Reception Consultation.

[Morningnovice]

Hi All,

DD is in reception and we had the first consultation. We were told that she is at a level that most kids in reception should be. One of the targets that we were given were add/subtract up to 10.
She already does this fairly accurately using finger.

When I asked the teacher what method should she use - We were informed that we let her add up or down using whatever method is comfortable.

I do not think the target stretches her enough, should I follow up with the teacher? Also what is the correct method to teach Addition and Subtraction?

Thanks for your time and help.

As a parent I would say that the first thing for a child to know is what taking away involves. There's no reason why, if your child can count to forty why you shouldn't give her forty raisins and ask her to take away ten and tell you how many are left. There's no reason why you couldn't ask her to take twenty raisins from two hundred if she can count up to two hundred and your kitchen table is big enough to lay two hundred raisins out on. The school doesn't have to do bigger sums in Reception because the EYFS curriculum doesn't ask them to do bigger ones. If the teacher wants to do bigger sums and the child knows how to then there's no reason why she shouldn't. It's up to the teacher. At home you can do whatever sums you like.

They need to be able to count how many altogether eg in two groups, how many are left if some are taken away and to be able to count on or back eg 6 count in three more makes 9 eg using fingers, numberline

Wat L&S says about concrete objects is REALLY important. Many parents - and many schools - leap to the abstraction of 'sevenplusthreeequalsten' before the child has a deep enough understanding of what adding or subracting IS in real terms. Taking some away and counting how many are left, combining two groups of objects to see how many there are altogether, taking away one at a time or two at a time and counting down in those steps, sharing objects fairly into different groups, counting out different numbers and arranging them in patterns of 2s or 3s or 5s or 10s, counting out 7 big buttons and 10n small raisins and knowing that there are more raisins, visually seeing the difference in length between 2 lines of counters and understanding that that is the difference between the numbers of counters re all really, really important foundation steps to the abstraction of numbers and calculations and shouldn't be rushed.

If a child can add and subtract accurately within 10 then they have the tools to add and subtract with any number which is why it is far better to spend time on smaller number than jump to bigger numbers.

If a child knows that 10- 6 = 4 they can apply that knowledge to know that 100-60-40 or 60+40 =100.
Knowing only 36 addition facts equips a child to add and subtract much more effectively than always having to count.

I agree about using objects ...much prefer mini chocolate buttons myself

hi All,

Thanks for all the helpful comments :-) It gives a lot of clarity of what the school and the teacher is trying to achieve.