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Nrich Maths problem solving tasks that explore position and direction.

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In these lower primary tasks, you can move different objects around in lots of different ways.

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Problem solving tasks that explore the properties of shapes.

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These lower primary activities are all about different kinds of shapes.

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I'm teaching money to junior infants students.

Correctly sorting and handling money is one of the most fundamental skills in modern life. Whether shopping for food, or making change in a job, it's a skill your students will be using for their entire lives. As it's such a fundamental skill, the earlier they learn it, the more second nature it will be to them. The best habits, after all, are those that are formed early.

Teaching money to junior infants, therefore, is an important job that requires helpful resources. Which is why you'll find this Start Money Smart junior/senior infants activity pack tremendously useful. You'll find a large selection of different activities and resources for teaching money to junior infants and senior infants.

These include colourful, illustrated activity worksheets designed to help your students grasp the concepts smoothly. By using illustrations of coins to demonstrate the various problems, your students will find it much easier to visualize things. It also prepares them to use actual coins better than a written problem would.

But, it's not just worksheets included in this activity pack. It also includes various visual learning resources covering the key concepts they need to learn. They're easy to print and put up on the walls. These are excellent for encouraging passive learning, which helps them grasp these concepts more quickly.

What other money-related resources do you have?

Teaching money to junior infants and senior infants is a task that's important, and needs to be done well. But, that doesn't mean that money education stops when they graduate from infants. So, if you're looking for more resources to help you continue this topic with older students, you're in luck. Below, you'll find links to other resources we think you may find useful.

As we said, financial education doesn't stop when your time in the infants does. If you liked this activity pack, but wanted a slightly more advanced version, don't worry. This Start Money Smart 1st/2nd Class Activity Pack is just what you need.

Or, perhaps you were looking for something a bit more advanced than that. If you have 3rd or 4th class students who need financial wisdom imparting, look no further. This Start Money Smart 3rd/4th Class Activity Pack is what you need.

And, if you're still looking for more resources, then try these How Much Money Is In My Piggy Bank? Differentiated Worksheets.

Check out our blog all about Teaching Money To Junior Infants here!

Why is financial education for young children so important?

Understanding the value of different coins and notes is a skill they will be using from a very early age. The earlier they learn this, the more natural it will be in real-life situations.

This early understanding of monetary value lays a good foundation for learning smart, financial habits when they're older.

The above video may be from a third-party source. We accept no responsibility for any videos from third-party sources. Please let us know if the video is no longer working.

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Start Money Smart Junior/Senior Infants Activity Pack

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Correctly sorting and handling money is one of the most fundamental skills in modern life. Whether shopping for food, or making change in a job, it's a skill your students will be using for their entire lives. As it's such a fundamental skill, the earlier they learn it, the more second nature it will be to them.

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Powerpoint

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Useful template to use when explicitly teaching new maths vocabulary

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Center Activity -- The Frayer Model Explained

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https://www.pdst.ie/sites/default/files/CountingActivities.pdf

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https://nzmaths.co.nz/problem-solving

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This section of the nzmaths website has problem-solving lessons that you can use in your maths programme. The lessons provide coverage of Levels 1 to 6 of The New Zealand Curriculum. The lessons are organised by level and curriculum strand.
Accompanying each lesson is a copymaster of the problem in English and in Māori.

Choose a problem that involves your students in applying current learning.
Remember that the context of most problems can be adapted to suit your students and your current class inquiry.
Customise the problems for your class.

The site also includes Problem Solving Information. This provides you with practical information about how to implement problem solving in your maths programme as well as some of the philosophical ideas behind problem solving. We also have a collection of problems and solutions for students to use independently.

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This section of the nzmaths website has problem-solving lessons that you can use in your maths programme. The lessons provide coverage of Levels 1 to 6 of The New Zealand Curriculum. The lessons are organised by level and curriculum strand. Accompanying each lesson is a copymaster of the problem in…

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http://www.mathematicshed.com/uploads/1/2/5/7/12572836/making_math_more_fun_math_board_games.pdf

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https://toolkit4maths.com/

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Any suggestions, comments on the toolkit4maths welcome here

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https://pdst.ie/primary/stem/mathematics/problem-solving

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The problem solving workshops run by PDST in local Education Centres across the country endeavour to support teachers in the exploration of problem solving as a central methodology across the mathematics curriculum. The exploration of content, methodologies and skills and the development of mathematical thinking are promoted throughout. The following resources and materials are available to print or download by clicking on the links below.

