Before children can fully understand addition and subtraction, they must build a detailed knowledge of the embeddedness of numbers. They need to recognize that each number has other numbers “hiding” inside it. This unit initiates this process by developing your child's awareness of the ways in which numbers can be “broken apart” and “put together.”

We start off by learning how to break numbers into smaller components by using counters and Break-Apart Sticks to help them see the groups within a group. Along with these physical supports, children are encouraged to relate break-aparts to their everyday lives by telling their own stories.

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