This document contains information from a presentation on developing number sense and problem-solving skills for grades K-2. It includes example math tasks and problems involving counting, addition, subtraction, and comparing quantities. Strategies are provided for using objects, pictures and diagrams to model word problems and develop conceptual understanding of part-whole and comparison situations. The document also lists questions to guide effective lesson planning and Polya's four-step model for mathematical problem-solving.

1. 1 | Yeap Ban Har
M4thodology Institute 2014
Level: K – 2
Plenary Session by Dr. Yeap Ban Har | yeapbanhar@gmail.com | www.banhar.blogspot.com |
Number Sense
Rational Counting  Number Bonds  Renaming / Place Value  Further Number Bonds
Task |
Materials: Digit Cut-Outs and Scissors
Using a digit at most once, form a correct addition equation using the set of digit tiles.
What is number sense?

2. 2 | Yeap Ban Har
Task |
Materials: Beans
Show 5 beans on the ten frames.
Literature Link | Jack and The Beanstalk

3. 3 | Yeap Ban Har
Task |
Find the value of 34 – 19 .
Task |
Find the value of 300 - 176 .
Task |
Find the value of 8 + 6 .

4. 4 | Yeap Ban Har
M4thodology Institute 2014
Level: K – 2
Classroom Session by Dr. Yeap Ban Har | yeapbanhar@gmail.com | www.banhar.blogspot.com |
Developing a Lesson Using Mathematical Practices

5. 5 | Yeap Ban Har
Materials: Digit Cut-Outs and Scissors
Arrange the numbers 1 to 6 such that the total of the three numbers in a row is always the same.
What if we use 2 to 7? 3 to 8?
Four Critical Question in Lesson Planning | DuFour
 What do we want students to learn?
 How can we tell if they have learnt it?
 What if they cannot learn it?
 What is they already learnt it?

6. 6 | Yeap Ban Har
Journal | Date _____________

7. 7 | Yeap Ban Har
M4thodology Institute 2014
Level: K – 2
Plenary Session by Dr. Yeap Ban Har | yeapbanhar@gmail.com | www.banhar.blogspot.com |
Developing Problem-Solving Skills
Task | Sam arranges 110 pieces of squares and triangles in a straight line. There are at least 3
squares between any 2 triangles. Find the largest possible number of triangles that Sam uses.
Instead of 110, use 20 for Grade 2 and 21 for Grade 3. This version can be used in Grade 5 and Grade 6.
Four-Step Problem-Solving Model | Polya
 Understand
 Plan
 Do
 Look Back

8. 8 | Yeap Ban Har
M4thodology Institute 2014
Level: K – 2
Plenary Session by Sarah Schaefer
Model Method 1
1. Johnny ate nine cookies on Saturday. On Sunday, Johnny ate eight more cookies.
How many cookies did Johnny eat altogether?
2. Mrs. Mahoney planted eight bean seeds in her Kindergarten garden.
After a lot of sun, water and time, only five of the seeds sprouted.
How many seeds never sprouted?
3. Mrs. Anderson is eating lunch with fourteen children today and only ten tomorrow.
How many children will she be eating lunch with on those two days?
What are the possible answers?
4. Avery was helping Mrs. Mundin count the books in the class library. She counted 35 books
on the first shelf. She counted 47 books on the second shelf.
How many books did Avery count in all?
5. At first, Ali had 9 more coins than Billy. Then Billy gave Ali 4 coins.
Who had more coins in the end? How many more?
Note |
Situations 1 to 4 are Part-Whole Situations while Situation 5 is a Comparison Situation.
Note that modeling can happen using real objects as well as picture cut-outs or square tiles / unifix
cubes. Later, they move to using rectangular strips and drawings. The rectangular strips can
represent known values or unknown values. Skills such as cutting and moving the bar happen at
higher grade levels.
Problems 1.2.4 are typical for Grade 1. These are single-step problems.
Problems 1.2 are typical for Kindergarten but the story is told to the children.
Problem 3 is an enrichment problem for Grade 1 and Problem 5 is an enrichment for Grade 2.