Teaching article
Counting on without losing track of the added amount
Keep the first quantity in mind and count the added units from that point.
A learner who already knows one collection's quantity need not recount every object. Use visible markers for the added steps so the child can distinguish the starting value from the number being added.
Name the first group as five. Add counters while saying six seven eight. Check by combining all objects.
Start from what is already known
Starting at five and counting three more reaches eight without recounting the original five.
Start with the larger known quantity and add the smaller amount through subsequent count words. Count the added steps separately.
How many counting steps were added? Keep the original group visible.
The starting number is not one of the added counts.
Resources
- Maths Puzzle Generator — Choose arithmetic or missing-number questions only when they match the number relationship being explored.
Further reading
Read next
- Number-line addition: what does each jump mean?
- One part-whole model connects addition and subtraction
- Division by sharing: how many does each recipient get?
Explore Number, operations and fractions. Browse all teaching articles.
