Ep 39: Introducing the Addition and Subtraction Symbols

Truth. Kids don't need addition and subtraction symbols to do addition and subtraction symbols. But when they do, give them a little…spice.

Today we’re talking about how to give those squiggles meaning!

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Let's talk today about introducing the addition,

(00:02):
subtraction, and equal signs and making them stick.
To Making Number Sense Makes Sense,
a podcast for elementary teachers,
specifically early elementary teachers,
looking to really make an impact
in the number sense of their students.
After you've spent the whole year working on letters
and numbers and giving students all of those squiggles

(00:24):
to have meaning, do we really need addition,
subtraction, and equal signs on top of it
for young students?
The answer is no.
But they do eventually need to learn those symbols
and they can seem really abstract like most symbols.
So you'll see this a lot when students are trying
to write number sentences and the equals in the wrong place

(00:47):
and the plus sign is at the end of all of the numbers
because it doesn't really have any meaning.
It's something that students just kind of saw
or if you have families having their kids do workbooks
and the like, they might start to remember the facts
but not really understand the actual symbols

(01:09):
and be able to apply it to something else.
So I'm gonna share with you a way that I can make
those symbols have more meaning.
If a student is still having trouble with a lot of symbols
like letters and numbers, I would not introduce
the addition and subtraction symbol.
Students can solve addition and subtraction
way before they can read a number sentence.

(01:31):
So you're gonna wanna make sure that your kids
have a strong foundation of those concepts
even if they don't have a name for them.
And one way you can start to introduce the idea
of a number sentence is through the discussions
that you're having when students are solving problems.
So if there were three fish and five swam to join them

(01:53):
and the student explains to you that they used five fingers
and then three more, you can actually scribe out
five plus three equals eight as they're talking
as a way to note what they said
but not necessarily draw attention to it.
When they're ready, there are things you can do
to bring those symbols to life.

(02:14):
When kids learn and they see something one way,
it creates a neural pathway, a little pathway to remember
but it's really thin.
It's like if you go to the gym one time,
you're not gonna have giant muscles,
you're not gonna be able to lift really heavy weights
because you've only done it once.
But if you continue to go to the gym,

(02:35):
you're gonna get stronger.
And as you continue to build on knowledge
that the students already have,
those neural pathways get stronger.
So just writing a number sentence like I described
is one way.
But you can take advantage of the other ways
that students learn to build on that
and make your neural pathways stronger.

(02:56):
One of the ways is to get their emotions involved.
You might be thinking what emotions could you have
in an addition and subtraction symbol?
Give a story problem that kids would actually care about
and give that plus minus and equal sign a personality.
Involve them in a story to make it more sticky

(03:17):
to help students remember.
So instead of abstract symbols,
you're making them characters,
you're giving them a story,
you're giving them emotions and feelings,
enter Gus the plus, Linus the minus, and Zico the equal.
If you need Spanish version,
it's a Tomas el mas, Memo el menos, and Pascual el igual.

(03:38):
Since I was an immersion teacher,
I used the Spanish versions, but the idea is the same.
So when you introduce Gus the plus,
you can talk about Gus as being a helpful person
who always wants to give.
So whenever you see Gus the plus,
you know that you're gonna end up with more
than what you started with.
And give students a chance to play with that,

(04:00):
present story problems and say,
oh, look, there's Gus, he's right in the middle.
Are you gonna have more or less than what you started with?
And after Gus comes in, Zico the equal.
And I like to tell my students
that Zico just wants everybody to be in balance.
He wants both sides to be the same.
So when you see Zico the equal,

(04:21):
you know that you need numbers for young kids,
numbers on both sides of Zico,
and the two should be the same.
You have Gus the plus who likes to show people more,
and you'll end up with a larger number
than what you started with.
You know that if you see Zico the equal,
gonna be equal on both sides.
But when Linus the minus comes around,

(04:43):
he is the opposite of Gus the plus.
When you see Linus the minus,
you know you'll be left with less.
Now I probably would not explain all three on the same day.
I would give students a chance to work with Gus the plus.
When you start to introduce Zico,
I love to actually get a balance
and present them with the beginning of a number sentence.

(05:05):
And students will tell you two plus two equals four.
So you have four on one side,
and then show them four on the other side,
because Zico's job is to balance those things out,
and they'll see that it's the same.
Kids can get confused about the equal sign,
thinking that just means now it's time to do math
to find out what it means.
But they can also start to get confused

(05:27):
if the equal comes earlier in the number sentence.
So instead of five plus three equals eight,
you'd get eight equals five plus three.
It can start to be a little confusing.
If they understand that no matter where the equal is,
the two sides need to be balanced,
it can cut down on that confusion.
And if you're working with Linus the minus
and the minus sign,

(05:47):
it can be helpful to make sure that when you read it,
you read it as minus or subtracting.
Because often you might say you take away this number,
you take away that number.
Taking away doesn't necessarily apply
to all subtraction situations.
So that could be a little point of confusion
that students have.
When you're reading the minus,
is a subtraction or a minus sign.

(06:10):
And when you're working with these symbols,
take the opportunity to write the equal on both sides.
So the sum on the left and also the sum on the right.
So they can see that those things are the same.
Now, if you're looking for actual teaching slides
that have Gus the plus, Linus the minus,
and Z equal the equal all in,

(06:31):
I will have a link to that down below
where students will get to meet the characters
and practice using them
and practice writing their own number sentences
in games, in a project,
and have actual digital math stories
that they can apply number sentences to.
Let me know if you try using Gus the plus,

(06:52):
Linus the minus, and Z equal the equal in your classroom
or the Spanish version.
Tomas el mas, Pascual el igual,
and Memo el menos.
And let me know what your students think.
If you are enjoying the podcast,
make sure to leave a review
and I will catch you next time.