Any year 2 teachers ...advice please?

flea72

A yr 2 child would use a number line to do that sort of sum. So basically count backwards. Simplistically, they would mentally put the larger number in their head and then use fingers, to count backwards the units. With repetition they will be able to count backwards in their head and not use fingers, but i would expect that to take around 6m to totally sink in

They wouldnt subtract the units and add back in the tens, until much later, maybe yr4+

bylromarha

I'd focus on the size of numbers...use shells, stones, chocolate buttons. Anything to get the feel of the size of numbers to 20. What do 2 stones look like? 20 stones look like? So when he's tackling that sort of problem, he can visualise 15 stones as it makes it easier to see how to take 4 away, if that makes sense?

Practice counting up, counting down in 1s and 2s. Sometimes kids can't count backwards, which hinders their subtraction skills.

And lots and lots and lots of number bonds to 10 and 20. Roll a dice - how many more to...15....19. Challenges like I have 20. Subtract the number you roll, and do it again and again and again. How many rolls before you get to zero? (ie 20 (roll 6) 14 (roll 3) 11 (roll 5) 6 (roll 6) =0)

And those spellings look fine to me. If he can do them, then why not?

bylromarha

notanewuser wrote: »

Hurrah! Some common sense remains in the classroom!

Not really - it's all the adult teachers playing with them, reliving their youth and painting PVA glue on their hands in order to let it dry so they can peel it off. :rotfl:

I vividly remember the moment I discovered Cuisinere in my teaching cupboard - different coloured blocks of different heights representing numbers 1 to 10. I went running home to OH with a box of it yelling "look what I found!!!!"

Was so pleased when my school introduced Numicon as it's the modern day equivalent and such a great tool for maths teaching.

cef66

Can I second asking the teacher what methods they use in class to subtract, so you can reinforce this method.

In my school a year 2 child would be using a number line and adding on to subtract - so starting with 4 and jumping on in what ever steps suit the child to get to 15, then adding up the jumps. We start with jumps of 1 then move onto jumping to the nearest multiple of 5 or 10. This might sound a bit weird if you haven't done it this way before but it is a successful method. We talk about subtraction as finding the difference between 2 numbers.

We also use counters of various kinds for those children who need a more practical approach and numicon if they're struggling.

We expect the children to write out calculations if they can't do them mentally. We use wipe on / wipe off boards a lot and the children are used to jotting things down.

Those spellings seem tricky for year 2. I'd assume he was in the top spelling group in his class with those and being a free reader is great too.

marisco_2

bylromarha wrote: »

Not really - it's all the adult teachers playing with them, reliving their youth and painting PVA glue on their hands in order to let it dry so they can peel it off.

I am so glad to know I am not the only teacher who does that

mumps

My parents had a business and I learned by helping with cashing up tills. I think it was better to involve me than have me causing havoc.

I used to do counting,adding and subtracting with my kids with chocolate buttons. At the end of the lesson we would eat the evidence. We all enjoyed maths when they were little. One is a maths teacher so something must have worked.

[Deleted User]

Thank you all for your helpful replies. I've only just caught up on this thread, so will try to ask his teacher next week what methods they use.

Your thank buttons have disappeared, but please consider yourselves THANKED!

Had a giggle at the PVA glue comment, I used to do that too. Caught my kids doing it over xmas when we were making cards.

jackomdj

If he is slower at maths his teacher has probably been focusing on the number bonds to ten before progressing to number bonds to twenty.

Mojisola

Deleted_User wrote: »

He continued to struggle until we used toes to aid working out.

Meanwhile little sis in year 1 with her hand in the air is itching to say.

Don't make him feel like a failure because little sis knows the answer - children learn at different rates and there are differences between the speed that boys and girls make progress.

I would tell his sister to play with something else when you're helping him and not make it clear she knows the answer that he is struggling with.

pmlindyloo

I do agree that you should ask what methods they use in class for doing subtraction but most importantly ask for the progression aspect of this. i.e. the order in which they teach subtraction.

If you do this you will be able to go through each 'stage' and see where his understanding level is, start there and then progress. There are lots of activities on line to support you.

What I suspect is happening is that the class have 'moved on' learning new ways of doing subtraction and your child has not consolidated his understanding at a previous 'step'. For instance they might have been learning tens and ones and he feels should be using this because this has been what they have been taught this week. Got in a muddle and cannot think of any other methods.

The spellings seem hard and, sorry to say this, seem quite random.

Maybe they are they words that he has met in his literacy work.

I won't rant on about how spelling should be taught but the test will be whether he can remember how to spell them in a week's time!