What Is Numeracy?
Numeracy is a skill, which involves confidence and competence with numbers and measures. It requires an understanding of the number system, a bank of computational skills and an ability to solve a variety of problems by using an assortment of ways. By the end of primary school, pupils should have mastered a diversity of skills and concepts.
They should:-
•have a sense of the size of a number and where it fits into the number system.
•know by heart number facts such as bonds, tables, doubles and halves.
•use what they know by heart to figure out answers mentally
•calculate accurately/efficiently, both mentally and with a pencil and paper, using a range of strategies.
•recognise when it is appropriate to use a calculator and how to use it.
•make sense of number problems and know what operations are needed to solve them.
•explain methods and reasoning using correct mathematical vocabulary.
•judge whether their answers are reasonable and have checking strategies.
•suggest suitable measuring units and make sensible estimates of measures.
•explain and make predictions from the numbers in graphs, diagrams charts and tables.
To ensure that there is adequate time for developing Numeracy skills, each class teacher is expected to provide a recommended minimum time for mathematics, which should be on average about 45 minutes per day in Key Stage 1 and 50 to 60 minutes in Key Stage 2.
A typical lesson will be structured like this:
•Oral work and/or mental calculation: (5-10 minutes) whole class work to rehearse, sharpen and develop mental and oral skills.
•The main teaching activity: (about 30-40 minutes) teaching input and pupil activities.
Work as a whole class, in groups, in pairs or as individuals.
•A Plenary:to round off the lesson (about 10-15 minutes) work with the whole class to
sort out misconceptions and identify progress, to summarise key facts and ideas and what
to remember, to make links to other work and discuss the next steps, and to set work to
do at home.
At ICS we aim to share with the children, the joy and fun of learning; the understanding of mathematics and consequently increase their mathematical confidence and proficiency by using it as a powerful tool. In doing so your child will be: -
• able to recall basic facts and have the ability to use them in a variety of contexts.
• able to think clearly and logically and to develop reasoning and communication skills.
• fostering positive attitudes towards mathematics by developing pupil confidence,
independence, perseverance and co-operational skills.
• confident and proficient with numbers and measures, and have an ability to solve problems in
a variety of contexts.
Opportunities will be used to draw mathematical experiences out of a range of activities in other subjects and to provide opportunities to apply and use maths in real life, problem-solving situations. Maths will also contribute to other subjects in practical ways e.g. science – graphing/recording results from investigations; art – technical drawings and tessellating shapes; history – sequencing timelines; DT –
calculating materials for projects; PE – timing events/measuring distances. The list is endless.
By the end of Year 2 the average child should have achieved Level 2b and by the end of Year 6 Level 4b.
An easy way to boost your child’s skills and motivation is by showing them how useful number skills are in almost everything we do. Children can have fun: -
• measuring height and working out how much they’ve grown
• on car journeys – playing number plate games; adding/subtracting with road signs; thinking about speed by dividing distance by time.
• at the shops – weighing fruit/vegetables; budgeting with pocket money; comparing prices/weights.
• in the kitchen – with weighing and measuring; temperature and timings.
Make a game out of putting little problems to your child and letting them reason things through, prompting as little as you can. Praise your child for trying, even if they get stuck or get things wrong.
You can take advantage of the overlap between learning and enjoyment in almost any setting. New
experiences and discoveries are always stimulating, and they don’t have to be expensive or elaborate.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/parents/work/primary/numeracy_and_science/index.shtml
This is a good website to visit and gives links to other valuable pages and sites.
We will be covering the different operations and new strategies that are used to teach children in subsequent newsletters.