1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,880 Let's talk today about introducing the addition, 2 00:00:02,880 --> 00:00:07,080 subtraction, and equal signs and making them stick. 3 00:00:07,080 --> 00:00:09,560 To Making Number Sense Makes Sense, 4 00:00:09,560 --> 00:00:11,680 a podcast for elementary teachers, 5 00:00:11,680 --> 00:00:13,840 specifically early elementary teachers, 6 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:15,600 looking to really make an impact 7 00:00:15,600 --> 00:00:17,280 in the number sense of their students. 8 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:20,320 After you've spent the whole year working on letters 9 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:24,360 and numbers and giving students all of those squiggles 10 00:00:24,360 --> 00:00:27,020 to have meaning, do we really need addition, 11 00:00:27,020 --> 00:00:29,480 subtraction, and equal signs on top of it 12 00:00:29,480 --> 00:00:30,840 for young students? 13 00:00:30,840 --> 00:00:32,760 The answer is no. 14 00:00:32,760 --> 00:00:36,880 But they do eventually need to learn those symbols 15 00:00:36,880 --> 00:00:40,860 and they can seem really abstract like most symbols. 16 00:00:40,860 --> 00:00:44,020 So you'll see this a lot when students are trying 17 00:00:44,020 --> 00:00:47,340 to write number sentences and the equals in the wrong place 18 00:00:47,340 --> 00:00:51,060 and the plus sign is at the end of all of the numbers 19 00:00:51,060 --> 00:00:55,160 because it doesn't really have any meaning. 20 00:00:55,160 --> 00:00:58,080 It's something that students just kind of saw 21 00:00:58,080 --> 00:01:02,520 or if you have families having their kids do workbooks 22 00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:05,580 and the like, they might start to remember the facts 23 00:01:05,580 --> 00:01:09,360 but not really understand the actual symbols 24 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:11,800 and be able to apply it to something else. 25 00:01:11,800 --> 00:01:14,200 So I'm gonna share with you a way that I can make 26 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:17,000 those symbols have more meaning. 27 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:21,320 If a student is still having trouble with a lot of symbols 28 00:01:21,320 --> 00:01:24,640 like letters and numbers, I would not introduce 29 00:01:24,640 --> 00:01:26,800 the addition and subtraction symbol. 30 00:01:26,800 --> 00:01:29,160 Students can solve addition and subtraction 31 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:31,680 way before they can read a number sentence. 32 00:01:31,680 --> 00:01:33,500 So you're gonna wanna make sure that your kids 33 00:01:33,500 --> 00:01:36,640 have a strong foundation of those concepts 34 00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:38,720 even if they don't have a name for them. 35 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:41,440 And one way you can start to introduce the idea 36 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:44,760 of a number sentence is through the discussions 37 00:01:44,760 --> 00:01:47,520 that you're having when students are solving problems. 38 00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:52,520 So if there were three fish and five swam to join them 39 00:01:53,540 --> 00:01:56,360 and the student explains to you that they used five fingers 40 00:01:56,360 --> 00:01:59,480 and then three more, you can actually scribe out 41 00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:04,180 five plus three equals eight as they're talking 42 00:02:04,180 --> 00:02:05,860 as a way to note what they said 43 00:02:05,860 --> 00:02:09,240 but not necessarily draw attention to it. 44 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:11,880 When they're ready, there are things you can do 45 00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:14,120 to bring those symbols to life. 46 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:17,760 When kids learn and they see something one way, 47 00:02:17,760 --> 00:02:21,420 it creates a neural pathway, a little pathway to remember 48 00:02:21,420 --> 00:02:22,480 but it's really thin. 49 00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:26,560 It's like if you go to the gym one time, 50 00:02:26,560 --> 00:02:28,740 you're not gonna have giant muscles, 51 00:02:28,740 --> 00:02:31,200 you're not gonna be able to lift really heavy weights 52 00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:32,960 because you've only done it once. 53 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:35,520 But if you continue to go to the gym, 54 00:02:35,520 --> 00:02:37,020 you're gonna get stronger. 55 00:02:37,020 --> 00:02:39,760 And as you continue to build on knowledge 56 00:02:39,760 --> 00:02:41,640 that the students already have, 57 00:02:41,640 --> 00:02:44,200 those neural pathways get stronger. 58 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:48,220 So just writing a number sentence like I described 59 00:02:48,220 --> 00:02:49,060 is one way. 60 00:02:49,060 --> 00:02:51,280 But you can take advantage of the other ways 61 00:02:51,280 --> 00:02:53,600 that students learn to build on that 62 00:02:53,600 --> 00:02:56,480 and make your neural pathways stronger. 63 00:02:56,480 --> 00:02:59,840 One of the ways is to get their emotions involved. 64 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:02,000 You might be thinking what emotions could you have 65 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:05,320 in an addition and subtraction symbol? 66 00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:09,240 Give a story problem that kids would actually care about 67 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:13,560 and give that plus minus and equal sign a personality. 68 00:03:13,560 --> 00:03:17,360 Involve them in a story to make it more sticky 69 00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:18,840 to help students remember. 70 00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:21,120 So instead of abstract symbols, 71 00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:22,640 you're making them characters, 72 00:03:22,640 --> 00:03:23,740 you're giving them a story, 73 00:03:23,740 --> 00:03:26,040 you're giving them emotions and feelings, 74 00:03:26,040 --> 00:03:31,040 enter Gus the plus, Linus the minus, and Zico the equal. 75 00:03:31,400 --> 00:03:33,340 If you need Spanish version, 76 00:03:33,340 --> 00:03:38,340 it's a Tomas el mas, Memo el menos, and Pascual el igual. 77 00:03:38,340 --> 00:03:39,520 Since I was an immersion teacher, 78 00:03:39,520 --> 00:03:43,520 I used the Spanish versions, but the idea is the same. 79 00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:46,440 So when you introduce Gus the plus, 80 00:03:46,440 --> 00:03:49,600 you can talk about Gus as being a helpful person 81 00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:51,120 who always wants to give. 82 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:53,760 So whenever you see Gus the plus, 83 00:03:53,760 --> 00:03:56,040 you know that you're gonna end up with more 84 00:03:56,040 --> 00:03:57,440 than what you started with. 85 00:03:57,440 --> 00:04:00,340 And give students a chance to play with that, 86 00:04:00,340 --> 00:04:01,800 present story problems and say, 87 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:03,960 oh, look, there's Gus, he's right in the middle. 88 00:04:03,960 --> 00:04:07,000 Are you gonna have more or less than what you started with? 89 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:10,500 And after Gus comes in, Zico the equal. 90 00:04:10,500 --> 00:04:11,880 And I like to tell my students 91 00:04:11,880 --> 00:04:16,100 that Zico just wants everybody to be in balance. 92 00:04:16,100 --> 00:04:18,820 He wants both sides to be the same. 93 00:04:18,820 --> 00:04:21,400 So when you see Zico the equal, 94 00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:24,560 you know that you need numbers for young kids, 95 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:27,320 numbers on both sides of Zico, 96 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:29,240 and the two should be the same. 97 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:32,160 You have Gus the plus who likes to show people more, 98 00:04:32,160 --> 00:04:34,020 and you'll end up with a larger number 99 00:04:34,020 --> 00:04:35,440 than what you started with. 100 00:04:35,440 --> 00:04:37,800 You know that if you see Zico the equal, 101 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:39,800 gonna be equal on both sides. 