Children in the kindergarten and the primary grades work with the variety of materials to develop concepts, understanding and skills in mathematics, kindergarten youngsters often come to school knowing something about counting and numbers, but they must acquire math readiness skills before they will be able to work with numbers in meaningful ways.
In the kindergarten classroom, youngsters learn to sort by simple objects such as buttons and comparing how objects are alike and different. They compare groups of objects to determine which group has less or more objects than another. They learn the concept of one-to -one correspondence by discovering that three oranges have the same numbers with that of three apples. They learn the concept of conservation by recognizing that three boxes are three boxes no matter how they are spread out or pulled together. Kindergarten children learn how to count using cardinal (1,2,3) and ordinal (first, second, third) numbers. Simple geometry, measurement, money, time and spatial relationships also have a place in the readiness curriculum. Students receive extensive practice using manipulative materials to solve math problems presented as stories that are based on real experiences.
Students in the primary grade are not yet abstract thinkers. They continue to use concrete objects as they learn the basic facts and techniques of computation with whole numbers. Frequent work with number lines and hands on experiences to determine and understand place values are important activities for them. From the beginning, youngsters are also taught to estimate before making calculations as a way of judging the reasonableness of an answer. Primary students enjoy measuring length, volume, weight, time and temperature using an assortment of measuring tools and expressing answers in both standard and metric units. They learn to identify common geometric shapes, to create and interpret simple pictorial, bar and line graphs and to predict outcomes and carry out simple activities involving probability. They conduct simple surveys and experiments and begin to learn how to organize and interpret statistical data. Seeing and understanding mathematical relationships and patterns is another important skill that may be introduced to them in the early grades. Helping students acquire skill in solving problems in an outgoing activity and is usually based on situation appropriate to the students’ level of understanding and experience. Students are given opportunities to try solutions using a variety of problem solving strategies.
By the end of the third grade most youngsters will possess confidence at their ability to compute and to solve math problems in school and in their everyday lives. Many respond to the fascination of math and it becomes their favorite subject. A few will have difficulties with mathematics’ abstract, concepts and more complicated methods. These students may need special coaching at home as well as in school.
By: Mrs. Roxanne R. Aguilar | Teacher II | Pagalanggang National High School | Dinalupihan, Bataan
