![]() ![]() Calling -6 'bigger' than -16 creates confusion for students.Īs you can see below, EVERY grade level focuses on comparisons to some degree. Use GREATER instead of 'bigger,' and LESS rather than 'smaller.'Īs students move into advanced mathematics, students will need to apply this skill to integers. Please note the language used in that statement above. The GREATER number is next to the wider end, while the LESSER number is next to the narrower end. There is a smaller side and a larger sides. The segments, or bars, are tilted when using the inequalities. Now, let's take a closer look at the symbols that represent inequalities. The line segments are parallel the bars are the same distance apart on both sides. Sometimes before students can internalize the meaning of the symbol, it helps to actually analyze the shape of the comparison symbol. If you are still stuck on the alligator so the students have a scaffold for learning the comparison symbol, I have a strategy to help. Just as students hear comparative language, such as "equal to," "greater than," and "less than," they need to see the symbols that represent these phrases too.Īfter modeling this language and its corresponding symbols, the students should practice saying and writing them too! Ideally, with exposure to symbols, such as in the word problem above, students memorize the meaning. Use a comparsion symbol (>, <, or =) to compare 9 and 7. Marco has 7 candles on her birthday cake. Kaila has 9 birthday candles on her cake. Kaila and Marco were born on the same day. ![]() If you are comparing numbers 9 and 7, it may sound like this: Use a word problem to introduce two sets of numbers. Educators teach the way they were taught unless they have since learned differently. Trust me, I know it is not ANYONE'S intention to teach incorrectly, often times, we are victims of our own education. There is a big movement, especially in upper elementary, middle, and high schools to break students away from these misrepresentations. Eventually, there comes a point when tricks no longer suffice for students and can lead to failure in advanced mathematics, which is the WHY behind everything I do with Down River Resources. I learned tricks in school, not actual mathematics. I truly believe this is what happened in my early education. If adults call a comparison symbol an "alligator," we are mislabeling a content-specific word for students. If we say "alligator," children think of the lizard-like swamp animal, not a mathematical symbol. Soon they are able to repeat their name and identify themselves as such.Ĭhildren are innately logical and literal. With repeated exposure to their name, the young child memorizes it. The parents and others around the child use their name in context. How does a child learn their name? Parents have identified the child by their name. Thinking about how a child learns vocabulary, it's easy to roll back time and reflect on how a young child learns their name. I know what you are thinking, if the alligator analogy isn't the best for students to learn, what can I teach my students so they can retain the correct meaning for these symbols? Read more to find a strategy for teaching comparing numbers and correctly explaining comparison symbols. This misnomer is confusing children and frustrating their future teachers. While this can be a cute anchor chart, students are not internalizing the meaning of the comparison symbols. Have you or your students become dependent on drawing teeth on comparison symbols? Students think, "Is the bigger value eating the smaller one?" or "Is it the value it already chopped on?" This becomes confusing, especially for younger students. You will find numerous blog posts and printables with this cute alligator, even suggesting to use him with decimals and percentages. For decades, teachers have relied on the 'ole alligator analogy for teaching students to compare numbers and draw comparison symbols. Young mathematicians, especially in kindergarten, just become proficient in learning the quantity of numbers before diving into comparing those numbers.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |