Using number lines is one of those topics that are often taken for granted in the elementary and middle school curriculum. With the advent of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, their use is spelled out explicitly, beginning in Grade 2.

Algebra in Grade 1! If you are wondering how to implement algebraic thinking in the early grades, then this post and its downloads will give you some ideas. These activities will help you with the primary goal of initiating algebraic thinking—the relationship between addition and subtraction—in the early grades.

Teddy bear counters have become near and dear to many early elementary math educators. Having come from mostly a middle- and high-school teaching background, I first encountered the use of teddy bear counters in an early childhood development class. At first I thought it was simplistic, but the more I have learned about elementary mathematics, the more I see their benefit to math teachers and students alike.

When I visit classrooms, I often see students engaged in wonderful fun activities, but I can’t help noticing that these activities don’t always connect to the math ideas that the teacher is hoping to explain. I have worked hard in my own teaching to help students make the connection between fun and understanding, and I hope this post gives you some insight into how I do this.

The downloadable subitizing PowerPoint slides below are based on a great activity I have used in my class over the years, at every level.

In current research and practice for early mathematics education, composing and decomposing numbers is taking on an increasingly import role in developing students’ number sense. The use of number bonds is instrumental in helping students gain a deeper understanding of numbers and to visualize the relationship between numbers. Number bond activities were popularized in Singapore. However, they are appearing more frequently in the American math curriculum. In this post I will give you three decomposing number activities that include the use of number bonds. Two of the activities show how to extend activities in the Progress in Mathematics series to include number bonds.