1. Developing Maths Skills Through NUMICON
Much Woolton
Catholic Primary School

2. Counting Is Easy, Isn’t It?

3. Doh, Ray, Me … Now try again, but use the number line! Doh Ray Me Fah
Sing along with the Doh, Ray, Me sequence…
Start at ‘Soh’ and continue the count.
Now start at ‘Me’.
Now… start at ‘Te’ and go backwards.
How many steps are there from ‘Ray’ to ‘La’?
Count back from ‘Soh’ to ‘Doh’ – how much was that?
Now try again, but use the number line!
Doh
Ray Me
Fah
Soh La Te
Doh

4. Key skills needed by Good Calculators
Good knowledge of the number system
Know number bonds
Partition numbers into multiples of
Quick recall of times tables
Ability to multiply and divide by 10 and 100
Use of inverse operation
Presentation slide 4

5. Numicon A multi-sensory resource to Support Learning and Teaching in Number

6. Rationale behind Numicon
Quality first learning
Progressive
Inclusive
Children can:
Understand number relationships
Do calculating without counting
Learn mathematical language in context
Make connections to use and apply their understanding

7. Numicon imagery - motivated representation structured to reveal relationships between numbers and to help children to make connections
We talked about our Numerals being abstract – creating motivated number lines and using structured apparatus can help children to visualise number lines and see where numbers fit onto the numberline – adapted for decimal number line
Activity
Demonstrate adding using Numicon – How many different ways can you make 10? 1.0? Use 10 or 1.0 shape to check – children are in control of the activity, leading and checking their learning

8. … seeing a pattern is at the heart of mathematical thinking….
Numicon imagery plays to children’s sense of pattern … and draws their attention
… seeing a pattern is at the heart of mathematical thinking….
… recognising and creating patterns is often difficult for children who have SEN

9. Feel inside the box can you find the pink shape Find number 3
Find the number which you add to 6 to make 10
To start off we will do a quick activity with Numicon-in pairs, one person describes a number and the other person has to find it in the bag e.g. can you find the plate that is an even number, it is less than 6 but more than 2.
Cover the board – add restrictions e.g only using odd shapes, ..How many different 2x2 squares can you make? 3x3?

10. Some Teaching Ideas that your child’s teacher may use:
Using feely bag to find various numicon shapes
Hide numicon in sand /water
Press shapes into playdough/clay
Use as templates to make numicon cookies
Use base boards to create a pattern photograph and ask other children to copy
Paint and print repeated patterns
Represent numicon patterns using different media i.e beans
Make numicon the currency in the shop area.
Use balance and measure out equal bonds

11. My initial brain storm of teaching ideas
Order numicon on a numberline
Complete the different numicon numberline
Make the story of 6 using numicon shapes
Adding numbers bridging through ten
Place value partitioning 2 digit number
Doubling numbers
Adding 2 digit numbers
Putting sets of a particular numicon shape to see how many make e.g.12
Making numicon towers to represent multiplication

15. YOUTUBE contains lots of sample videos of NUMICON use

16. Bridging through ten..
Using addition facts of 10 and other numbers to bridge a multiple of ten
Helping children

17. 24 Moving into bigger numbers Place Value
Activity
Make 13 and 31 – what do you notice?? Numicon shows the value of the number much more clearly than abstract numerals – great assessment opportunity – if a child shows 13 with 1 and 3 shapes, you know they don’t understand pv
When showing place value allow children to work out what the 11 might look like. Initially show teens as 10 and the one shape above, until children are clear that nothing different happens when we reach 10, the relationship with the next number is still one more. Then show place value as above.
Show Hannah’s video clip 24

18. Understanding of numbers and the number
In Conclusion
Understanding of numbers and the number
system takes place when the learner makes
cognitive connections between concrete
apparatus, images, symbols and mathematical
language
Structured imagery can support children to make
sense of numbers
Structured imagery can support children in
developing calculation skills and can support
children in learning to calculate without relying
on counting

19. By the end of Reception: Children count reliably from numbers 1 to 20
Place them in order and say which number is one more/less than a given number
Using quantities and objects, they add and subtract 2 single digit numbers and count on or back to find the answer
They solve problems using doubling, halving and sharing.
Activity
Make 13 and 31 – what do you notice?? Numicon shows the value of the number much more clearly than abstract numerals – great assessment opportunity – if a child shows 13 with 1 and 3 shapes, you know they don’t understand pv
When showing place value allow children to work out what the 11 might look like. Initially show teens as 10 and the one shape above, until children are clear that nothing different happens when we reach 10, the relationship with the next number is still one more. Then show place value as above.
Show Hannah’s video clip

20. Golden Rules
Find a quiet place.
Little and often.
Explain gently, keep calm and praise success.
Enjoy playing the game and repeat
Finish after 15 minutes maximum.
Encourage your child to put the Numicon pieces away in the box.

21. Enjoy playing the games If you enjoy yourself, so will your child
Most importantly…
Enjoy playing the games
If you enjoy yourself, so will your child
Enjoying maths is the path to success.

22. Any questions? Activity
Make 13 and 31 – what do you notice?? Numicon shows the value of the number much more clearly than abstract numerals – great assessment opportunity – if a child shows 13 with 1 and 3 shapes, you know they don’t understand pv
When showing place value allow children to work out what the 11 might look like. Initially show teens as 10 and the one shape above, until children are clear that nothing different happens when we reach 10, the relationship with the next number is still one more. Then show place value as above.
Show Hannah’s video clip