The PDST have offered a number of workshops and seminars in the area of Problem Solving. Relevant resources from these sessions can be accessed by clicking the links below. They have also collated collections of problems for Maths Week, which are available on Scoilnet at the links below.

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The problem solving workshops run by PDST in local Education Centres across the country endeavour to support teachers in the exploration of problem solving as a central methodology across the mathematics curriculum. The exploration of content, methodologies and skills and the development of mathematical thinking are promoted throughout.

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IXL offers online maths practice covering junior infants through sixth year maths and everything in between. Students will enjoy learning with IXL’s fun and interactive questions, including graphing, drag-and-drop, select-and-edit and more.

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Topmarks games and activities for counting.

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Teddy Numbers Not Flash

The Teddy Numbers game can help you to learn numbers to 15. Learn the digits and words for the numbers and it game can help you learn to count too. Tablet-friendly. Different levels: Counting 1 to 5, 1 to 10 and 1 - 15.

Gingerbread Man Game Not Flash

Counting games where you can learn your numbers to 10. Tablet-friendly.

Underwater Counting Not Flash

Can you find the treasure? You need to count the underwater creatures. This game has two levels: Count to 5 and Count to 10. Tablet-friendly.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Once I Caught a Fish Alive Flash

A song and animation of the well-known nursery rhyme with two extra verses too. It can help children learn to count to 10. Click on the icon for full-screen view.

Five Little Speckled Frogs Flash

An animated song which can help children to count and count back from 5. You can pause the song to count the frogs if you want. Lyrics are provided.

The site examines the number 1 through counting activities and games. It demonstrates how the number is written.

The site examines the number 2 through counting activities and games. It demonstrates how the number is written.

The site examines the number 3 through counting activities and games. It demonstrates how the number is written.

The site examines the number 4 through counting activities and games. It demonstrates how the number is written.

The site examines the number 5 through counting activities and games. It demonstrates how the number is written.

The site examines the number 6 through counting activities and games. It demonstrates how the number is written.

The site examines the number 7 through counting activities and games. It demonstrates how the number is written.

The site examines the number 8 through counting activities and games. It demonstrates how the number is written.

The site examines the number 9 through counting activities and games. It demonstrates how the number is written.

The site looks at the numbers 1 - 20. Children can hear the names of the letters and see them represented by a corresponding number of objects.

Hickety Pickety my Red Hen Flash

An animated counting song where you need to count how many eggs the hen has laid. Click the icon for full-screen view.

Counting Objects Flash

A simple introduction to block graphs. The counting activities are to 4 but children need to represent the animals on the graph.

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Teddy Numbers Not Flash The Teddy Numbers game can help you to learn numbers to 15. Learn the digits and words for the numbers and it game can help you learn to count too. Tablet-friendly. Different levels: Counting 1 to 5, 1 to 10 and 1 - 15.

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Exploring Maths through Story with Infants.

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Exploring Maths through Story with Infants.

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This Learning Path, suitable for infant classes, supports the exploration of maths through story. The path contains useful links and lists.
6 resources in this Learning Path

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What you need...

To register for a Scoilnet Account you will need to have a Teaching Council number and a roll number for your school in Ireland.

If you already have a Scoilnet Account then you can sign in here.

The benefits...

A Scoilnet account will allow you to upload your resources or weblinks to Scoilnet as well as enabling you to share and add resources to a favourites listing. Users who have a Scoilnet Account will also be able to fully access Scoilnet Maps and Census@School from home.

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Official education portal of the Department of Education and Skills in Ireland. Curriculum focused resources and support for primary and post primary teachers.

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Click on the Title to open the problem...Upload pictures or answers to the Padlet to enter the Maths Week competition for PDST Numeracy Manuals and a class set of Active Learning Boards.
5 resources in this Learning Path

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What you need...

To register for a Scoilnet Account you will need to have a Teaching Council number and a roll number for your school in Ireland.

If you already have a Scoilnet Account then you can sign in here.

The benefits...

A Scoilnet account will allow you to upload your resources or weblinks to Scoilnet as well as enabling you to share and add resources to a favourites listing. Users who have a Scoilnet Account will also be able to fully access Scoilnet Maps and Census@School from home.

