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Yr1 maths

19 replies

pozzled · 23/09/2013 20:09

I'm curious as to how much maths work you do with your Yr1 child. Do you practise key facts like 2+1=3? Or did your DC come out of reception knowing key facts up to say, 10+10?

So far I've only really focused on reading with my DD, but I'm now trying to look at the maths. I'm quite shocked by how little she knows. I feel as though I now need to find another 5 minutes a day to work on her maths- not to mention teaching her to form letters correctly. Does she just attend a particularly rubbish school? Apparently the reception teacher thought she was exceeding in number even though she can't add 2+2 without using her fingers. Hmm

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simpson · 23/09/2013 20:32

DD has just gone into yr1 and can do sums (or whatever they are called now) to 20.

Ie 17+3 = 20

She is pretty good at using a number line (learnt in reception).

She is better at addition than subtraction. Apparently she is on the top table (according to DD) for numeracy. To me she is pretty much average. She is stronger in literacy.

She got "expected" in her reception report.

The only thing I do with her is her homework when she has it and she plays games on the iPad (numeracy).

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noramum · 23/09/2013 20:38

I think this is perfectly normal. When the school offered their math parent evening the two Year 1 teachers showed us what they do. In the first term it is very much about getting numbers straight, introducing units and tens, identifying groups of larger and smaller, counting in 2s, 5s and 10s and number lines.

In the Spring term they started with basic addition and substraction like 2+2 including the fingers Smile I think you can't do this without getting a concept of numbers in the first place.

By Summer term they did their number bonds up to 10. They also introduced money as a subject and we had lots of homework playing games with coins, dice and counters and guessing games.

Like all subjects some children may be faster than others.

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pozzled · 23/09/2013 20:48

Noramum is that quite a recent experience? The new EYFS expectations are a lot higher- they should be doing pretty much all of what you describe by the end of reception now.

I do understand that children learn at different paces, and DD is very young- August birthday. If the reception teacher had said 'she's a bit behind where she should be, maybe try practising some number bonds with her' that would have been fine. It's the fact that the teacher told me she was exceeding expectations, when I can clearly see that she's behind national expectations. It akes it very hard to have any confidence in the school.

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simpson · 23/09/2013 20:54

The EYFS expectations are higher than a NC level 1 (yr1 levels).

We have just had a yr1 curriculum sheet and it says pretty much what Nora says. DD will also learn how to record simple information on a basic table.

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simpson · 23/09/2013 20:56

Forgot to say in my DC school in order to get "exceeding" in their reception report in anything they had to be at a NC level 2C by the end of the year.

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ClayDavis · 23/09/2013 21:33

children count reliably with numbers from 1 to 20, place them in
order and say which number is one more or one less than a given number.
Using quantities and objects, they add and subtract two single-digit numbers
and count on or back to find the answer. They solve problems, including
doubling, halving and sharing.


The key part is using quantities and objects, I think. Children need to be able to add and subtract and have a basic understanding of what is going on, but there is no expectation that they should know number bonds by the end of Reception. That is more often taught in year 1.

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noramum · 23/09/2013 21:36

DD is now in Y2. I don't know her NC level at the end of Year1 but in Spring term she was 1A.

I would have been surprised if most Reception children would be able to understand the concept of adding/substraction so early. Yes, they are always some but I think without teaching a concept of numbers first there is no point.

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Ferguson · 23/09/2013 21:37

Hi -

I'm a bit surprised to see you asking this, as from 'posts' of yours I have seen I thought you were pretty well 'genned up' on things. I will copy a post I often use re numeracy, and I apologize if you have seen it before:

QUOTE:

Practical things are best for grasping number concepts - bricks, Lego, beads, counters, money, shapes, weights, measuring, cooking.

Do adding, taking away, multiplication (repeated addition), division (sharing), using REAL OBJECTS as just 'numbers' can be too abstract for some children.

Number Bonds of Ten forms the basis of much maths work, so try to learn them. Using Lego or something similar, use a LOT of bricks (of just TWO colours, if you have enough) lay them out so the pattern can be seen of one colour INCREASING while the other colour DECREASES. Lay them down, or build up like steps.

So:

ten of one colour none of other
nine of one colour one of other
eight of one colour two of other
seven of one colour three of other

etc, etc

then of course, the sides are equal at 5 and 5; after which the colours 'swap over' as to increasing/decreasing.

To learn TABLES, do them in groups that have a relationship, thus:

x2, x4, x8

x3, x6, x12

5 and 10 are easy

7 and 9 are rather harder.

Starting with TWO times TABLE, I always say: "Imagine the class is lining up in pairs; each child will have a partner, if there is an EVEN number in the class. If one child is left without a partner, then the number is ODD, because an odd one is left out."

