Teaching Pre-number

1.0 Introduction

When we think of mathematics, the first thing we thought of is numbers, since the

manipulation of numbers and application of mathematics is what mathematics is all

about. However, there are some concepts a child needs to know before numbers are

learnt. The following is a list of some pre-number skills that can be taught formally as

“pre-school”, informally throughout the day, or both!

Pre-number skills:

• Identifying colour, size and shape

• Sorting things according to colour, kind, size, shape

• Comparing objects

• Ordering object from smallest to largest

• Identifying which is the right hand.

• Problem solving on 5 to 10 pieces jigsaw puzzles

The purpose of teaching those pre- numbers skill is to develop skills in classification,

comparisons and quantitative relations. Below are two teaching and learning activities

on pre-number skills.

2.0 Acitvity 1 : Classifying things by their properties

2.1 Learning Outcomes

By the end of this activity, the pupils will be able to

• Classify thing by their general property.

• Classify thing by their specific property.

2.2 Materials

2.2.1 Set of toys (animals)

Children are asking to work in group of three. Teacher distributes 3

types of toys (giraffe, fish and eagle) to each group. Children are

asking to classify objects by their general property. For example:

“Which of the animals can run?”, “Which of the animals that can

swim?”, “Which of the animals that can fly?”.

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Picture 1

2.2.2 Set of toys (animals)

Teacher distributes different types of animals to every child.

Those animals are like: hippopotamus, butterfly, bear, horse,

star fish, rhinoceros, giraffe, eagle, deer, sea horse, fish, cow,

shark, goat, turtle, elephant and bee. Children are asking to

group the animals according to their group like: animals that

can fly, animals that can run and animals that can swim.

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Picture 2

Teacher prepares 3 boxes for children to group these animals.

After children have group these animals, teacher take out the animals

from the box “Animals that can fly” and discuss with them. Teacher

repeats this activity by taking out the animals from another box.

2.2.3 Toys

a) Teacher shows a toy giraffe and a toy horse to the

children and asking the children to compare which

animal is tall and which short.

Picture 3

Animal that can fly

Animal that can run

Animal that can swim

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b) Teacher shows 2 toys bear and asking the children

which is big and which is small.

Picture 4

c) Teacher shows 2 bags and asking the children to

compare which is big and which is small.

Picture 5

c) Teacher shows 2 pencils and asking the children to

compare which is long and which is short.

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Picture 6

d) Teacher shows a ruler and a brush and asks the children

to compare which is long and which is short.

Picture 7

2.2.4 Set of pattern blocks

a) Teacher shows 2 pattern block and asking the children

to compare. (picture 8)

A B

Teacher helps the children to compare by asking question.

Example: “Is block A same as block B?”, “Is block A and

block B has the same colour?”

b) Teacher shows 2 different pattern blocks but in the

same colour.

A B

Picture 9

Children have to state the similarity and the different of these

two blocks. Teacher wills guilds by asking questions.

c) Teacher shows 2 blocks with different colour.

A B

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Picture 10

Children have to state the similarity and the different of these

two blocks

2.2.5 Set of pattern blocks

• Teacher distributes a set of pattern blocks with different

shape (star, crescent, heart, hexagon, oval) and colour

(red, yellow, blue, green and purple) to each group.

• Children have to classify these objects by their shape.

Children choose the shape that is similar but different

colour and put inside the container that already being

prepared.

• After children have made the classifying according to

the shape. Teacher guides the children to classify these

shapes according to their colour. For example, inside

the “star container” are six different colour stars like:

red star, blue star, yellow star, green star and 2 purple

stars. The children have to classify these stars again

according to their colour.

• At this stage, children will recognize that shape is the

first property to consider, followed by the colour as the

second property. Children should be encouraged to find

as many properties as they can in classifying objects.

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Picture 11

2.3 Procedures Activity 1

1. Listen and answer

Teacher has friendly talk with the pupils about animals they have seen. Teacher: “Children, have you seen animals before?” “How do these animals move?” Pupils answer teacher’s questions orally. Examples: “Tiger can run.”,”Bird can fly.”

