Addition & Subtraction: Meanings & Basic Facts

[tk...@nhart.org]

Please comment on the following topics: conceptual understanding, using known to find unknown, importance of 10, dos and don'ts.

[Adrianne Greer]

Conceptual understanding: Dr. Copley talked a lot about the importance of conceptual understanding. Showing students how the the operations are inverse relationships and that what they're doing (not simply memorizing) is important. This took such a shift for me in my teaching mostly at the start of envisions. As a student, the focus for me was always to memorize. Memorize facts and algorithms. I have learned more as a teacher of envision mathematics that has helped me as an ADULT! 

She talked a lot about emphasizing the connections between the operations and using the manipulatives to do so. Seeing these primary videos makes me want to print out more 10 frames and acquire the little snap cubes. So many students could benefit from seeing those again. Especially when we have our lessons on associative and commutative property. It was neat to watch her show those concepts using the snap cubes.

Using Known to find Unknown: I really liked the way Dr. Copley used the manipulatives to show how to find the unknown. And the little bar diagram flashcard. So simple to make, but so helpful for this understanding of a missing part! Third graders often still struggle with quick recall of their basic math facts, and I feel like it would be so beneficial to replace all their addition and subtraction flashcards with ones that looked like the bar diagram flashcard she used! I wonder how we would do that for multiplication and division, though. 

I also loved when she did the demonstration of 9+6=15 using the ten frame and moving one from the 6 card to fill the last card of the 10 frame that had nine on it. It showed the importance of 10 and how students might have that quick recall of seeing 10 and adding the rest to it. But again- something that is helping their number sense with manipulatives first, then moving to more abstract.

Do's and Dont's: In the follow up conversation, Dr. Copley was talking about how not to try to do it all in one day, one week etc. That's the biggest struggle I find with teaching envisions within the confines of the classroom. That I wish I had more time to work with games and centers in small groups with students. I know it's a planning tweak. But with the third grade curriculum as rigorous as it is, especially in math, it's really tricky to find the time to do more of a guided math approach. It is my passion, and when I can fit it in, I feel like I'm following her tips more closely and am able to emphasize the connections these kids need in mathematics.

(*Fingers crossed that I get the AIS math position I'm going for :) )