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Official education portal of the Department of Education and Skills in Ireland. Curriculum focused resources and support for primary and post primary teachers.

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Using Shared Picture books in Mathematics

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Using Shared Picture books in Mathematics

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MathsThroughStories.org is a non-profit and research-based initiative, based at the University of Reading's Institute of Education (UK). It sets out to help mathematics learners around the world...

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Interactive Maths manipulatives and games

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Interactive Maths manipulatives and games

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Our online teacher tools include a wide range of interactive manipulatives and assessment tools to teach and assess basic math concepts. Additional teacher tools help teach literacy and reading skills. Plus, check out our online timers, spinners, and dice that assist with classroom management.

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Teacher Tools " Toy Theater | Learn * Create * Play

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Our online teacher tools include a wide range of interactive manipulatives and assessment tools to teach and assess basic math concepts. Additional teacher tools help teach literacy and reading skills. Plus, check out our online timers, spinners, and dice that assist with classroom management.

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See p.14 of the Maths Eyes resource pack for more sample questions.

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Resource pack with sample pictures and questions to prompt children to look at their environment with Maths Eyes.

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You will need to create an account to access these lesson plans and resources.

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EXPLORE creative, high quality resources for primary school teachers to help teach computing to children supported by Barefoot Computing.

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This learning path, suitable for Junior and Senior Infants, supports the exploration of mathematics through a series of challenges, tasks and activities.
7 resources in this Learning Path

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What you need...

To register for a Scoilnet Account you will need to have a Teaching Council number and a roll number for your school in Ireland.

If you already have a Scoilnet Account then you can sign in here.

The benefits...

A Scoilnet account will allow you to upload your resources or weblinks to Scoilnet as well as enabling you to share and add resources to a favourites listing. Users who have a Scoilnet Account will also be able to fully access Scoilnet Maps and Census@School from home.

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Official education portal of the Department of Education and Skills in Ireland. Curriculum focused resources and support for primary and post primary teachers.

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A great resource with hands on maths activities for all topics.

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The Ministry is migrating nzmaths content to Tāhurangi. Relevant and up-to-date teaching resources are being moved to Tāhūrangi (tahurangi.education.govt.nz). When all identified resources have been successfully moved, this website will close. We expect this to be in June 2024. e-ako maths, e-ako Pāngarau, and e-ako PLD 360 will continue to be available.

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Counting activities

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Number games

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Activities, references and games for exploring number sense with infants.

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Activities, References and Games which might be useful when exploring Number Sense with Junior and Senior Infants
9 resources in this Learning Path

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To register for a Scoilnet Account you will need to have a Teaching Council number and a roll number for your school in Ireland.

If you already have a Scoilnet Account then you can sign in here.

The benefits...

A Scoilnet account will allow you to upload your resources or weblinks to Scoilnet as well as enabling you to share and add resources to a favourites listing. Users who have a Scoilnet Account will also be able to fully access Scoilnet Maps and Census@School from home.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Official education portal of the Department of Education and Skills in Ireland. Curriculum focused resources and support for primary and post primary teachers.

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Challenges, tasks and activities to explore weight with infants.

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This learning path, suitable for Junior & Senior Infants, supports the exploration of the Measures strand, in particular Weight, through a series of challenges, tasks and activities.
5 resources in this Learning Path

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To register for a Scoilnet Account you will need to have a Teaching Council number and a roll number for your school in Ireland.

If you already have a Scoilnet Account then you can sign in here.

The benefits...

A Scoilnet account will allow you to upload your resources or weblinks to Scoilnet as well as enabling you to share and add resources to a favourites listing. Users who have a Scoilnet Account will also be able to fully access Scoilnet Maps and Census@School from home.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Official education portal of the Department of Education and Skills in Ireland. Curriculum focused resources and support for primary and post primary teachers.

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Videos, tasks and activities to support the exploration of early maths.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Official education portal of the Department of Education and Skills in Ireland. Curriculum focused resources and support for primary and post primary teachers.

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Challenges, tasks and activity to explore algebra with infants.

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This learning path, suitable for infant classes, supports the exploration of the algebra strand through a series of challenges, tasks and activities.
8 resources in this Learning Path

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To register for a Scoilnet Account you will need to have a Teaching Council number and a roll number for your school in Ireland.

