Unit 2

Chapter 4

MTH 11EF
Learning outcomes

 Explain how counting

builds a concept of
numbers

 Analyse the different ways

the Foundation Phase
learners count

 Prepare the classroom for

experiences in counting
 Introduction (p. 89)
 Understanding of numbers is a foundational building block for all
content areas in mathematics
 Learners who find mathematics difficult often do not have well
developed number sense
 Activities and experiences are usually informal and play-based
 Beginning processes of early thinking skills enable young learners
to describe and communicate their ideas about their world

 Beginning processes: Describing attributes, matching, comparing,

Ordering, sorting, patterning

(Early Mathematical Explorations – Yelland, Diesmann &Butler 2014)

 Describing attributes
 Attribute – particular characteristic or feature – helps identify a
person, animal, place or object. Example Goldilocks and three
bears, - size is an important attribute – Father bear – LARGE,
Mother bear MIDDLE-SIZED, baby bear SMALL
 Encourage children to use their sense when describing attributes.

(Early Mathematical Explorations – Yelland, Diesmann &Butler 2014)

 Matching
 Involves identifying objects that have a common attribute
 Example Goldilocks – large bed, large bear, small bed, small bear
 Pictures are matched in card games such as Snap, Fish and memory
 An object can be matched to a picture or an outline of and object

(Early Mathematical Explorations – Yelland, Diesmann & Butler 2014)

 Comparing
• Involves two items – process of determining
whether items have more or less of a particular
attribute.
• Goldilocks was heavier than baby bear – when she
sat on his chair she broke it.
• My tower is taller than your tower
(Early Mathematical Explorations – Yelland, Diesmann & Butler 2014)
Counting as the origin of a number sense

Counting starting point of developing number sense

Two distinct kinds of counting:
• Verbal counting – reciting counting sequence in order from memory
• Object counting – process of matching a number in an ordered sequence – every
element of a set – find out “how many” there are.
Counting – important mathematical skill in
Foundation Phase for problem solving
 Meaningful counting activities help learners
developing 2 separate skills
1. Fluency with the counting of words and their
sequence
2. The ability to connect this sequence in a one-to-one
correspondence to the objects being counted
Counting is used as strategy for finding answers to
early addition, subtraction, multiplication and
division
Important for learners to develop fluency in:
• counting strategies,
• counting forward and backwards from different starting points,
• counting in multiples,
• knowing how numbers are made up of other numbers
• Being able to break down numbers into different groups
• Compensation
• Estimation

These skills will enable learners to develop fluency in doing

calculations
 Three kinds of knowledge and counting
Physical Manipulating counting objects – use of senses
Knowledge ( feeling ,touching while counting) body (e.g. jumping or
clapping while counting

Social Learning number names and counting sequences through

practice and repetition (counting rhymes, songs and games)
knowledge Learning to recognise and write number symbols and words
through social interaction

Conceptual Knowledge of counting principles and strategies

(understanding concepts such as counting on, counting back)
knowledge gained from physical and social interaction with the
environment
 Early number sense development
and counting
 The ability to count develops over course of several
years
 Children follow natural developmental progression in
learning to count
 Counting fluently at about 8 years
 Age is not clear indication of actual competencies of
children – previous experiences and exposure to
counting activities greatly influence a child’s
development
 Object counting
Matching a number in an
ordered sequence with
element of a set – counters,
fingers
Aim finding out “how
many”
Last number assigned –
cardinal number of set
Object-counting schemes
include 4 components
Verbal counting
 Reciting counting sequence in
order from memory
 Learn number names by copying
adults and older learners
 Children 2-3 try and count using
verbal names
 Offer frequent and repeated
opportunities on a daily basis –
rhymes, songs, actions and games
 Age 3 count verbally up to 10
 Need to memorise how number
follow each other
Object counting Verbal counting
 Encourage children to count to 30
by end of Grade R
 Counting through teen numbers –
transition between such numbers
19 and 20 and 29 and 30 – create
some difficulties
 Emphases different groupings by
doing different whole body
movements 1-10 jumping jacks,
11-20 do twist, 21-30 do kicks
 Help learners understand transition
between decades
 Verbal counting
Object counting  Learners become proficient –
provide repeated opportunities on
daily basis – rhymes, songs,
actions and games – simply
counting aloud
 Kinaesthetic experiences e.g.
clapping help learenrs internalise
counting concepts
 Point to number - exposed to
visual part of number sequence
 Point out or ask learners -
interesting patterns when counting
in multiples
Object counting – 4 components
A situation –
A goal – to find
collection of
out how many
countable objects
A result – a
An activity – the unitary whole of
act of counting the counted
objects
 Counting principles
Counting principles

