Number Sense

Building Number Sense is a cornerstone to understanding numbers. If one can understand smaller numbers than putting them together is easier to build larger numbers.  If a child truly understands smaller numbers than they can manipulate and use numbers to make their life easier.  This then helps with mental math, addition with regrouping and real life problems and oh so much more.  Take this real world example: If you want to half a recipe that called for 2/3 cup of sugar, traditional math teaching would say 2/3 ÷ 1/2 and one would multiply while inverting the second but this produces a result of 1 1/3cup. Someone with number sense would say half of 2/3 is smaller than a cup and 1/3 + 1/3 make 2/3 so half would be 1/3. I know using fractions sends some into a tailspin but for kids with number sense they can manipulate to make sense of the numbers to work for them.  How can one encourage number sense?  Watch as Mrs. Nash and Mrs. Zaehring use ten frames, die, dominos, and songs to have fun while fostering numbers sense.