INTRODUCTION TO MATHEMATICS Support Session Semester 2 2020

e-Assignment 2: Unit 2 and 3

LEARNING IN GRADE R Created by M. Bouwer

R-MAT 120 Lecturer: Dip (Grade R Teaching)
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 LEVELS OF LEARNING

Langley air force base, 2008

Maruna, 2018

Mallouk, n.d.
Kinaesthetic learning Concrete level Semi-concrete level Abstract level

• Whole body movements • Use objects • Pictorial representation of • Symbols represent objects.
• Examples: jumping, clapping • Examples: counters, blocks, objects. • Examples: Worksheets, cards
hands, stomping feet, roll, stones, fingers, etc. • Examples: pictures, with words and symbols.
etc. drawings, dots, posters.

Mathematics teaching always starts with the kinaesthetic and progressively moves to the abstract level.

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 PRE-NUMBER CONCEPTS
One-to-one correspondence
• Definition – Matching an object/number with a corresponding object/number name in another group.
• Example: matching the number cards 1 to 4 with the corresponding amount of counters.

1 2 3 4

Classification
• Definition: Sort things together that has similar properties.
• Example: Classify/sort all the objects that slide together and all the objects that roll together.

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 PRE-NUMBER CONCEPTS
Ordering
Definition: Sort objects in a sequence, for example from smallest to biggest, longest to shortest, heavy to light, etc.
Example: Arrange objects from smallest to biggest:

Conservation and reversibility

There is a slight difference between conservation and reversibility:
Conservation means that the quantity of something stays the same even if their appearance changes. For example,
pouring water from a small cup to a bigger cup.
Reversibility means that something can be changed and then returned back to their original state. For example,
pouring the water back from the big cup to the smaller cup again.

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 COUNTING
Rote counting: The ability to recite number names in the correct order from memory (Charlesworth & Lind, 2013). In
Grade R, learners will be able to recite the number names from 1 to 10.

Rational counting: The ability to use concrete objects/dot or picture cards to count. Learners match the number name
in an ordered sequence to the objects (Naudé & Meier, 2014).

Levels of counting:
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
Count all Count on, counting back, skip counting and Break down and build up numbers
counting in groups
Learners start from 1 and • Learners count on from any given Learners break numbers up. For
count all the objects one by number, for example 3. example 4 can be 2 and 2. They
one. • Learners count backwards from 5 to 1. also build numbers up by adding
• Skip counting is when learners count in them together (2 + 2 = 4). There
2s, 5s or 10s. are various number combinations
• Name small groups of objects without (bonds) to make for the number 4:
counting them. 1 + 3, 2 + 2, and 4 + 0.

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 NUMBER SENSE AND RELATIONSHIPS
Extract:
McGuire, P., Kinzie, M. & Berch, D. (2012). Developing Number Sense in Pre-K with Five-Frames. Early Childhood Education
Journal, 40(4), 213–222. Permalink: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eue&AN=77330842&site=ehost-live

…both the need for number sense development (Jordan 2007) as well as the increasing realization that number sense is
one of the most fundamentally important concepts to be developed in early mathematics (Baroody 2009; Jordan 2007;
Kilpatrick et al. 2001; McGuire and Wiggins 2009; NCTM 2008; Van de Walle 2003). Research suggests that
targeting number sense development in early mathematics prepares [learners] to learn more complex mathematics
concepts such as place value (Miura et al. 1993; Van de Walle 2003), part-to-whole number composition and
decomposition (Fischer 1990; Hunting 2003), and basic arithmetic operations involving addition and subtraction (Levine
et al. 1992; Wynn 1990). More generally, early exposure to key number sense concepts equips [learners] with an
understanding of core mathematical properties (NMAP 2008) and promotes numerical fluency (Baroody 2009).
[p. 214]
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 NUMBER SENSE AND RELATIONSHIPS
Concepts Vocabulary/Definition

Size Big and small, bigger and smaller, biggest and smallest

Amount More (greater) than, less than, equal to, many and few

Guessing the amount of objects without counting.

Estimation
about how many? More, fewer, most, least.

Ordinal numbers First, second, third, …, last, next

Number recognition 1, 2, 3, . . . , 10

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 NUMBER SENSE AND RELATIONSHIPS
Watch the following video and reflect on the questions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDYmywInhQU

1. Why did the teacher use spoons as a resource to teach learners about counting?
2. What other resources can you as a teacher use to teach learners about counting?
3. What other mathematical skills did the teacher also reinforce in the activity?
4. How does the teacher model counting to the learners?
5. Listen to the questions the teacher asks the learners. Are the questions appropriate? Why or why not.
6. Explain how the teacher developed learners’ number sense.
7. How can you extend the activity to a semi-concrete level?

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 NUMBER RECOGNITION
Number recognition: This is the ability to know and identify number symbols and name them.

Here are a few examples of activities to do with Grade R learners to help them recognise number symbols:
• Number hunt game – Place different numbers around the classroom (this can be theme-based, for example farm
animals with numbers written on them). Ask learners to take a number card in a bag and find the same number in
the classroom. They then get to keep the number card. Increase the number range as the year progresses. Always
keep the term and learners’ developmental level into consideration.
• Draw numbers on the wall. Give learners an animal toy and let them count the legs on the animal. Use different
kinds of animals as well, that have more than 4 legs. They can then show the number of legs on the wall, or use a
bean bag/ball to try and throw the number. The teacher can also replace the animal toy with beans that learners
have to take out of a bag. The amount of beans they draw from the bag, e.g. five, they should find the number
symbol on the wall.
• Trace numbers - Tape numbers on the floor. Give learners a marker (that are easy to wipe off) and let them trace
the number symbol on the floor by using the marker.

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 NUMBER RECOGNITION
• Throwing dice – give each group a die. Let one learner throw the die and count how many dots are on the die.
They then find the number symbol in the classroom. Give each member in the group a chance to throw the die and
find the number. The teacher can extend the difficulty of the lesson, depending on learners’ development by
including 2 dice. Learners then throw both dices and count the total amount of dots and find the number symbol.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BswAV0mTmM&t=120s Here is a video you can also watch that reinforces
number recognition. The activity is for a Grade 1 class, but can be adapted to fit the level of your learners for
Grade R. For example, only going up to number 4 in Term 2. Or let a few learners come to the front and count the
dots on the card by pointing at each one. Learners can also first write the number symbol on their hand or on a
friend’s back before finding the number card. Remember that learners need a lot of kinaesthetic and concrete
experiences before they will be able to complete a similar activity in the video.

Think of two of your own activities you can incorporate in the Grade R classroom to recognise number symbols
(activities should not be listed here or in your CLG). Share these activities with a peer or group. Discuss and
critique each other’s activities on creativity and whether they are appropriate to develop and reinforce number
recognition.

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 EXAMINATION PREPARATION
Here are strategies you can utilise to help you prepare for the examination:
• Create mind-maps to summarise important concepts and ideas.
• Summarise activities and concepts in your own words. This helps you to remember the ideas.
• Use your Assignment Support Guidelines (ASGs) to:
– See how questions are structured.
– Revise concepts in the Curriculum and Learning Guide (CLG) that you are unfamiliar with.
– See how to answer questions.
– Help manage time to complete the assessment.
• Organise study groups with peers.
• Start studying a few weeks before you write. This gives you time to read additional sources on the concept that
you find difficult in the CLG.
• Ask the lecturer for support on concepts that you find difficult to understand.
• Plan your examination day: Refer to your timetable on when you will write, and make arrangements to ensure you
write when you have limited distractions and internet access.

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