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The benefits...

A Scoilnet account will allow you to upload your resources or weblinks to Scoilnet as well as enabling you to share and add resources to a favourites listing. Users who have a Scoilnet Account will also be able to fully access Scoilnet Maps and Census@School from home.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Official education portal of the Department of Education and Skills in Ireland. Curriculum focused resources and support for primary and post primary teachers.

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Exploring shape and space with infants

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This learning Path, suitable for infant classes, supports the exploration of Shape and Space through a series of challenges, tasks, videos and activities.
11 resources in this Learning Path

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The benefits...

A Scoilnet account will allow you to upload your resources or weblinks to Scoilnet as well as enabling you to share and add resources to a favourites listing. Users who have a Scoilnet Account will also be able to fully access Scoilnet Maps and Census@School from home.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Official education portal of the Department of Education and Skills in Ireland. Curriculum focused resources and support for primary and post primary teachers.

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Activities to explore capacity in junior and senior infants.

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A Scoilnet account will allow you to upload your resources or weblinks to Scoilnet as well as enabling you to share and add resources to a favourites listing. Users who have a Scoilnet Account will also be able to fully access Scoilnet Maps and Census@School from home.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Official education portal of the Department of Education and Skills in Ireland. Curriculum focused resources and support for primary and post primary teachers.

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Challenges, tasks and activities using money.

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By PDST

This learning path, suitable for infant classes, supports the exploration of money through a series of challenges, tasks and activities.
3 resources in this Learning Path

How it maps to the curriculum

How it maps to the curriculum

How it maps to the curriculum

Strand unit: Money - Euro

Content objective: This resource should enable a child to:

calculate how many items may be bought with a given sum

recognise, exchange and use coins up to the value of €2

recognise, exchange and use coins up to the value of 50 cents

write the value of a group of coins; record money amounts as cents and later as euro

Suggestions for use: To consolidate learning around Money.

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A Scoilnet account will allow you to upload your resources or weblinks to Scoilnet as well as enabling you to share and add resources to a favourites listing. Users who have a Scoilnet Account will also be able to fully access Scoilnet Maps and Census@School from home.

Register

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Official education portal of the Department of Education and Skills in Ireland. Curriculum focused resources and support for primary and post primary teachers.

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Activities for exploring time with junior and senior infants.

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This learning path, suitable for infant classes, supports the development of understanding the concept of time and appropriate vocabulary of time through a series of challenges, tasks and activities. This is reinforced through exploration of time by sequencing events of the story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
6 resources in this Learning Path

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What you need...

To register for a Scoilnet Account you will need to have a Teaching Council number and a roll number for your school in Ireland.

If you already have a Scoilnet Account then you can sign in here.

The benefits...

A Scoilnet account will allow you to upload your resources or weblinks to Scoilnet as well as enabling you to share and add resources to a favourites listing. Users who have a Scoilnet Account will also be able to fully access Scoilnet Maps and Census@School from home.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Official education portal of the Department of Education and Skills in Ireland. Curriculum focused resources and support for primary and post primary teachers.

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Listen to Eric Carle reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75NQK-Sm1YY

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Activities for exploring length with junior and senior infants classes

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Either your browser does not support JavaScript or it is disabled. Scoilnet.ie works best with JavaScript enabled.
Add a resource

To get the best possible experience using our website we recommend that you upgrade to a newer version or other web browser.
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What you need...

To register for a Scoilnet Account you will need to have a Teaching Council number and a roll number for your school in Ireland.

If you already have a Scoilnet Account then you can sign in here.

The benefits...

A Scoilnet account will allow you to upload your resources or weblinks to Scoilnet as well as enabling you to share and add resources to a favourites listing. Users who have a Scoilnet Account will also be able to fully access Scoilnet Maps and Census@School from home.

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Official education portal of the Department of Education and Skills in Ireland. Curriculum focused resources and support for primary and post primary teachers.

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Data and Chance
(Level A/ Green objectives = infants)

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Shape and Space
(Level A/Green Objectives = Infants)

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Measures
(Level A/ Green objectives = Infants)

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Practical Approaches to Developing Mental Maths Strategies for Addition and Subtraction.

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The Maths4All project presents high quality activity plans and video examples of mathematics teaching in Irish preschool and primary classrooms (up to 2nd class).

