It is perfect for challenging your firsties to really take a solid grasp of that concept in addition.
How to teach addition (counting on) in math
- sit down with one of your students and assess their strategies for addition
- show them 6 counters
- hide them under a piece of paper
- give them another 3
- hide them under another piece of paper
- ask them to tell you the total
- Ask them to tell you how they know this total.
- How did they count? Did they start form 1 or from 6? Did they use their fingers to assist?
This simple task will tell you valuable information.
- some may say 6, 7, 8, 9) to find the total - they are counting on
- if they use their fingers to count or start from 1, they are still using emergent addition strategies
This little game will help move them progress and strengthen their 'counting-on' strategy. Once printed, you cut the cards and then have students match the pieces. They need to find the missing addend that will make the total in the yellow circle on each car - using the counting on strategy. The visual support of the dot pattern arrangement will hopefully encourage them to start thinking of something other than their fingers to count - and start visualising!