Use Lego bricks again, lay them out in a column of 2 wide to learn 2x table. Go half way down the column, and move half the bricks up, so that now the column is 4 bricks wide. That gives the start of 4x table.

Then do similar things with 3x and 6x.

With 5x, try and count in 'fives', and notice the relationship with 'ten' - they will alternate, ending in 5 then 10.

It is important to try and UNDERSTAND the relationships between numbers, and not just learn them 'by rote'.

I am sorry it seems complicated trying to explain these concepts, but using Lego or counters should make understanding easier.

An inexpensive solar powered calculator (no battery to run out!) can help learn tables by 'repeated addition'. So: enter 2+2 and press = to give 4. KEEP PRESSING = and it should add on 2 each time, giving 2 times table.

There are good web sites, which can be fun to use :

//www.ictgames.com/

//www.resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/maths/index.html

UNQUOTE

If it's not relevant or you have already seen it, just ignore it!

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Cat98 · 23/09/2013 21:43

My ds is in year 1. He's apparently in quite an able class this year.
The work they have been doing as a class so far that I am aware of include counting in 2s, 5s and 10s, consolidating number bonds to 10 (they did these in reception), place value, telling the time, number recognition into the 100s.

I know they use resources such as numicon a lot.

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simpson · 23/09/2013 21:49

Y1 curriculum for numeracy...

  • counting in ones from a given number
  • to read, write and count to at least 10 and beyond
  • to recall addition doubles up to 5+5
  • to recall addition/subtraction facts up to 5
  • to recall pairs of numbers which total 10
  • to order numbers up to 10
  • to understand the concept of addition/subtraction
  • to solve simple Mathmatical problems involving money, length & time
  • to describe features in 2D and 3D shapes
  • to know the days of the week/months of the year
  • to estimate and measure length using units of measure
  • to understand time (o clock and half past)
  • to sort information, shapes/objects and display results using tables/pictures


This is all stuff that will be covered this term.
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noramum · 23/09/2013 21:55

Right, I forgot about measuring and time/weeks/months. I put them more towards the Science part of the curriculum.

//www.ictgames.com is used in our school as well.

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ClayDavis · 23/09/2013 22:05

Thinking about it, without knowing exactly what the OP's child can do it's difficult to say whether the school got it wrong with a judgement of exceeding.

I'm not sure how clear the guidance was for exceeding, but it's conceivable that a child could read, write and order numbers to 50, say the number that's 1 more/less than a number to 50, add and subtract by using their fingers to count on and use these skills in practical situations but still not know all the number bonds up to 10. I'd be quite happy to give that as exceeding in number based on the ELG.

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Periwinkle007 · 23/09/2013 22:11

we don't do any maths at home, just started giving pocket money so do use it in that sense but I don't practice anything else with her

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ClayDavis · 23/09/2013 22:23

I tend to count stuff (steps etc), talk about numbers in the environment, more or less and measurement and time but that's about it. Other than that I'd take the child's lead. My younger neice isn't interested in maths at all, the elder one shares my love for numbers and maths so is always begging my to 'play maths' with her so I've done quite a lot.

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Llareggub · 23/09/2013 22:29

We play a lot of monopoly and uno!

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simpson · 23/09/2013 22:31

A great board game is shut the box. I had to be a bit cunning and buy it for DS (8) for Xmas, but really it was for DD. if I had bought it for her she would have had zero interest, but because its her brothers (and supposedly forbidden - I briefed him beforehand) she loved it!

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pozzled · 23/09/2013 22:46

Thanks all. Some good suggestions above.

Simpson, I have seen you say in the past about exceeding being given only for a L2 at your school. I think your school is probably unusually strict, but DD's school seems unusually complacent.

DD can read, write and order numbers to 10 (but with some reversal) read numbers to at least 20.
Give one more than numbers to 10.
She adds single digits to 10 but only by counting both quantities, and is not very quick or reliable when doing so.

That all sounds very negative. I know she isn't doing too badly for her age. It's just that I was expecting her to be more confident, and I'm now feeling guilty for not supporting her more up to now.

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simpson · 23/09/2013 22:58

The school I volunteer in (reception - not my DC school) give exceeding for a 1A NC wise in the same borough.

Sounds like your DD is doing fine especially for an Aug born (I have one too although he is in yr4 now).

If you have a tablet/iPad I would recommend squeebles as my DD loves it (and hates numeracy - we have just had a battle this eve with her homework!)

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simpson · 23/09/2013 23:00

Forgot to say DD still writes 2s and sometimes 4s and 7s backwards too.

If she is writing a number over 20 she might write it the wrong way round ie 12 instead of 21.

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