Maths- what’s changing - Mathematical Association



Maths- what’s changing? National Mathematics Day 2008

Early Childhood Tasks

Changing Shapes

Ideas of patterning and shape are fundamental to the early years. This task focuses on ideas of shape, pattern and early ideas of transformation. Students are encouraged to explore how shapes can be flipped and turned to make patterns.

Further ideas for pattern blocks?

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Making ten

This task focuses on building understanding of tens facts (numbers which add to make 10). This is a key number idea for the early years and is a foundational idea for mental computation (See Mental Computation a Strategies Approach module 2). Ten frames help students build mental/visual images of these facts.

For more ten frame ideas see:









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Changing Triangles

Make a triangle on your geoboard. How can you change your triangle? How does changing the length of the sides make it different? Record some triangles on dot paper.

This task encourages children to explore shape using hands on experience with a geoboard. In this case they explore how their triangle can be made bigger/smaller and have longer/shorter sides and still be a triangle. This is fundamental to understanding the attributes of shapes. many young children will think triangles are only equilateral triangles as this is the form most commonly seen in puzzles games and attribute blocks. This task challenges that idea.

More ideas for geoboards?







Changing ages!

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This is what Mrs Smith’s class found out about the ages of their prep class in March. How might their information change if they looked at it again in June? Explain your reasons.

This task focuses on the chance and data strand and in particular the idea of variation. Students are encouraged to think about how data might change over time and what might lead to different numbers.

Further ideas on chance and data in the early years?





Number Machine- changing the number!

This is a number machine

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When numbers go in they are changed. I put in 5 and 10 came out. I put in 6 and 12 came out. What might my machine be using as a rule to change the numbers?

This task focuses on the idea of a function which is an integral part of the Algebra, function and pattern strand of the mathematics curriculum. It might be extended by asking students to create their own number machines and sharing them with peers. The task also encourages students to think mathematically by making predictions and proposing different solutions to the question.

Further ideas re Algebra, function and pattern in the early years?







Change a shape!

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How can you change this shape to make other shapes by using lines, folding or cutting?

This task focuses on the idea of shapes and their attributes and how shapes can be changed or transformed to make other shapes. This lays important foundations for work with fractions and measurement and is an important aspect of the space strand. Students should be encouraged to explore shape though manipulating objects such as pattern blocks and other concrete materials, folding and cutting paper and visualising changes.

Further ideas for shape?







Changing the number line !

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These numbers have fallen off a number line. How can you change them so that they are in the right order?

This task encourages students to focus on the conventional order of numbers used for counting and as such is a crucial early understanding about number. Number lines are a suggested scaffold for number in the Tasmanian Curriculum for all year groups and are vital in helping students develop visual images of number.

Further ideas for numbers lines?





(a comprehensive resource for using empty number lines to teach addition and subtraction)

How have you changed?

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How have you changed and grown since you were a baby?

Bring in a photo of you or some clothes you wore for a class display. Which body measurements which might have changed?

This task focuses on ideas of time and measurement. It has links to Society and history (personal histories and timelines) and Health and wellbeing (how does my body change?).

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|(((( |( |( |( |( |

|This pattern has| | | | |

|been made by | | | | |

|changing the way| | | | |

|the blocks are | | | | |

|placed. Explore| | | | |

|ways you can | | | | |

|make patterns | | | | |

|with pattern | | | | |

|blocks by | | | | |

|changing their | | | | |

|position. | | | | |

| | | | | |

|John and Suzie | | | | |

|said that 2 and | | | | |

|8 makes 10. They| | | | |

|showed their | | | | |

|friends this | | | | |

|picture of their| | | | |

|number story on | | | | |

|a ten frame. | | | | |

| | | | | |

| | | | | |

|( | | | | |

|( |( |( |( |( |

Explore different ways to make 10 by changing the number of pictures in the frame (or use a blank ten frame and coloured counters)

( (

( (

( ((

(

( (

(

((

(

(

(

( (

(

((

((

(

(

We are 5

We are 6

in

out

?

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