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Erikson Institute Early Math Collaborative
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Math Strands

Types

for

Audience

Special Topics

Sets

Sets are basic to children’s thinking and learning. They are also basic to our number system. One of the most important jobs of each number is to describe “how many” there are in a set of things — be it one, seven, or three hundred and nineteen. Before we can figure out how many apples there are, we have to decide which things are apples, and which are not. Once we’ve created the set of things that are apples, perhaps by separating them from the oranges, then we can count them. Counting requires a set, and as a result, the properties of sets have a large influence on the base 10 number system, and on mathematics.

Copyright: Erikson Institute’s Early Math Collaborative. Reprinted from Big Ideas of Early Mathematics: What Teachers of Young Children Need to Know (2014), Pearson Education.

algebraic thinking algebraic sentence in young children 636x363
Series: Book Ideas

4 Books That Inspire Algebraic Thinking in Young Children

January 3, 2017

One of the best ways to delve into the rules and patterns that govern algebra is through the books that are read to children each and every day.

  • Topic: Precursor Concepts, Sets, Number Operations
  • Age/Grade Level: Infants, Toddlers, Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st Grade
  • Tags Books, Eric Carle, Audrey Wood, Tana Hoban, Is it Red? Is it Yellow? Is it Blue?, The Napping House, Mary Ann Hoberman, Rooster's Off to See the World, I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly
math-for-babies
Series: About the Collaborative December 10, 2015

At NAEYC Conference, Collaborative Talks Math for Babies and Toddlers

On November 18th-21st, 2015 instructors Dr. Hynes-Berry and Dr. Chen attended the annual national conference, presenting on the precursor concepts of math for babies and infants three-years-old and younger.

  • Topic: Sets
  • Age/Grade Level: Infants, Toddlers
  • Tags NAEYC, Babies, Infants
Series: Focus on Collaboration December 9, 2015

Analyzing Video in a Grade Level Meeting

In this video, a team of preschool teachers looks at video from a classroom to find and discuss evidence of student thinking.

  • Topic: Sets
  • Age/Grade Level: Pre-K
  • Tags Grade level meeting
Series: Hear from the Experts September 16, 2015

Talking with Children Sets the Groundwork for Mathematical Learning

A new book, Thirty Million Words: Building a Child's Brain, explains the importance of regularly talking with children ages 0-3—the time during which the brain develops most rapidly. Ensuring that these conversations take place will…

  • Topic: Sets, Pattern
  • Age/Grade Level: Infants, Toddlers
Series: Focus on the Child June 11, 2015

Sorting Rocks with Child 31

A student organizes rocks into different groups based on their unique characteristics.

  • Topic: Sets
  • Age/Grade Level: Pre-K, Kindergarten
  • Tags Child 31, Nature
EMTR083-2 explorations in core math concepts
Series: Focus on the Child June 11, 2015

Sorting Rocks with Child 14

A kindergarten student organizes a collection of rocks into unique sets. Simple questions can result in explorations in core math concepts such as grouping. In this case, some very unusual groups are created.

  • Topic: Sets
  • Age/Grade Level: Pre-K, Kindergarten
  • Tags English Language Learner, Child 14, Nature
Series: Focus on the Child June 11, 2015

Sorting Commercial Manipulatives with Child 33

A child makes different groups out of a collection of keys.

  • Topic: Sets
  • Age/Grade Level: Pre-K, Kindergarten
  • Tags Child 33
Series: Focus on the Lesson June 11, 2015

People Sort

Children sort and re-sort each other, based on various attributes. This activity involves an open sort in which the categories can include a wide range of attributes that must be identified and described by the…

  • Topic: Sets
  • Age/Grade Level: Pre-K, Kindergarten
  • Tags English Language Learner, Play, Books, Emily Jenkins, Five Creatures
Series: About the Collaborative May 27, 2015

Collaboration with the Ounce Highlights Math Development in Children Ages 0-3

Reading a "touch-and-feel" book or singing an action song with a baby or toddler is setting the groundwork for mathematical thinking and future school success. That's the point of Math All Around Me (MAAM), a joint…

  • Topic: Sets, Pattern
  • Age/Grade Level: Infants, Toddlers, Pre-K, Kindergarten
  • Tags Babies, Infants
Series: Focus on the Child April 27, 2015

Sorting Rocks with Child 32

A child creates groups out of a collection of rocks.

  • Topic: Sets
  • Age/Grade Level: Pre-K, Kindergarten
  • Tags Child 32, Nature
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