Overview of learning 4

Example of mathematics planning and resourcing 4

What we want children to learn (Development matters)

Objectives in bold refer to Early Learning Goals.

Mathematics objectives

Know that numbers identify how many objects are in a set

Using and applying mathematics

Match sets of objects to numerals that represent the number of objects

Related Early Learning Goals

Be confident to try new activities, initiate ideas and speak in a familiar group (PSED)
Attempt writing for different purposes, using features of different forms such as lists, stories and instructions (CLL)
Use their imagination in art and design, music, dance, imaginative and role play stories (CD)

Possible contexts

Establish role-play that has a focus on number, for example a shoe shop or grocer's shop.
When tidying up resources make sure that, for example, jigsaw puzzles go in the right box and hats go in the dressing-up box.
Provide clipboards and notepads next to construction and building equipment or in the outdoor area.
Provide materials for children to make number books, for example favourite numbers or telephone numbers.
Provide resources to support number rhymes and songs.
Use signs around the setting to show purposeful contexts, for example a sign for the number of aprons or a large number track.
Use stories such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Goldilocks and the three bears to set problems.
Engage in cookery activities, for example following a recipe.

Example of adult-led activity

Context: Using construction equipment

Model using plans for building constructions. Make some plans using photographs of models during different stages. List what is needed using numbers next to sets of objects.

Suggest to the children that they could make some for others to copy. Help them gather the materials they will need to make their plan: construction toys, a digital camera, paper and pencils and number cards. The children could work with a friend or in small groups.

Discuss with the children the need to make a simple model that they will be able to take apart and make again so that they can record the different stages of building, for example a vehicle or a bug.

Support them in recording each stage of their model making through drawings or photographs. The children can arrange these in sequence and add a list of what was needed using numbers next to sets of objects.

Encourage the children to have a go at making models from each other's plans.

Question the children about what helped them to read the plans. For example: has your bug got the same number of eyes as the plan? How did you know how many to add?

Adult role

Model counting and matching numerals, for example by finding a numeral card to show how many children are at an activity and putting it on a number line.
Scaffold children's learning in role-play activities to support and extend their language and thinking, for example encouraging them to make marks to signify how many in a set.
Discuss numbers of objects in real-life contexts, for example numbers of chairs at a table or how many children in a group.
Support children's recognition of numerals in cooking activities, for example following a recipe.
Create opportunities for children to be involved in making displays, for example their own pictograms of lunch choices.

Opportunities for children to explore and apply

Put numbers on some resources for children to count and check when they tidy up, for example 9 pieces of jigsaw in a box; 12 balls in a tub; 20 farm animals in a tin; 30 beads in a basket.
Find real-world containers to add to role-play that have numbers on them indicating how many are inside, for example egg boxes with 6 and 12 eggs, 4 yoghurts, 6 rolls.
In water and sand play, use containers with measurements on the side. Use containers that double in size and number them with 1, 2, 4, etc. Ask the children how many of one will fit in another. Do the numbers help?
Use programmable toys and model giving instructions to one another to find some treasure. Use cards to support following the instructions, for example a forwards arrow displaying the number of times it is to move.
For role-play use catalogues that show items in sets with numbers on the packets, for example 2 pairs of socks or 6 plates. Encourage children to relate to their experiences and support their mathematical language as they search through the pages. For example: are there cups sold in packs of 6 that would go with the plates?
Provide transport tickets for role-play, showing numbers for cost, for example 5p. Encourage children to provide the correct number of pennies for each ticket.
Provide plenty of number cards and lines inside and outside in the learning environment so they can be modelled and used spontaneously. For example: can you hop this many times (hold up a number card)?

Adult role

Provide resources for children to make marks when playing mathematics games. Use chalkboards and clipboards in the outdoor area, for example labelling groups of objects in the role-play shop or making marks to show how many times the ball landed in the bucket.
Encourage groups of children to set their own problems using an outdoor washing line and ranges of resources. For example: where is the numeral to describe how many children have curly hair? How many have glasses?
Scaffold children's learning in role-play activities to support and extend their language and thinking, for example encouraging them to make marks to signify how many in a set.
Support children's recognition of numerals in cooking activities, for example allowing children to follow a recipe independently.
Remind children how many things they need to collect from home for an activity. For example: ask them to bring in five recycled materials for model making.

Look, listen and note

How do children count from a larger group? Do they say one number name for each person before going into the hall for PE or when they find three others to be in their group of four?
Observe when and how children use number names in familiar contexts. For example: Daniel and Esther each collected a large pile of stones. Daniel said, 'I think I've got 30.' Esther replied, 'No you haven't. I've got more than you and I've counted mine and I've got 27.' They counted Daniel's pile and laughed when they realised that many of his stones were smaller and he had 42.
Are children beginning to represent numbers using fingers, marks on paper or pictures?

Assessment opportunities

Observe children playing with number lines, counting objects in collections and recording numerals.
Ask questions such as: what should we try next? How shall we do it?
Observe children in role-play, for example in the café or as they label resources for the setting or for the shop.
Check which numbers each child can consistently recognise and match correctly to a set of objects.