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UPDATED: JUNE 30, 2023: Newsletters
Counting on from the Larger Number:
Once the student has grasped counting on then the next step would be to focus on efficiency with this strategy which leads into counting on from the larger amount.
Videos for Educators
Important Information:
Counting on from the larger number means that you start with the biggest number in an equation, and then count on from there. Students need to be able to identify the larger number in the equation. Having students circle or highlight the larger number will help to identify where they will need to start before counting on. Students will also need to understand that the order in which we add numbers is irrelevant. (Commutative Property)
Key Ideas: One-to-one Correspindence, Cardinality, Part-Whole Relationship, Hierarchical Inclusion
Examples of what students might do
What students might say: "I started at 8 becuase it is the bigger number and then counted up using my fingers."
Strategies to Support Student Learning
When students count on from a larger number, they know that the larger number represents a whole set. Students no longer directly model the problem, but use their fingers as a way to keep track of a count.
Being able to start at the larger number demonstrates the understanding of commutative property of addition where a pair of numbers can be switched around to reduce the amount of counting required, without changing the result, for example, 5+7=7+5.
Things You Can Do In The Classroom
Games (Click Links Below)
In this activity, students develop through concrete to numerical representation of number to begin 'Counting on.' This game can be modified to support 'Counting on From a Larger Number' through slight changes to the game. (Lawson, Pg. 163)
In this activity students develop strategies for counting on and the key ideas of cardinality and hierarchical inclusion. (Lawson, Pg. 164)
In this activity students develop strategies for counting on by using the number die as a starting point and the dot die to assist in counting on. (Lawson, Pg. 164)
Children work through a set of cards. For each card, children think about the number of dots they see and the whole to determine the missing part. (Lawson, pg 165)
In this twist on the classic War game, students work to find the difference in value between the two cards that are drawn. They are deepening their understanding of the part whole relationship and developing the counting on strategy, as they count on of from the lower card until they reach the value of the higher card. Students use counters to represent the difference. (Lawson, pg. 165)
This fun activity can be used in a small group or whole group. For this activity, place tiles of two colours in a paper bag. Tell students how many tiles there are in total and how many there are of one of the colours. Then, ask how many there are of the other colour. Children suggest answers and provide their thinking. (Lawson, pg. 166)
In this 3 person game, students race to be the first person to figure out the playing card they have on their forehead! (Lawson, pg. 167)
All games and activities located above are directly linked. Some can be found in the Alex Lawson What to Look For Resource. Page locations have been included in the description of each activity.
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