it to you independently and without being given hints along the way.

~ Get children to understand key terms taught

In teaching the topic of addition and subtraction to children, the terms carrying and borrowing are frequently used. What is carrying and borrowing in addition? In teaching these terms to children, we have to be mindful of what these terms may mean to a child. For example, carrying may conjure the image of carrying items for the teachers and may have no relation to addition processes to the child. Likewise, the term borrowing makes no sense to a child who has everything and sees no need to borrow anything.

When we neglect the language aspect of learning Mathematics, the children lose out in understanding the Mathematics they are learning. It is not true that language is not involved in the learning of Mathematics, as many have the misconception. Thus terms such as carrying and borrowing must be explained and illustrated during teaching and children must have a hand in demonstrating their understanding of the concept.

When we teach addition and subtraction, while it is easy to teach children how to carry out the operations of carrying and borrowing using stories, manipulatives and audio-visual aids, we must bear in mind the real meaning behind the terms.

What we refer to as 'carrying' is also referred to as 'renaming'. What is known as 'borrowing' is also known as 'regrouping '.

When we see a two-digit number, say 11, although both digits are the same, the '1' to the left has a different meaning from the '1' to the right and is 10 times the value of the other.

Prior to teaching addition and subtraction, first introduce the concept of tens and ones using groups of 10 sticks as Tens and individual sticks as Ones.

Use popsicle sticks combined with the concept of place values in a number story.

Let us refer to the number 15. Numbers live in houses. The number 15 is made of two digits, 1 and 5 which live in the same House and so they are written along the same horizontal line. The digit 1 uses the Tens Room while the digit 5 uses the Ones Room.

Tens Ones 1 5

The Ones Room can only hold the numbers 1 to 9. Once you have the number 10, it must move together to the Tens Room and be renamed as 1 Ten. But we write only the digit 1 under Tens because now the Tens Room is a bigger room. Each digit there stands for Tens and not Ones.

TEACHING ADDITION

Example: 15 + 27

Say that 15 and 27 want to be friends and live together.

Write the words tens

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