Numeracy

1. Numeracy St Mary’s Primary School 2013

2. NSW Mathematics Syllabus

3. Early Number Assessment • In Kindergarten the SENA (Schedule for Early Number Assessment) test is performed at the beginning and the end of the year. • The SENA tests are a part of the assessment process that help to identify areas of strength and areas of weakness in each students Number abilities. • The SENA test covers the areas of number identification, forward number sequences, backward number sequences, subitising and early arithmetic strategies. • The SENA test are vital in guiding the program that the teacher develops to ensure that the Count Me In Too program caters for students working at different stages within the framework. • (see SENA text sample)

4. What is Count Me In Too? • Count Me In Too is a program aimed at supporting the K-6 Mathematics Syllabus. • The learning framework covers the Number and Measurement strands of the Mathematics syllabus. • Count Me In Too is a program that is implemented in Kindergarten and runs through the first few years of schooling. • The Count Me In Too program guides a students development from the stage ofEmergentto Perceptual to Figurative and finally onto Counting On and Back. • Count Me In Too is a project that encourages children to be active learners who create, modify and integrate. They learn and talk about what they are thinking and doing.

5. Stages of CMIT… • 1. Emergent counting stage • The student knows some number words but cannot count visible items. The student either does not know the correct sequence of number words or cannot coordinate the words with items. • 2. Perceptual counting stage • The student can count perceived items but not those in concealed collections. Perceptual counting includes seeing, hearing or feeling items. • 3. Figurative counting stage • The student can count concealed items but counts from one rather than counting on. Has a “figurative” notion of numbers and does not need to count perceived items, but counts from one to construct a number in additive situations. • 4. Counting on stage • The student can use advanced count-by-one strategies. Counts on rather than counting from “one”, to solve addition tasks or tasks involving a missing addend.

6. How is Count Me In Too implemented in the Kindergarten classroom? • Teacher completes the SENA test in late February, early March identifying where each child is situated on the Learning Framework. • Students are grouped according to their ability level and take part in weekly Count Me In Too sessions. These activities targeted at improving each child's level of performance. • Over the course of the year students will make progress through the levels. • Around the beginning of November the teacher will complete the SENA testing again with each child. This testing forms two important parts; - identifying areas of growth for each child - assisting with the planning of continued areas of focus for each child leading into Year One.

7. Helping your child with Mathematics

8. Helping your child with counting • Helping your child with counting: • Matching the number with the correct number of ‘things’ • Practise counting groups as well as making groups • Singing songs and nursery rhymes that include numbers (Baa Baa Black Sheep) • Model for your child the concept of counting-on (start from a number other than one) • Playing games such as Snakes and Ladders/ Dominoes and other card games (see pack)

9. Helping your child with number operations • Helping children how to count on from a larger number when adding a second number • Using two dice and adding the two numbers rolled • When shopping use strategies such as “I have six apples here, how many more will I get to make ten?” • Count the number of letters in then mailbox, take a letter away and how many letters are left • Model sharing our food or toys equally to show grouping

10. Helping your child with shapes... • Using blocks and toys that roll assists in having students develop ability to describe them • Model for children shapes in different positions and sizes • Look for objects inside and outside the house that are shaped like a circle, triangle, rectangle or square • Play I Spy games where students describe things by size and shape • Sorting a collection of objects into groups ( objects that roll objects that stack etc)

11. Helping your child with measurement • Comparing objects by holding up two and talking about which one is longer or shorter • Using dough to model long and short lengths • Recording heights on a chart • Measuring areas of a desk with books • Draw squiggle patterns and measure the length with strings

12. Helping your child with volume and mass • Many of our children’s early Volume and Mass experiences are based on observing their parents cooking • Have students play with materials and containers for filling, packing and pouring • Filling cups in the bath and discussing full, half-full and empty • Hefting objects in their hands to decide which is heavier or lighter • Using bathroom or kitchen scales

13. Helping your child with time and temperature • Have children compare the ‘hotness’ or ‘coldness’ of substances • Encourage students to use language such as yesterday, today and tomorrow • Exposing children to digital and analogue clocks • Recording special events on a calendar • Watch weather reports and talk about the predicted weather and temperatures

14. Subitising • Instantly recognizing the number of objects in a small group, without counting.You can see that there are 5 coins without counting.