SSSSStar

YRed

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Star Crescent Oval Hexagon Heart

2. Classify object by their general property.

Teacher asks children to work in group of three and distributes 3 types of toys (giraffe, fish and eagle) to each group (see picture 1). Children are asked to classify objects by their general property. “Children, look at the toys, which of these animals can run?” Children should respond “the giraffe can run.” “Which of these animals can swim?” “Which of these animals can fly?” Children respond.

3. Group the animals

Teacher shows different types of animals to the children. Those animals are like: hippopotamus, butterfly, bear, horse, star fish, rhinoceros, giraffe, eagle, deer, sea horse, fish, cow, shark, goat, turtle, elephant and bee (see picture 2). Teacher distributes one animal to each child. Children are asked to group the animals by putting them into boxes that had been prepared. Children have to group the animals according to that can fly, that can swim and that can run. After the pupils have group these animals, teacher take out the animals from the box “Animals that can fly” and discuss. Teacher: “Children, what is inside this box?” “Can these animals fly?” Teacher repeats this activity by taking the animals from another box. Children respond to teacher.

4. Comparisons

Teacher shows a toy giraffe and a toy horse (see picture 3) to the children and asks the children to compare. “Children, here is a toy giraffe and a toy horse”, “Which one is tall?” Children respond “giraffe”, “Which one is short?” “The horse is short.”, Children respond to teacher.

Teacher shows two toys bear (see picture 4) and asks the pupils to compare. “Children, here are two toy bears. Please tell me which one is big and which one is small.” “Teacher, the mother bear is big.” Children respond. Teacher shows the small toy bears and asks “is this big?” “No, it is small.” Children respond.

Teacher shows 2 bags (see picture 5) and asks children to compare. “Which bag is big?” “The school bag, teacher.” “Well done!” “Ali can you tell me which bag is small?” Ali responds.

Teacher shows 2 pencils (see picture 6) and asks the children to compare which is long and which is short. “Which pencil is long?” “Which pencil is short?” Children should respond the black colour pencil is long and the red colour pencil is short.

Teacher shows a ruler and a brush (see picture 7) and asks the children to compare. Teacher guides the children to compare by asking question. “The ruler is long or short?”, ”The brush is long or short?” Children respond to teacher’s question.

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5. Comparisons and classification.

Teacher shows 2 pattern blocks (see picture 8) and asks the children to compare. “Is block A same as block B?” “Yes.” Children respond. “Is block A and block B has the same colour?” ,“Yes, both are purple”

Teacher shows 2 different pattern blocks but in the same colour (see picture 9). Children have to state the similarity and the different of these two blocks. Teacher asking questions to guilds children to find the similarity and the different. “Is block A same as block B?” “No.” children respond. “What is the different between block A and B? “There are different shapes, one is heart shape and another one is oval shape.” Children respond. “Are these two blocks same in colour?” “Yes, there are the same colours.” Children respond. Teacher: “So, we can say that these two blocks are same in colour but different in shape.”

Teacher shows 2 triangular blocks with different colour (see picture 10). “Children, what is the different between these two blocks?” “Colour.” Respond children. “Are there in the same shape?” “Yes, both are same in shape.” Teacher concludes: “So, these two blocks are same in shape but different in colour.”

6. Comparisons and classification

Teacher distributes a set of pattern blocks with different colour and shape to each group (see picture 11). Children have to classify these objects by their shape. Teacher: “Children, classify these objects according to their shapes.” Children group the shape that is similar but different in colour. “Children, put the similar shapes into the container.”

Children put the shapes into a container that has prepared. Finally, guides the children to classify these shapes according to their colours. Teacher “Children, you can see 5 different colour stars inside the ‘star container. ““Can you group these stars according to their colour.” Children respond.

3.0 Activity 2: Finding the relation between two set of objects

3.1 Learning outcomes By the end of this activity, the children will be able to

• Match item in on one to one matching to one basis• Understand the concept of as many as, more than and less than

3.2 Materials3.2.1 lollipop

Teacher shows 4 lollipops to the children and asks 4 children come out in front of the class. Teacher matches 1 lollipop to 1 child and explains one to one matching.

3.2.2 A few pairs of card

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a) Children are presented with two sets consist of the same number of objects. Teacher demonstrates how to introduced “as many as” relation using one to one matching as followed:

card A card BPicture 12

Teacher asking the children “do there have more hat than head?”, “Are there have more head than hat?”, “Are there as many hats as heads?”.

b) Teacher shows another set of cards and asking the children a few questions to guides the children say out the words “ as many as”, and teacher want the children to state the reason why they said like that.

