DC been set homework -More than / less than to 20. Dont know how to do this...embarrassed to ask teacher

[Itsjansoon]

DC has been set a homework to learn more than and less than up to 20. I'm embarrassed to ask teacher.please can anyone explain what I have to do with DC? Looking on Internet ive gathered that it's first steps to addition and subtraction but I don't understand what you have to do and when you have to introduce plus, minus and equal signs?

Thanks

My son learnt this with a number line. Write numbers 1 to 20 then for example if the question is 5 more than 10 you start on 10 then count on 5 to get your answer.

My kids have had this homework set, it was done the same as my2bundles - there was a number line 1-20 included and we used a counter (a button or a coin) and we counted - if the counter was on 4, what would it be on if you counted on two more and then if you went back three etc. We did it all visually and verbally.

On a different note, please don't worry about asking the teacher anything - I've had to clarify loads of homework things, or double check with another parent if you see them. Happens all the time at my kids school.

Erm, DC hasn't been set the homework, or he'd know what the homework is. You haven't been set the homework, or you'd know what the homework is.

Ask the TEACHER!

Don't be embarrassed to ask the teacher. Honestly, get into the habit of it now.

Maths is taught very differently now to how I learnt at school. My children have learnt completely different strategies to me, so I always ask the teacher.

Also, suggest that they include an example with the next lot of homework, so that 30 sets of parents/carers don't need to ask the same question!

If that's the only instruction you've been given, it isn't you. The teacher hasn't been clear enough with what she wants.

'learn more than/less than to 20' could be a number of things depending on the age and ability of the child.

Does he know what more/ less means? What is one more than two? What is one less than 20? Then build to two more/less etc.

Thanks everyone for all your advice, I feel more encouraged to ask the teacher next time.

my2bundles and wigglesrock that's really helpful as I didn't get a numberline but now that you've explained it I understand it better and will make up a number line and use coin.

Floowho- I'm not sure if DC knows because he doesn't like to tell me anything done at school but from the learning journal it is something the teacher has told him about. I thought that once I understood the homework going through it would help me figure out how much he knows.

You can get five cars count that there are five cars with him, say "if we have one more it will be......" And see if he answers 6. If he doesn't know it's six cars, you tell him, and repeat with a different number of cars. They often get 'more' before they get 'less', probably because we use it in everyday language, "here, have some more carrots" for example. I used to do this sort of activity in early years .

Floowho Thank you for the example that's really helpful knowing what to say and DC will like doing this homework if we use cars:)

I've been doing similar work with chn this week. Ask your child questions like: Is 5 more or less than 10? Keep asking questions using numbers up to and including 20 until you feel he is understanding the concept. A number line is just numbers written in order on a line. You could use string and pegs to hang up numbers in the right place. Never be embarrassed to ask the teacher. She/he may well have explained it to your child but if he's struggling with it it's unlikely he understood. You could try the above activity then explain what you did on Monday and say if you got it wrong could she/he give clearer instructions.

I always find chn understand the concept of more and less better when sweets are involved!

Definitely ask next time you're unsure. The primary school that my sons went to used to hold parent classes in maths, so that we'd know the methods used. The teachers used to be inundated with parents saying that the way things are worked out now is so different from when we were at school and it really did help to have it properly explained.

In year one children are expected to be able
to identify the number that is one more or one less than a given number
To recognise more, less and equal to