Year 1 Maths

[longshot]

DD is in year 1 (turned six in Feb). I think she’s quite bright, doing well at school towards the top of the class academically and happy.

She has complaining about not doing enough maths. She is often asking us for maths questions, we oblige with various ones on car journeys etc and she pretty much always gets them right. I’ve noticed now that what I’m asking at home seems a lot harder than what’s in her homework. For example this week the homework is doubles up to 20 (written as sums). She loves all the work they give her but I think perhaps I need to challenge more as she keeps asking! At home I ask her general sums e.g tonight she’s done 193 + 52, 400 + 123 etc and she can do it, simple divisions eg 60/3 etc and she is happy doing these ‘in her head’ as with subtraction. This seems quite hard to me for a 6 year old but maybe I’m just crap at maths!

What I’m wondering is what other schools are teaching in year 1? If you have a Yr 1 pupil would you care to share the sorts of tasks they get and also any additional resources I could find stuff for her? School use mathletics which she sometimes does but I actually prefer not to give her the laptop as she need some assistance and it just gets tricky with my other DC who tried to steal it / throw milk on it!! Should I be teaching her how to write these sums? I basically need guidance on where to find good teaching resources to help her learn good habits / ways of working things out and keep her keen.

I’ve just found a very similar post to this earlier on the page, some good suggestions eg music which makes a lot of sense as DH’s family all very musical so might be an option and foreign language is also a good idea so sorry I’ve basically posted the same question!!

Kids need to be confident with numbers

One more one less 10 more 10 less
Odd numbers even numbers
Venn diagrams
Counting in 2 5 and 10
Number sentences
Varying language takeaway subtract less etc
Weights and measures
Guessing near answers
Makinging measuring jugs
More or less than a litre

Have a go have a guess does it look right?

Look up KS1 curriculum

Scofield and Simms and CGP do some very good work books on maths, have a look!

If she loves maths and you can afford it, she might like First Class Learning which is essentially a maths tuition but more like a club because each child is given worksheets appropriate to their own level. The idea is they do 10 minutes ish of sums per day. My Y3 and Y1 kids really enjoy it, one is bright so this stretches him, the other is pretty average so it helps him master everything in his own time. The thing I noticed most is how it boosts their confidence because the sheets really help them be secure in knowing the basics so they can instantly recall times tables etc way quicker than me

The reason there is lots of practice on simple numbers is the main initial goal is to make all the easy maths operations automatic, so it's not that the child can work out 927/9 it's that they can answer the simple questions instantly.

The reason that automaticity is needed is that it saves working memory later so working out the more complicated ones can also be done quickly without forgetting intermediate steps.

National Curriculum page 102 onwards
Some schools use this

Thank you for these. Yes sirfred, her teacher mentioned about learning to do the basics as quickly as possible / memorising so we’ve been working on that. I will keep going over the basics with her, I think she’s eager to skip on but actually probably making sure she knows everything thoroughly first and maybe signing up for the sheets that were mentioned is a good way to go!

Following

They do very little maths in Y1, mine is at the top table and is still doing almost nothing. They do stuff like adding, subtraction (single digits), adding 10, finding halves and quarters. Doubling, halving etc. Mine can do long multiplication, basic algebra, fractions, fairly complicated division, percentages etc and is bored stiff!

If your dd is in a class of 30 then realistically there isn't much one teacher and a TA can do beyond giving some extension sheets out. Many schools won't stream classes in yr 1 (personally agree with that).

Just do extra stuff at home (we printed off the mathletics workbooks instead of doing them on the laptop).
We were also given some Year 1 and 2 KS1 question books by a teacher friend which dd is working her way through.

One thing I've noticed is half the challenge for dd is reading and understanding the question. Fine if its an equation (so just reading numbers) but there are lots of other topics (eg time, money, dimensions etc) related to maths.

Do you think she has an issue with the basics though? The year 1 curriculum does secure working with numbers to 20, because that’s what most children need to focus on at that age. 6 year olds that can add and subtract 3 digit numbers mentally aren’t usually the ones that struggle with that.

Does she actually want to be ‘stretched’ or is she just happy as long as she’s doing maths?

This is a list of work for yr1.

uk.ixl.com/math/year-1

And this is a list for yr1 child to get greater depth.

www.ncetm.org.uk/public/files/23305594/Mastery_Assessment_Y1_Low_Res.pdf

I would make sure she is secure with basics before moving on.

