MeganW Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 One of 6.5 year olds has a problem. She can recite her numbers. She can easily count items past 20. She can recite the numbers backwards. I cannot get her to understand "the number before". "What comes before 5?" "Um, um, 14? 2? 0?" I've tried showing her with manipulatives, I've had her count down, I've shown her on a number line. We have clearly missed something vital somewhere along the line, and I don't know how to get this click! Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByGrace3 Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 Do you have a 100 number chart? That is how we taught that (put a penny on the number before 4, after 6, etc). After the chart, we moved to numbers written on notecards to be put in order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 Also, try different words. Instead of asking what number is 'before' or 'after' ask what number is 'one more than' and 'one less than'. It is an important distinction for mathematical thinking. Numbers are symbols for quantities. 9 isn't next to or after 8. 9 is one more than 8. 7 isn't next to or before 8. 7 is one less than 8. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
go_go_gadget Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 Does she write numbers from dictation correctly, and can she represent their quantities? As in, if you said "Write a '2' and then set out two tokens", she could do both of those? I'm just wondering if it might be a mapping issue, i.e. she's not relating the names of the numbers to their graphic representations (numerals), and/or perhaps their quantities as well. When my daughter was younger, she could count to 20, for instance, but she might as well have been reciting a poem because the relationship between the words and the concept hadn't solidified yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeganW Posted December 8, 2011 Author Share Posted December 8, 2011 OK, I have put a number chart that goes from 0 to 109 on the wall, as well as under her placemat (easier for her to track with a finger). I found some "fairy and friends" flashcards that have two cards per number (one with the numeral and word, one with the number of objects), and I have been having her work to put those in order several times a day. It's amazing how much excitement erupts over anything with fairies! I hadn't even thought about my wording, but have changed that. Hopefully that is less confusing! I quizzed her with the dictation. She can do write the number I say, and put the correct number of items. (The 2 and the 3 are consistently being written backward, but that is consistent with the handwriting issues we have with letters - she is going back into occupational therapy as soon as a space opens up.) I have been having her do a lot of dot-to-dot pictures (she's my artsy kid, so she loves that). Hopefully we will get through this soon!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daybreaking Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 One thing that helped my ds when he was a wee one was to play "count down." 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, ... BLAST OFF! Simple, but effective. Also, R&S sells flash cards that include practice with before and after numbers, if you want additional reinforcement. Here's the link: http://www.rodandstaffbooks.com/item/1-13141/?list=Mathematics_for_Christian_Living_Series Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeganW Posted December 9, 2011 Author Share Posted December 9, 2011 THANKS!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 I'd also say try changing your wording. "One fewer" or "less than" will be more mathematically helpful, but I'll also say "one smaller" and that really clicks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.