Green button. Pupils 8 years of age.

Wee Willie Winkie

Reading the Hour Hand

Hours and Minutes

Division Sums

The colouring for this age group, an overall green, is meant to indicate that most of the pupils will have started the process of learning the multiplication and division facts, with a good understanding of what multiples are.

By now they should have gained a good understanding of the addition and subtraction facts to ten (all 90 of them), and to have followed on with a sure understanding of the numbers up to twenty - after overcoming one of the greatest obstacles in early learning, - that of being totally and completely familiar with the numbers; eleven, twelve, thirteen and fifteen....(to reach this learning goal may be exceptionally difficult for some learners but consistent and patient effort should bring success. Refer to the String of Beads file.)

And so there should be good reason for a profitable start at the beginning of this vital learning stage.(Learning all the multiplication facts the right way) And as practise continues with multiples to higher and higher values of number: - multiples of 2, then 3 and so on up to multiples of 9 young learners will have extended their vertical numberstrip with 2, then 3 on up to 9 beanstalks - they will be getting a better and better idea of the simple structure of the decimal counting system. ( See Beanstalks )
But the practical experience - hopping up a number line in multiples of a number ....is a perfect example to prove the case for parent help to save an impossible burden on the classroom teacher. A parent can give valuable, consistent, individual help to a young learner, and this could be the answer to the distressing unanswerable problem (whereby slow learners continue to miss-out) if provision for parent help could become more activated....And, even for the high - flyers at school. the above practice, an essential practice for every single learner, can take months of daily effort before the vital multiplication facts become well known

However, at this stage particularly, and it cannot be emphasised too strongly that no-one should be allowed to use a pocket calculator to aid their learning. The sad fact is that when the brain is not activated it stops developing. Simple, and easy ways are definitely not the best for a young learner.

This is also the time when a great effort must be made with any slow learners that happen to waiting to be taught, year after year in too many classrooms. Patient help, provided daily could be of enormous benefit to them. But how can this happen in a classroom where there are many young learners all needing a teacher's attention?
The only way out of this persistent dilemma is Better Prepared Parent Help.
Then there will be more contentment, less truancy, fewer exclusions and happier parents and teachers

The achievement goals for parents to aim for, if well set out, could be well within their reach.
Then the goals could be displayed to show the path of progress for a young learner to follow in order to become numerate.
The steps to be taken along with descriptions of materials to use and suitable games or fun activities to be tried could be given.
Payments to parents would have to be considered.
The programme for parents to follow is set out in this website; but even that could be set out in easy steps, with a list of tests to be taken to ensure a young learner's readiness to move up to a step higher in their learning path up to an easy to recognise goal of achievement.
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A simple message similar to the one below could be sent to all parents who wish to join the fun of teaching at home....

"Every parent can make a success of helping their own child to learn maths at home.
To get this happy condition working it is vital for a young learner to get consistent individual help from a parent or a friend-of-the-family, - for you must accept the fact that the classroom teacher is much too overburdened with responsibility to all children to give consistent daily help to one pupil......And that goes for the specialist teacher also.
So have a go, you, or your friend, and you will find it to be most rewarding and enjoyable.
First of all, make sure that your child can count discretely, (scatter 5 or 6 coins of the same kind , and ask-"How many coins are there?")
Have a pack of long thin cards-5 of them.- Stagger their lengths so that the longest is at the bottom. Then cut them, with scissors,(about 2 cm at a time so that 1, or 2, or 3, or 4, or 5 pieces drop at a time.) And see, as they drop, if s/he can call out instantly how many drop.
If unready to proceed further, give your child a chance to mature naturally.
If successful then work on the practices with the string of beads motif - to be followed by the fascinating practice with Snap Cards etc...".