1. Parent workshop 2014

2. Our aim for the morning:
1. To provide brief information about maths taught in the school. 2. To give you an idea of how children learn calculation in school. 3. Ideas for how you can help your child at home.

3. Doing, seeing and talking
Practical activities
Through play
Through rhymes, stories and songs
In the outdoor area
Seeing numbers in simple games
Through stories
Through cooking
Through walks looking at patterns and shapes
In the foundation stage a lot of maths is practically based.
Children learn through ……..
You won’t see a lot of maths in books in reception

4. Children develop mathematical skills through…
Practically doing a calculation
Being able to say what they are doing
Being able to write or draw what they are doing
One of the main features of maths today is the importance of oral and mental work.
(Read above)
We want children to recognise the link between oral and written maths, to understand what it means to add or subtract and to get a picture of this in their heads when they are working.
In order to do this they need to have had a good practical talkative start.

5. Good practice in Maths today.
Children need to learn maths in a real life context.
Children need first to develop a sense of number.
Children need to be able to explain how they have calculated something.

6. Good practice in maths today.
Mental calculation skills are vital.
Children need the ability to estimate
E.g. if I have 18 sweets in one bag and 17 in another bag. How many do I have altogether?
Children can estimate the answer by adding 20 and 20 and know that the answer will roughly be around 40

7. Reception

8. Subtraction in Y2 Addition in Y2 24 take away 11 Take 20 from 70
Subtract 28 from 40
8 less than 90
What number must I take from 14 to leave 10?
What is the difference between 14 and 12
How many more than 38 is 49?
How many less than 46 is 37?
6 taken from a number leaves 3. What is the number?
Find pairs of numbers with a difference of 7
I think of a number. I take away 3. My answer is 17.
What is my number?
27 add 10
Add 60 to 30
4 plus 18
What is the sum/total of 18 and 4?
How many are 9 and 14 altogether?
Which two/three numbers could have a sum of 15?
What must I add to 14 to make 30?
I think of a number. I add 10. The answer is 30. What is my number?
What is 10 more than 346?
In YR practical apparatus is always available  NUMBER FACTS
Number Facts
Children need to hear maths in lots of different ways
It is very important for children to know their number facts for different numbers, ie all the different ways of making 10
Show a calculation in year 1 they will know if they see 6+$=10 and in year2transfer that knowledge to 76+$=80
+  number lines
as ch move through Y1 – Y2, move to more abstract representation of calculation – but always need to come back to practical apparatus.
Show – objects 
So – how do number lines work?

9. Addition and subtraction
Use of a structured number line
Use of an unstructured number line
Partitioning to add
Finding the difference
Counting back starting with the largest digit first.

10. Methods of recording
We encourage children to record their sums/problems pictorially first then in a more commonly thought mathematical method.
For example as you can see this sum was given orally to the class.
 A child’s picture to help show how many balls are needed for 12 children – ‘solving word problems using jottings = LO
 Early on, ch use oral methods – counting objects, fingers one by one
 more sophisticated counting strategies - jottings Initially, let children record in their own way – children start with pictorial representations – draw pictures – helps us, and children to understand and work through a problem
As children work with larger numbers, they have to jot to support their thinking - Becomes hard for them to hold intermediate stages – so informal pencil and paper notes. These might not be easy for others to follow, but important stage – but later on, by comparing methods, can choose more efficient clear methods.
Ch. move into symbolic, visual imagery such as number lines, and then purely numerical recording.

11. This example is part of a Year 2 classes work on a topic about shopping – coins were used to help record counting in steps of different sizes
 An example were some children counted along numberline4s marking the steps in hops of different sizes
So the progression is from
Drawing  symbolic  abstract
All calculations in KS1 are done along the horizontal
Vertical calculations are not introduced until KS2
Role of numberlines as link between early stages and later stages – mental to written -

12. Four kinds of track or line:
Number tracks
Numbered lines
Partly numbered line O 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
We use number lines a lot in school. A counting stick is a kind of what we call a numberline
numberlines – are a powerful tool to support children’s development in understanding number and calculation. They remain a powerful image even when the actual line is no longer used.
The number track comes first …..these always start at 1 and not 0.
First we would use a number line Show one
Can we count in 1’s, 2’s
Then we would use a counting stick to reinforce knowledge.
Use a counting stick here
What’s 1 more, 1 less?
10 more, 10 less? 5 6 10 9 8 7 12 13 14 15 16 11

13. “There’s one at the end of every pencil!”
We encourage children to draw their own number lines (unstructured number line) especially as the numbers get bigger
Empty number line
Number line game
As children progress we introduce empty number lines for them to use so that they have another method of working out calculations.
Your turn to have a go!
(Use some egs and let parents try others)
Show examples on white board at adding 5+3
20+35
34+33
Bridging through 10 (use sheet) Calculation policy
Compensation (use sheet)
As children become more confident they use more complicated knowledge and use of all those number facts that we pester you to encourage your child to learn at home!
Partitioning and bridging.
“There’s one at the end of every pencil!”

14. +, -, x, ÷ = Practical counting
Combining groups and taking groups away
Talking about what we are doing
Counting on and back
Counting up and down in equal groups
Showing calculation on a number line

15. Into classes
You now have the opportunity to visit your child’s year group. Teachers are putting on a short demonstration lessons for you. Go into each class for a few minutes and look at the maths taking place (not just your child!) and see if you can see some of the things that I have been discussing.
Please come back into the hall for 9.45 when you can have a drink and ask any questions about what you have seen/heard.

16. What can we do to help? Talk about maths
Hold back from showing children methods we were taught at school
Engage with methods they are being taught even if you think there is a quicker way
Encourage your child to draw number lines and explain their thinking and reasoning
Encourage your child to give you practical examples around the house or from every day life
Ask them questions if you don’t understand to give them opportunities to clarify their thinking
Do some examples together until you have understood – so your child is in the role of the teacher
If it gets heated leave it.
Remember as adults we may do things differently, it is OK for us not to understand
 We all know how we were taught at school and our experiences at school can influence how we help and support our children…
Our aim is for you to be able to support your child at home – the danger is that if you teach them the methods you were taught at school, which may well be different to the method used in the school - it could confuse them
I suppose it’s kind of easy to teach children ‘tricks’ – here’s an easy way of doing this…but we want children to understand what they’re doing – then they’ll understand their mistakes, and they can work out for themselves ways to develop the methods they use
So – how can you help your child at home?

17. Enjoy it!