions e.g. Set the table for one person and ask your child to put out enough plates for everyone. Ask them how many more were needed.  Ask your child to help you work out how many more items are needed when you are shopping. "I have six apples here, how many more will I get to make 10?"

16.  Stage 2 and 3  Play games with dice and cards.  Keep on asking questions to do with your child’s environment. At this stage start asking them how they got the answer when they are using mental strategies.  Shopping in the supermarket is a great place to ask your child questions about mathematics, there are numbers everywhere!

17.  A hands on workshop to be held at the beginning of next term.  We will show you games and activities to use at home.  Count Me In, Count Me In Too and Counting On activities.  DENS 1and DENS 2 activities – developing efficient numeracy strategies.