Cards A Cards B

Picture 13

3.2.3 Picture cards

a) Teacher shows another one pair cards to children and asking children a few question. “Are they as many rabbits as cages”, “If not, why?”

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Teacher guides the children to build the concept of “more” and “less” by asking question like this: “Are they more rabbits than the cage?”, “Are they less cage than the rabbit?”

Card A Card B

Picture 14b) Teacher shows a pair of picture cards to children. Teacher guides

the children to compare the number of object among the two set, and introduce the concept of more than and less than.

Card C Card DPicture 15

c) Teacher shows another pair of pictures to children and guides them to use the word “more than” and “less than”t

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Picture 16

3.2.4 Group activityChildren are group in five. Every group is given a set of toy car to compare. The children have to use the word more than and less than.

Picture 17

3.3 Procedures Activity 2

1. Matching

Teacher shows four lollipops to the pupils. ”Children, I have 4 lollipops.”. “Now, I want four volunteers come in front of the class.” Teacher asks four pupils to come out in front of the class. Teacher matches 1 lollipop to one pupil. Teacher: “There are four pupils each one takes one lollipop, do they have enough lollipops? “Yes.” Respond children. Teacher explains one to one matching.

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2. Comparisons and quantitative

Teacher presents two cards A and B (see picture 12) to the children. These cards consist of same number of objects.

Teacher introduced ‘as many as’ relation using one to one matching. Teacher: “Do there have more hat than head?” “Are there as many hats as heads?” “Yes” Respond pupils.

Teacher shows another set of cards (see picture 13) and asking the children a few questions to guides the children say out the words “as many as”. Teacher: “Why do you say the suns as many as moons in the card”. Pupils are expected to state the reason why they say ’as many as’.

3. Comparisons and quantitative.

Teacher shows another pair of cards (see picture 14). Teacher asks few questions to the pupils. Teacher: “Are there as many rabbits as cage?”, “No” respond children. Teacher: “If not, why?” Teacher guides the children to build the concept of “more” and “less” by asking question like this: “Are there more rabbits than the cage?” “Are there less cage than the rabbit?” Children respond. Children are expected to understand the concept of ‘more’ and ‘less’

4.. Compare

Teacher shows a pair of picture cards (see picture 15). Teacher guides the children to compare. “Are there more butterflies than the tree?” “Are butterflies more than tree?” “Are tree is less than butterflies?”. Children respond. Teacher introduces the concept of more than and less than. Teacher repeats this activity by showing another card (see picture 16).

5. Group activity.

Pupils are grouped in five. Teacher gives a set of toy car(see picture 16) to each group. Children have to use the word more than and less than when compare the toys. “Children, compare the buses and the cars, which group has more?”, ”Which group has less?” Children respond “The cars are more than the buses.” Teacher: “Children, now I want you to compare the vans and the buses, which is more?”. Children respond: “The vans are more than the buses. Teacher,” Children, now compare the cars and the vans, which group of vehicles has more? Which group has less?” Children are expected to do the comparison.

6. Assessment

Teacher distributes 2 worksheets to pupils and asks pupils to complete it. Teacher: “Children, now I distribute the worksheets to you, I want all of you to complete it now.” Teacher goes around the class to assess pupils’ ability to do comparisons.

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4.0 ClosureWhen we teach the children pre-number concepts, it is important that they learn a concept properly right from the start, as it can be difficult to unlearn and relearn what has been learnt incorrectly.

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Appendix 1

Appendix 2

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REFERENCE

Ibrahim Tahir et .al (2003). Mathematics Year 1, Ministry of Education. SNP (M) Sdn Bhd.

Mok Soon Sang (2003). A Primary Education Course in Mathematics for Post Graduate Diploma (K.P.L.I). Subang Jaya: Kumpulan Budiman Sdn.Bhd

Pusat Perkembangan Kurikulum(2002). Mathematics Curriculum Specifications Year 1. Kuala Lumpur: Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia.

http://www.polyxo.com/programs/toc-academic.html

http://www.eduplace.com/math/mathcentral/gradeK/koca2.html

http://www.firstschoolyears.com

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