Mathematics
Storybooks to promote Maths talk in EYFS
The EEF’s ‘Improving Mathematics in the Early Years and Key Stage 1’ guidance report highlights the importance of providing opportunities throughout the day for children to learn about mathematics, and discuss mathematical ideas to extend thinking.
Using storybooks can be one particularly effective way to do this, offering rich opportunities for mathematical talk and questioning. At New Silksworth Academy we carefully plan how to use storybooks by identifying key questions and discussion points to prompt exploration of specific mathematical concepts.
Story and picture books are powerful in engaging children with mathematical concepts. Development and Research in Early Math Education (DREME), an early mathematics research network based at Stanford University, produced ‘Storybook Guides’ to support effective use of the books, including ways to maximise the mathematical talk.
To access the 'Storybook Guides' click the link below:
Times Tables
In the document linked below are the times tables expectations for each year group. When children are competent in quickly recalling the times tables they will awarded Times Tables pin badges, as shown in the picture above.
Children regularly work on their times tables in school but it is important for them
to practice at home too. Please see below information about websites to access at home.
Home Learning in Year 1
NumBots supports every child to achieve the “triple win” of understanding, recall and fluency in mental addition and subtraction, so that they move from counting to calculating.
Pupils choose their own Bot before launching into ‘Story’ and ‘Challenge’ modes, where the algorithm takes care of their learning.
For the most effective practice we suggest playing for at least 3 minutes a day, 4 or 5 times a week.
Click the link below to access the website:
Home Learning in Years 2- 6
Times Tables Rock Stars is a maths programme that takes all the worry out of learning times tables at home and has a proven track record of boosting children’s fluency and recall in multiplication and division.
Suitable for all learners aged 6 years and up, the question-based games automatically adapt to each child’s unique learning needs, helping them to recall their times tables in record speed.
We recommend a “little and often” approach; 3 minutes practice a day, 4 or 5 times a week is a good target.
Click the link below to access the website:
Early Years
Key Stage 1
Key Stage 2