102 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:43,360 But when Linus the minus comes around, 103 00:04:43,360 --> 00:04:46,400 he is the opposite of Gus the plus. 104 00:04:46,400 --> 00:04:48,600 When you see Linus the minus, 105 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:50,480 you know you'll be left with less. 106 00:04:50,480 --> 00:04:54,500 Now I probably would not explain all three on the same day. 107 00:04:54,500 --> 00:04:58,920 I would give students a chance to work with Gus the plus. 108 00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:00,480 When you start to introduce Zico, 109 00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:03,260 I love to actually get a balance 110 00:05:03,260 --> 00:05:05,880 and present them with the beginning of a number sentence. 111 00:05:05,880 --> 00:05:08,400 And students will tell you two plus two equals four. 112 00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:10,540 So you have four on one side, 113 00:05:10,540 --> 00:05:12,720 and then show them four on the other side, 114 00:05:12,720 --> 00:05:15,920 because Zico's job is to balance those things out, 115 00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:17,440 and they'll see that it's the same. 116 00:05:17,440 --> 00:05:20,400 Kids can get confused about the equal sign, 117 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:23,040 thinking that just means now it's time to do math 118 00:05:23,040 --> 00:05:25,120 to find out what it means. 119 00:05:25,120 --> 00:05:27,200 But they can also start to get confused 120 00:05:27,200 --> 00:05:29,920 if the equal comes earlier in the number sentence. 121 00:05:29,920 --> 00:05:32,680 So instead of five plus three equals eight, 122 00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:35,120 you'd get eight equals five plus three. 123 00:05:35,120 --> 00:05:37,200 It can start to be a little confusing. 124 00:05:37,200 --> 00:05:40,160 If they understand that no matter where the equal is, 125 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:42,200 the two sides need to be balanced, 126 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:44,200 it can cut down on that confusion. 127 00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:46,080 And if you're working with Linus the minus 128 00:05:46,080 --> 00:05:47,760 and the minus sign, 129 00:05:47,760 --> 00:05:50,040 it can be helpful to make sure that when you read it, 130 00:05:50,040 --> 00:05:53,240 you read it as minus or subtracting. 131 00:05:53,240 --> 00:05:56,200 Because often you might say you take away this number, 132 00:05:56,200 --> 00:05:57,440 you take away that number. 133 00:05:57,440 --> 00:06:00,160 Taking away doesn't necessarily apply 134 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:02,680 to all subtraction situations. 135 00:06:02,680 --> 00:06:04,880 So that could be a little point of confusion 136 00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:05,840 that students have. 137 00:06:05,840 --> 00:06:07,440 When you're reading the minus, 138 00:06:07,440 --> 00:06:10,660 is a subtraction or a minus sign. 139 00:06:10,660 --> 00:06:13,260 And when you're working with these symbols, 140 00:06:13,260 --> 00:06:17,360 take the opportunity to write the equal on both sides. 141 00:06:17,360 --> 00:06:21,720 So the sum on the left and also the sum on the right. 142 00:06:21,720 --> 00:06:24,160 So they can see that those things are the same. 143 00:06:24,160 --> 00:06:26,960 Now, if you're looking for actual teaching slides 144 00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:29,900 that have Gus the plus, Linus the minus, 145 00:06:29,900 --> 00:06:31,800 and Z equal the equal all in, 146 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:33,680 I will have a link to that down below 147 00:06:33,680 --> 00:06:36,480 where students will get to meet the characters 148 00:06:36,480 --> 00:06:37,800 and practice using them 149 00:06:37,800 --> 00:06:40,880 and practice writing their own number sentences 150 00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:44,000 in games, in a project, 151 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:46,520 and have actual digital math stories 152 00:06:46,520 --> 00:06:49,320 that they can apply number sentences to. 153 00:06:49,320 --> 00:06:52,040 Let me know if you try using Gus the plus, 154 00:06:52,040 --> 00:06:55,160 Linus the minus, and Z equal the equal in your classroom 155 00:06:55,160 --> 00:06:56,420 or the Spanish version. 156 00:06:57,440 --> 00:07:00,880 Tomas el mas, Pascual el igual, 157 00:07:00,880 --> 00:07:01,920 and Memo el menos. 158 00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:04,080 And let me know what your students think. 159 00:07:04,080 --> 00:07:06,080 If you are enjoying the podcast, 160 00:07:06,080 --> 00:07:08,500 make sure to leave a review 161 00:07:08,500 --> 00:07:11,080 and I will catch you next time.