 Stable order principle – counting sequence stays consistent – numbers words

should be said in the same order 1,2,3,4,.. Not 1,2,5,6,8
 One-to-one correspondence – each object being counted – given one count and
only cone count
 Cardinality – last word said stands for total number of objects in the set
 Order irrelevance principle – counting objects can begin with any object in a
set – the total will still be the same
 Movement in magnitude- as one moves up the counting sequence, quantity
increases by 1, skip counting by 2’amount goes up by 2 each time
 Abstraction – Quantity can be represented verbally, physically – 5 similar
objects, 5 different objects, 5 invisible imaginative things
 Counting errors
 Teachers should observe learners closely
 See if they say a number while they are touching the object
 Where do they start?:
 Do they count counter only once?
 These will indicate whether learners count with understanding
 E.g. 1, 2, 3, 5, 9 (incorrect counting)
 Learners count too fast – counting sequence is correct – but one-to-
one correspondence is incorrect 1,2,3,4,5,6 (see example p.94)
 Learners point too fast. Counting sequence is correct – one-to-one
correspondence is incorrect
Errors should be followed up with enrichment activities – teacher must ask
learners to “slow down” - encourage learners to touch items as they count
Repeated exposure – with counting sequence – in order to become fluent
 Learners rely on physical
objects to touch and count in Counting All
order to arrive at an answer Find the total
 Different levels of number of objects in
understanding, as learn, to two or more sets –
count – concrete level counting each item
in a set one by one
(objects), semi-concrete level
(drawings or pictures)
Concrete level Semi-Concrete level
• Touching and moving objects from one • Moves from physical objects to
side (left) to other side (right) busy using pictures
counting • Draw own pictures/worksheet
• Use sheet of paper – folded in half place (see examples p. 96-97)
counters on one half – move across the fold
as you count Need to acquire skills in how to count on
• Build a pile of cubes while counting (in sequence) from any given number and
• Reinforce one-to-one correspondence - stop at requested number
 Counting on
 Learners can count on from any given
number
 Does not need to start at one every
time
 Each number is one more than the one
before / one less than the one after
 - shows learner has gone beyond
verbal counting stage - can recognise a
sequence no matter where it begins
 Games, songs, activities provide
experiences within specific sequence
Counting on fingers –
numbered “nail cap” on
fingertips – start at pinky of
left hand – fold three fingers
inward towards the palms.
What number are showing?
(example p. 99)
Counting on using counters
Pack 10 counters in straight line
– cover first three counters with
hand – count on from next
counter to the end
(example p. 99,100)
 Counting on

Learners receive counter chart with circles –

numbered 1 to 10
Asked to put tokens on the first three circles ant
then count on to the end

Can also be adapted for larger number ranges

 Counting backwards
 Counting for the larger to a smaller number
 First number counted – total number in the set (cardinal
number) Each subsequent number is less than the quantity
 Count backwards in ones form 10 to 1 – reverse the number
word sequence and say the number names in a backward
sequence – count form particular point, 10, 9,8,7,….
 This skill already mastered – Grade R
 Ability to count backwards prepares learners for subtraction
 These counting skills important implications for learners’
understanding of two-digital calculations later on
 Counting in multiples
 Counting in multiples or groups - Skip count
 Counting in values (2s,5s,10, )
 More effective than counting in ones
 In Grade R – can start off by counting in 10s up to 100
 Form mental image of groups of ten – realise groups of objects
can be named by a number (10)
 Counting in multiples, counting on and counting backwards
prepares learners to work with money
 Counting in multiples important for development of fluency in
calculation
 Examples on pages 104 -108
Counting imagined items
 Learners acquire the skill of forming mental images that represent
objects – can count mental images of hidden objects, 8 and makes
10?
 Example page 109
Subitizing (quickly recognising the numerosity of a group even at a glance)
 Instantly seeing how many – strategy for quantification
 Brain’s ability to perceptually or conceptually integrate a number
 Perceptual subitizing – ability to recognize small quantities (up to 4 or 5)
without having to count each object)
 Perceptual subitising basis for counting and cardinality
 Larger numbers - conceptual subitizing – learners can see parts of a
whole and put them together
 Ordinal counting Estimation
 Approximate answer can
 Ordinal number shows a position or make sense
 Make a reasonable
place (1st, 2nd 3rd )
“guess” – without
 Learners should be able to find the
physical counting or
position of number and place it in measuring
particular order, first, last, next and  How many / how much
between  Informal experiences
 Order according to quantity – smallest involve real-world
to biggest situations and physical
 Classroom situation provides objects.
 Activities – compare
opportunities to develop ordinal quantity of two collections
numbers  First estimate and then
Thank you