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The Maths4All project, funded by Science Foundation Ireland, has been running since 2019. Members of the DCU Institute of Education work in collaboration with teachers to run activities such as webinars and TeachMeets. Our main purpose is to create opportunities for teachers to share and discuss their practice and find ways to enhance their teaching of maths.

As of Spring 20222, we are also delighted to collaborate with Clare Education Centre and the the Teachers' Research Exchange to facilitate an online professional learning community.

The Maths4All website also presents high-quality activity plans, created for and with teachers, and video examples of mathematics teaching in Irish preschool and primary classrooms.

These activities were designed to align with the content of the draft specification of the new mathematics curriculum which was released for consultation in 2017/2018. The proposed curriculum suggests that the four elements of:

are central to mathematical learning. Each of the activity plans is structured to facilitate children's engagement with these processes and elements.

The video clips provide opportunities for teachers to see good practice in action and also to facilitate reflection on teacher practices that are relevant across all mathematics activities and all age groups. Professional development materials relating to the use of tasks and talk in mathematical activities are also provided.

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The Maths4All project, funded by Science Foundation Ireland, has been running since 2019. Members of the DCU Institute of Education work in collaboration with teachers to run activities such as webinars and TeachMeets. Our main purpose is to create opportunities for teachers to share and discuss their practice and find ways to enhance their teaching of maths.

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A 30 minute webinar from the PDST which explores ways to engage playfully in maths and science activities throughout the school.

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This webinar will explore how playfulness can be infused into the teaching of Maths and Science throughout the primary school. As well as discussing child-led play in the junior classes, we will look at how playful approaches to Maths and Science can be used in the middle and senior classes.

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STEM activities/ideas

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The PDST is funded by the Teacher Education Section (TES) of the Department of Education and Skills (DES) and is managed by Dublin West Education Centre. 14 Joyce Way, Park West Business Park, Nangor Road, Dublin 12 Email: [email protected] Login | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy

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Pre-reader level games available.

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Hour of Code

This year, we're taking Hour of Code to new heights by offering coding opportunities that encompass both artificial intelligence (AI) and non-AI components.

Want to keep learning? Go beyond an hour

Teachers: Host an hour or read the How-To Guide

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Use computer science to explore and learn about AI!

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Recognising, creating and describing patterns with numbers

Children often enjoy saying how they see something differently from someone else.

Adults could show interesting arrangements of objects and invite children to talk about the numbers they see.

The Activity
Arrange five large magnets on a tin tray and confirm that everyone sees five. Ask, 'What numbers can you see hidden inside five?' Collect different views. Turn the board away to rearrange, show briefly and ask, 'How do you see them now?'

Encouraging mathematical thinking and reasoning:

Describing
Can you tell me how you saw them?
Did anyone see them differently? How did Lucas say he saw them?

Reasoning
How did you know how many there were?
Does this way make it easier to see how many there are? Why did you find it easier?

Opening Out
Has anyone got a quicker way of counting?
Can you arrange your counters so that you can quickly see how many there are?

Recording
Can you copy this pattern with your counters?
Can you record this by drawing or stamping or with stickers?

The Mathematical Journey

S hape, space and position: Number:

using spatial language, like 'on the top', 'underneath' or 'left' and 'right'

perceptual subitising and cardinality - recognising small numbers without counting

part-whole awareness - talking about numbers being made up of other numbers and numbers within a number, e.g. "I knew there were three because there's two and there's one"

recognising doubles, e.g. "When I see six I see three and three"

conceptual subitising - recognising the whole number by subitising and adding subgroups, e.g. "There's two and two and one, and that makes five"

counting in twos (unitising)

Development and Variation
Show numbers of things in less familiar arrangements and provide counters for children to copy.

Invite children to make lots of different arrangements for five with counters, matchsticks, shapes or small cubes, and to talk about how they are made up with different numbers.

Bunny ears: ask children to show a number on the fingers of two hands held above their heads. One child can show a number briefly in this way for others to say how many there are.

Discuss images from Making Number animations ( https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-school/pd-books/making-numbers, you'll need to register) or Number Talks ( ntimages.weebly.com).

Download a PDF of this resource.

