Our current maths focus is development of mental strategies

DEVELOPING A SENSE OF NUMBER

What is needed?

An understanding of number and operations together with an ability

·         to use this in flexible ways to make mathematical judgments

·         to develop useful strategies for handling numbers

·         to communicate, process and interpret information.

Three essential underpinnings:

·         (i) NUMERATION (PLACE-VALUE) An understanding of numbers and an ability to think of them in more than one way (rename numbers).

·         (ii) MEANING FOR THE OPERATIONS (CONCEPTS) An understanding of what the operations do, an ability to recognise the symbols and an ability to write and interpret symbolic statements.

·         (iii) MENTAL STRATEGIES (NUMBER FACTS) A working knowledge of addition and subtraction facts to 20 and multiplication and division facts to 100, based on efficient non-counting, mental strategies such as

Count on from the larger number

Double and near doubles

Make to 10 and count on