6 year olds that can add and subtract 3 digit numbers mentally aren’t usually the ones that struggle with that

DD could do any of that flawlessly in reception, but she was still not automatic in year 1 with numbers to 20 or anything, she could multiply, add subtract etc. everything in her head, but that was almost certainly due to excellent working memory and an understanding of maths. She didn't, and indeed still doesn't, need the automaticity for KS1 maths, but I still think that is the right thing for her to do in school. Automaticity is important.

These are all such useful posts so thank you. Especially you Irvine, just looked at that list, the majority on the first list I’m confident she can do but I’m going to through it all with her to double check. Then the second attachment may be a summer holiday project!

Someone asked if she is happy ‘doing maths’ or is asking to be stretched. This is a good question, I would say she wants harder questions, she is finding what i ask based on the curriculum / her homework ‘too easy’ and gets bored. She always asks for more challenge..so yes I guess she wants it but I’m aware that perhaps she is missing out on securing the basics so I’ll work on that.

I have to say though I do worry slightly that the school (admittedly they are incredibly busy with 30 kids) perhaps don’t stretch enough. Her reading is good, above expected (I think?!) she’s just got on to level 8 on oxford reading BUT school were slightly 😯 when she took a chapter book In to read in her break times. I thought this odd as I know she’s more than capable and can fill me on on the story with good understanding but I wondered if perhaps the teacher was worried she might be enjoying the progression rather than mastering the skill if you see what I mean. I want to encourage but equally want her to secure basics so will keep reminding myself of that!!

Do the 2,5 and 10 x tables.
I get the impression they are working on memorising it all.
Also telling the time should reinforce the 5x table for her.
I use the free bit of the doodle maths app too as it adapts to your child’s level so if they are getting stuff wrong it repeats it differently. It takes less than 5 mons per day.

I cannot stress enough the basics being important; being able to ‘do it’ standing on your head, eyes closed - blah! Blah! Blah!
The important aspect of maths is can they reason with it? Can they use their knowledge and skills to problem solve?

Maths isn’t just about being able to add, subtract, divide and multiply number sentences, knowing your times tables and number binds etc. But LANGUAGE is vital. There is so much mathematical language involved in maths, and in KS1, that quite frankly I hold THAT as more value and higher importance than a child of six knowing what 60 dived by 3 is. Sure, it’s important to know methodology but it’s no good if you cannot identify what to do in a real life mathematical problem.

The issue with lots of these maths schemes and programmes are that it’s very much worksheet based, computer questions some with multi choice answers but very little of using maths in realistic situations.

Speak to your child’s teacher about mastery - being able to understand the abstract element of maths at ks1.

I have a couple of children who can easily add three digit numbers but give them a problem that involves language such as more than or less than, and they are stumped!

she sounds very bright! I would certainly try to encourage her interest at home, just going over the basics over and over again may be boring for her, and they are already doing that at school.
I would have a look at doing word problems / puzzles at home, you could also get the Inspire Maths practice books, based on the Singapore Maths Methods. Start with 1A-D now and then move on to 2A-D when she is finished. They are very thorough and more demanding than your usual Year 1 / Year 2 books but still aligned with the curriculum.
Look at the nrich website for additional challenges and activities as well.

If she’s looking for stretch and challenge, then look at the nrich website or the greater depth document, irvine linked to.

Unless you think she has an issue with number bonds to 20, I wouldn’t spend too much time thinking about them. Especially if she’s already feeling bored and unchallenged. Automaticity is important because it reduces cognitive load when adding larger numbers mentally or in written calculation. And she is still using those number bonds in context when you aske her to add or subtract 2 and 3 digit numbers.

Regarding the reading, maybe the school were surprised that your 6-7yo DD would prefer to read in breaktimes than play with her friends. My DD occasionally turns to reading in breaktimes for comfort if there is a friendship issue, but I encourage her to socialise and run around in school breaks!

In terms of reading level, each school has their own way of doing things but ORT 8 might indicate her being more able but not exceptional. See this link and this link. However, if she’s reading chapter books at home, and is reading every word properly and comprehending well, I’d suggest not getting too worried about what bands she’s on at school. My DD loved choosing her own books from the library every week at this age. If she reads for fun you’re onto a good thing anyway!

In terms of stretching her in class, does she say she’s bored, other than in maths? When my DD was in Y1 she often came home saying she’d done the main work and the extension work, and was then asked to help others or read to herself. I did ask the teacher about it a couple of times and they did try to adjust the work, but to be honest I always felt they were on the back foot. As you say, it’s a tough job with 30 children.

For DD, Y2 was better, but I think that was just down to the individual teachers. Do you know what the Y2 teacher is like? At this late stage of the year it’s a toss-up as to whether it’s worth meeting the teacher to talk about your DD’s needs, or just waiting until Y2.