Acknowledgement: Stephanie Latimer on Teaching Channel

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Recognising, creating and describing patterns with numbers Children often enjoy saying how they see something differently from someone else. Adults could show interesting arrangements of objects and invite children to talk about the numbers they see. The Activity Arrange five large magnets on a tin tray and confirm that everyone sees five.

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Information about number talk. Scroll down to find folders of resources for number talk for each class level.

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Sherry Parrish's book has hundreds of number strings and images for Kindergarten to 5th grade. And because of the popularity of these resources, many teachers have already produced powerpoints which feature the number sentences and images from her book. I downloaded these myself for my own ease of use but found that because they were intended for US grades, I needed to reorganise and re-structure some of them to align them to our classes and curriculum. I also collected other suitable number talks from other sources and am currently creating some of my own. Below, are my suggestions for the different class groups and links to download the resources.

Number Talks Resources for Infants

I have taken the resources for Kindergarten and broken them up into two folders, Junior Infants (numbers to 5) and Senior Infants (numbers to 10). Each of the folders has a READ ME FIRST document; you should do this!

These folders are then further divided into sub-folders: frames, rekenrek and dots. From each folder, do the activities for the numbers as you teach them in class e.g. after doing the number 3 in class do the frames set for number 3, the rekenreks set for number 3 and then the dots set for number 3.

When all numbers for that specific class have been introduced, you can do the mixed number talks that cover all the numbers; these are a collection of slides that are a combination of the sides for each individual number. Senior infant teachers might also like to do the mixed number talks for junior infants, as revision at the start of their year.

In each of the non-mixed sets, usually each group of 3/4 slides are designed as a number string and intended to be used in a single session. This will be explained on the first slide if relevant.

Suggested structure:

Show the image to the children and ask

Then ask children to explain how they saw that number eg "I saw 2 and 2 and then 1 and that's 5", "I saw a group of 4 and 1 and that's 5".

Connect the child's thinking to a number sentence by circling the dot arrangement(s) the child describes and by writing a matching number sentence ie 2 + 2 +1 = 5, 4 + 1 = 5

Click here to access the Number Talks folder for Junior Infants

Click here to access the Number Talks folder for Senior Infants

Number Talks Resources for First & Second Classes

For these classes, I have renamed the Grade One folder as First Class and the Grade Two folder as Second Class (while not all of the maths contents of these US grades corresponds exactly with our first and second class curriculum, the number talks resources here do).

The First Class folder is further divided into sub-folders, each of which deals with one of four addition strategies:

Within each of these sub-folders, there are different sets of slides of images (ie once again these are frames, rekenrek and/or dots) or slides of number sentences. As there is a substantial number of slides for this class, it is not necessary that every slide is covered, nor is it necessary to complete all or most of a strategy eg counting all/on, before moving onto another strategy. A teacher might decide to complete all the frames images in each strategy and then re-do the strategies but this time looking at the number sentences. However, it is recommended, and is more logical that you go through the strategies in order ie only explore benchmark/friendly numbers once the children are comfortable with the corresponding activities in the making tens folder.

The subtraction number talks are first introduced in Second Class and thus this folder is divided initially into addition and subtraction. The addition folder contains different slide presentations of number sentences only, each of which deals with one of six addition strategies:

1. Doubles & Near doubles

2. Making tens

3. Benchmark/friendly numbers

4. Breaking each number into its place value parts (also known as partitioning)

5. Compensation

6. Adding up in chunks (also known as sequencing)

The subtraction folder also contains different slides presentations, each of which deals with one of two subtraction strategies:

1. Adding up (also known as complementary addition)

2. Removal (also known as deduction)

Within each of these slide presentations, there are three different categories, of increasing difficulty. Again, as there is a substantial number of slides for this class it is not necessary that every slide is covered, nor is it necessary to complete all or most of a strategy, before moving onto another strategy. A teacher might decide to focus on the slides in category one or two of each presentation/strategy and then revisit each strategy later in the year but this time focus on category two or three respectively. However, it is recommended, and is more logical that you progress through the strategies in order ie only explore benchmark/friendly numbers once the children are comfortable with the corresponding category in the making tens folder.

