• About
  • Projects
  • Contact
  • Join
  • Login
Erikson Institute Early Math Collaborative
Early Math Collaborative
  • Español de México
  • Why Early Math?
    Our Mission Big Ideas of Early Math Precursor Concepts Racial Justice
  • Professional Development
    Whole Teacher Approach Learning Labs Instructional Coaching Leadership Academies Our Books
  • Online Learning
    Our Resources Professional Learning Modules Series Bulletin Board Online Degrees
  • Research
    Teacher Development Publications Presentations Measuring Math
  • Events
    Events Calendar Summer Institutes Promising Math
  • Ideas
  • Why Early Math?
    • Our Mission
    • Big Ideas of Early Math
    • Precursor Concepts
    • Racial Justice
  • Professional Development
    • Learning Labs
    • Instructional Coaching
    • Leadership Academies
    • Our Books
  • Online Learning
    • Online Learning
    • Professional Learning Modules
    • Series
    • Bulletin Board
    • Online Degrees
  • Research
    • Teacher Change
    • Publications
    • Presentations
    • Measuring Math
  • Events
    • Events Calendar
    • Summer Institutes
    • Promising Math
  • About
    • About
    • Projects and Partnerships
    • Staff
    • Contact
  • Language Switcher
    • English
    • Español de México
  • Ideas
  • MyDashboard
  • Login or Join Today

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.

EMTR103-2 maths primary school
Series: Focus on the Child

Organizing Bears with Child 15

April 5, 2013

A child explains how he organizes a group of bears.

  • Topic: Sets
  • Age/Grade Level: Pre-K, Kindergarten
  • Tags Animals, Child 15
Series: Focus on the Child February 19, 2013

Sorting Commercial Manipulatives with Child 30

A student organizes a collection of keys in different ways.

  • Topic: Sets
  • Age/Grade Level: Pre-K, Kindergarten
  • Tags Child 30
NEWS019-1 books to read for kids
Series: Book Ideas February 18, 2013

Sorting It Out with Buttons and Books

Sorting things into categories is one of the ways mathematics enters into our daily life. Talking about attributes and qualities such as size, shape, texture, and color encourages children to look more closely at things.

  • Topic: Sets
  • Age/Grade Level: Pre-K, Kindergarten
  • Tags Books, Sort It Out!, Barbara Mariconda, The Button Box, Margarette S. Reid
NEWS016-1 teaching bilingual
Series: Ideas at Work February 15, 2013

Three Bears Sort in a Dual Language Classroom

Wanda Ocasio of Inter-American School saw the opportunity to use a Three Bears sorting lesson to investigate her preschoolers’ understanding of sorting, as well as explore this Big Idea in the context of a multilingual…

  • Topic: Sets
  • Age/Grade Level: Pre-K
  • Tags Animals, English Language Learner, Goldilocks and the Three Bears
  • Previous
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • Next

Do the math.

 

Free videos.

Free newsletter packed with ideas.

Free professional learning modules.

 


Join the collaborative

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Staff
  • Jobs
  • Funders
  • Legal Policies

Early Math Collaborative 451 N LaSalle Street, Chicago, IL 60654

© Erikson Institute, All Rights Reserved.

  • Erikson Institute
  • The Early Math Collaborative is part of Erikson Institute, the nation’s premier graduate school in child development.

  • Visit Erikson.edu