Early Math
What STEM subject is often considered the most abstract?
Mathematics
True or False: Time spent learning math takes time away from play and social-emotional learning.
False
What is a learning trajectory?
A path or progression toward successful learning.
What shapes can I child recognize as a visual thinker?
Circles, squares, and triangles.
At what age can children begin to invent counting-on strategies?
Children as young as 4 or 5 can begin to invent counting-on strategies.
True or False: Early childhood math is only rote counting and naming shapes.
False
Name one material children can use to estimate and measure how many steps it takes to reach a location.
Unit blocks, tape, or yarn.
How many main parts are there to a learning trajectory?
Three
What is an example of something a child might say when recognizing the sides of a shape?
"It has four sides."
What do children develop as they learn counting-based arithmetic?
They develop increasingly sophisticated strategies to solve increasingly difficult problems.
Name two areas of mathematics that young children can explore besides counting.
Geometry, spatial reasoning, measurement, patterning, or arithmetic.
Comparing children’s heights can encourage children to do what three things?
Debate, hypothesize, and measure
What is the first part of a learning trajectory?
A goal.
Why might a child identify a shape as a rectangle based on its properties?
Because it has four sides and four right angles, with opposite sides being parallel.
How can teachers use formative assessments to understand a child’s developmental level?
Teachers can give students problems to solve and observe whether they answer correctly and what strategies they use.
What are three mathematical processes children can develop through rich learning experiences?
Problem-solving, reasoning, and communicating mathematic thinking.
What simple ways are board games involved in teaching math skills?
Through counting dots on a die and moving game pieces that many spaces.
What are the three parts of a learning trajectory?
A goal, developmental progression, and instructional activities.
What is an example of a child recognizing a shape based on what it looks like?
“It’s a rectangle because it looks like a door.”
What is the second key question in the developmental progression?
“Where are you now, and what is the next step?”
What can children become when they learn to model problems, explain their reasoning, and find solutions?
Powerful problem solvers.
Why can playful math activities be valuable in an early childhood classroom?
Allow children to practice mathematical thinking while also supporting play, language, social-emotional development, and problem solving.
What is a developmental progression?
The natural, sequential levels or thinking and reason9ng children move through as their understanding develops.
What does a child do when they are a Same Thing Comparer?
They decide whether two pictures or objects are the same or different.
What does a child do at the Find Result +/- level?
They might count out seven objects, count out two more, and then count all of them to get nine.