Click here to access the Number Talks folder for First Class

Click here to access the Number Talks folder for Second Class

Number Talks Resources for Third to Sixth Classes

In the final section of her book, Sherry Parrish has a section of number talks for Grades 3-5. These grades would loosely align themselves with our third to sixth classes, but not as closely as how the junior end grades and classes align. As a result, I felt it necessary to go through the number talks and try to organise them so that they would better align with our senior classes. To this end, I put together a table of how I'd suggest the Grade 3-5 talks could be divided among out 3rd-6th classes. This table is included on the document titled READ ME FIRST and the table may be used to aid a whole school approach to number talks. In this table, the categories of each number talks set is divided among suggested classes:

* Based on the suitability of the content for the curriculum of each specific class

* So as to avoid unnecessary repetition, while also facilitating beneficial revision (ie for the Making Tens strategy I've suggested that 3rd class do category 1 and 2, and then that 4th class can revise category 2 again before moving onto category 3)

Some other suggestions:

As with the previous classes, the operations should be done in order ie Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division (as relevant to the specific class) and then, within each operation, progress through the strategies in the order on the table. If there is a second category of number talks to do, then this cycle can be repeated using the second category for the 2nd half of the school year.

Where two categories of the same strategy has been suggested for a class, (eg I have recommended that 3rd class do Making Tens, Category 1 and 2) it is not necessary for these categories to be done back-to-back and may even be preferable if the class did Category 1 early in the school year and then category 2 in the second half of the school year). In a similar way 4th class could do Making Tens, Category 2 in the first half of the school year and Category 2 in the second half. Differentiation: a weaker group may need to stick to the first category and/or use a category assigned to a lower class eg 4th class doing Category 1 instead of 2 or 3.

It is not necessary to do all the slides within each category. Differentiation: a weaker group may need to stick to the first category and/or do it again for the second half of the year meaning they may do all the slides in that category

As there is only a small number of number talks here for 6th and, to a lesser extent, 5th class, I am currently developing more resources to suit those classes. Check back for these.

Click here to access the Number Talks folder for Third to Sixth Classes

My Own Number Talks Slant

I'm no number talks guru by any means but I'd like to also share with you some of my own practice and ways I have been using number talks.

Number talks are recommended to use as an Oral & Mental starter for the 5-15 mins at the beginning of the main maths class. Initially, I found that I was going over time when I started these with a class and that if I tried to stick within 15 minutes that I wasn't getting to do all of the calculations in a specific number string. However, as time went on, I found that the sessions went much faster, as both the class and myself got more familiar with the structure.

It is suggested that number talks would be a daily activity at the start of each maths lesson; however I feel that sometimes, depending on the content of the main lesson, there might be a more appropriate or relevant starter activity. Number talks form an excellent suite of ideas that could be dipped into any day, irrespective of the content of the main lesson, but teachers should not be under pressure to do them everyday; choose what you think is best for you and your class depending on the content of the main maths lesson on that particular day.

I found that the number talks sessions worked equally well with whole classes, infants to sixth, and with smaller groups, (eg as part of a learning support slots, either within the class as a station in team-taught lesson or in withdrawal sessions). The small groups are particularly useful for the children who might be reluctant to volunteer their ideas in a whole class situation and gives them the opportunity to develop their confidence to ultimately contribute in a whole class setting. Learning support teachers could also use the number talks to pre-teach groups so they would be more confident and willing to contribute to a whole class number talk with their class teacher. For example, if a learning support group in 4th class were due to start category 2 of a specific strategy with their class teacher, their learning support teacher could revise category 1 with them in advance and/or use some of the category 2 strings or compose new number talks based on similar numbers.

I found that class participation levels and the "quality of the talk" both rise if the children have already encountered specific mental computation strategies in class. Where classes had been explicitly taught mental calculation strategies, eg doubles, making a ten, friendly numbers, compensation, constant difference subtraction etc they were more likely to explain their thinking using the correct mathematical terminology.

In the number talks videos, the children are often seen sitting together on the floor. As the children in my school wouldn't be that familiar with this seating arrangement, I just worked with them in their usual seating places as I didn't want the change of scene to detract and distract from the focus of the number talks.

While I initially used the fist and thumbs up system advocated by Sherry Parrish, when collecting answers, I often got the response "I had the same answer as Jack". So I returned to my preferred tool of mini-whiteboards, (to maximise on participation and honesty regarding answers) but insisted that they were not to be used at all for working out, all of which was to happen in the heads. Rather, the MWBs were only to be used to record the answer.