Numeracy – MENTAL MATHS

Townhill Primary School

Mrs Bunyan

What is Mental Maths?

Using number based skills with ACCURACY, SPEED AND CONFIDENCE to work out

calculations in our daily lives.

Daily Practice of Speed, Accuracy & Confidence leads to competence in using number based calculations.

The more we practice the better we’ll become!

Importance of Mental Maths

• Numeracy is an important foundation for lifelong learning, supporting all areas of learning.

• It is a skill for life, learning and work.

• Every day, we, as adults, work out calculations for change, housekeeping, measurements, etc.

Numeracy Experiences and Outcomes

•Number and number processes•Estimation and rounding•Fractions, decimal fractions and percentages•Money•Time•Measurement•Data and analysis•Ideas of chance and uncertainty

High School Mental MathsWhat is expected of 1st Year pupils?

Work out 22 written “sums” as quickly and as accurately as possible in 2 minutes!

The long journey to competencePrimary One……………..

Count to and know names of numbers up to 100Recognise, know and use numbers up to 10 by:Counting up/down 1,2,3,4,5 etcCounting up 10, 20, 30, 40 etc Counting up 5, 10, 15, 20 etcAdding on all numbers to get an answer within 10Taking away numbers within 10DoublingHalving

Primary 1(early level) examples

• 3+4=7 6+4=10 2+7=9 4+4=8

• 8-4=4 10-9=1 9-9=0 7-5=2

• Double 4? 8 Double 2? 4

• Half of 6? 3 Half of 2? 1

The journey continues…….

P2 (first level)……. Count and know names of numbers up to 200/300

Recognise, know and use numbers up to 20 and then 50 by:

Counting up/down 1,2,3 etc… 99 on to 100 & 199 onto 200Counting up 10, 20, 30, 40 etc Counting up 5, 10, 15, 20 etcAdding on numbers to get an answer within 50Taking away numbers within 50Doubling and Halving as part of the 2x tableCounting on in 10s and 5s as part of the 5x and 10x tablesIntroduce the 4x table as a connection of the 2x tableBegin to use more specialist vocabulary for fractions ½, ¼ and how to use them with times tables

P3 (first level)………….• Count to and know names of numbers up to 1 000• Recognise, count and use numbers to 100• Counting on in 10s and 100s• Mental calculations….32 + 45 = add the tens then the units

• 30 + 40 = 70 and 2 + 5 = 7………..answer 77 • This differs from written calculations of 48

+ 51• 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 10 x• Corresponding use of fraction vocabulary for dividing i.e. 1/5

of a number means divide by/share between 5

Practice…….• Counting on in 10s e.g. 1, 11, 21, 31, 41, 51…….• Counting on in 100s e.g. 23, 123, 223, 323, 423…….• Introducing 3x table and 6x table • Looking for times table patterns of numbers same as

adding on from 0………… e.g. 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 18 etc…(3x) or 0, 6, 12, 18, 24……. (6x)

• 1/3 means divide by 3 or 1/6 means divide by 6

P4 (first level) ………………• Recognise and count numbers up to 10 000• Recognise count and use numbers up to 1 000• Counting on and back as before• Know and use all times tables• Rounding up/down numbers to the nearest 10, 100• Developing use of all numbers in the “four operations” –

(that is addition, subtraction, multiplication and division)

P5 (second level) …………• Recognising & counting up to 100 000• Know, count and use numbers up to 10 000 - building

on P1-4 experiences and skills of manipulating numbers and processes mentally.

• Getting noticeably quicker with easier calculations and developing confidence as numbers increase

• Rounding up/down to 10 000• Using our x tables knowledge to work out bigger

calculations 4x6= ? 40 x 60= ? (see the connection?) or 16 -:- 4 = ? 160 -:- 40 = (connection?)

Primary 6 & 7

The Numeracy Gateway for life…………(and especially the High School Numeracy curriculum!)

……Fractions, Decimal Fractions and Percentages

P6 and P7• Recognise, know, count and use numbers to 1 000 000

(one million) using the four operations + - x -:-• Work with increasingly difficult numbers• Link fractions to decimal fractions and then on to

percentages• Know all common/easily recognisable %, link them, and

use fraction skills to calculate answer 50% of 70 means ½ of 70. 75% of 600 means ¾ of 600 etc

• Introduce negative numbers 0, -1, -2, -3, -4 etc• Introduce the word “Algebra” and discover they’ve been

doing it since P1!

What can you do?•Encourage your child to talk about numbers for

example when handling money – recognise coins, learn their value, work out simple change – they need number

skills for this.•Take time to ask the quick fire times table questions – a few minutes everyday will increase competence and

skill•Use shopping trips to develop your child’s number skills – getting amounts of items, working out the best offer,

simple budgeting•Look for signs in the environment and when you see a

bargain……. 30% off - talk about it (at any age!)

What can you do?

•Support their learning of number bonds. Having instant recall of 6+3=9, enables 60+30, 600+ 300 etc.

•Encourage them to use clocks in the house to tell the time – use train, bus timetables to plan journeys and work out how long they will take

• Play board games that encourage logical and strategic planning, e.g. Dominoes, Monopoly, Chess, Battleships

What can you do?

•Play snooker/pool or darts to encourage mental addition

• Baking and cooking provide lots of opportunities to look at weight and measure/scales….. Even dividing up

food to serve.

What can you do?

• Play bingo – it can be based upon number, addition/subtraction facts, times tables.

• Help your child to learn their tables – really helps with work on division, fractions, percentages etc.

• Model the ways you use number in your life…..

•Numbers never begin and end in school…… they are most definitely – FOR LIFE!