More And Less Than

[Guest]

Have been looking at the data from my feb profile assessments and have noticed that a high proportion of children are not grapsing more than and less than a given number. If I ask them to tell me how many they will have if they get one more bear they will get anotehr one and then count the whole group again rather than tell me the number they have got. If we are playing with numbers like today and we were looking at the number 16 they could answer questions such as tell me a number bigger than or smaller than - but they said things such as 4 or 100 - not one more or one less - I am pleased with their responses but not sure it ticks the box one more or one less than a given number to 10.

Thought tomorrow I would do an activity with beans (Jack and the beanstalk is our topic) using a handful of beans and a number line so they can see the number before and after the given nubmer and say things like how many beans do you have? Jack planted one so how many do you have now/ then demonstrate on the numberline - am I on the wrong lines completely the more I think about this the more my brain hurts! Help ems

[Cait]

that sounds like it should work fine. Don't try to overcomplicate it - I find with mine that they DO know, it's just because I've asked the question that I get such random answers. I find that slipping it into my own conversation helps, like when cutting up the apples I say something like, 'ooh I cut that one into 4 pieces, can i get more out of this one?' type of thing. Or when they are doing CI I might just say 'goodness, I don't think you could get any more on that plate!'

[KST]

I have done lots of number line work with 1 more and 1 less and it seems to be going in. Also with fingers, put 3 fingers up, now put one more up, how many now? Just keep using vocabularly all time in different contexts and it starts to go in. But I think it does need to be 1 more and 1 less than just more or less. I think children need to understand that 1 more is the number that comes after, so number lines help. Good luck x

[mundia]

I haven't got my EYFSP handbook to hand, but is it actually one more and one less? I have a recollection that it might be 'or' but perhpas someone else can conform that?

 

Also, i think the point, says 'find' which means that its OK for the children to count, at least that was the way I always interpreted it.. they have found out by counting. Obvioulsy in time most chidlren will just be able to 'tell' you, especially in the sorts of situations as Cait and KST have said.

[Susan]

Yes, it is one more or less.