Teaching Cambridge Primary Maths

Summary

At Ellena Palmer Primary School in London, a Stage 3 math lesson utilizes a creative domino game to teach students the difference between sum and product. The teacher engages students through chanting times tables, modeling the game, and guiding different groups with varying abilities. Students practice addition and multiplication using dominoes, reinforcing their understanding through interactive learning. The lesson emphasizes key concepts like subitizing, cumulative addition, and multiplication, while also fostering a fun and engaging environment. Through targeted assessments and reflection, the teacher ensures students grasp the core mathematical concepts.

Takeaways

• 😀 The lesson starts with chanting times tables to warm up students and set the foundation for the day's learning objectives.
• 😀 The teacher uses a domino game to teach the difference between sum and product, helping students understand addition and multiplication.
• 😀 The lesson is designed with differentiation, with students divided into three groups based on their learning needs and abilities.
• 😀 Group 1 focuses on subitizing (instantly recognizing the quantity) and cumulative addition, building foundational math skills.
• 😀 Group 2 practices basic addition and multiplication through the domino game, focusing on understanding the concepts of sum and product.
• 😀 Group 3 works on more advanced tasks, such as identifying multiples of three and managing higher cumulative totals.
• 😀 The teacher actively encourages students to engage with the game, helping them learn through hands-on, interactive experiences.
• 😀 The teacher promotes 'good mistakes,' using errors as learning opportunities, especially common mistakes like confusing sum and product.
• 😀 The lesson includes regular checks for understanding, with the teacher asking targeted questions to assess how well students grasp the material.
• 😀 The plenary at the end of the lesson revisits key objectives, ensuring students clearly understand the difference between sum and product and reinforces learning through practical examples.
• 😀 Reflection is a key part of the teaching process, with the teacher adjusting the lesson based on real-time feedback and understanding from the students.

Q & A

What is the main objective of the lesson at Ellena Palmer Primary School?

The main objective is to teach learners the difference between addition and multiplication, focusing on sums and products using a domino game.

How does the teacher start the lesson with the students?

The teacher begins the lesson by chanting times tables, such as 12 x 1 = 12, to engage the class and reinforce basic multiplication concepts.

What is the purpose of introducing the word 'product' during the lesson?

The teacher introduces the word 'product' to explain the result of a multiplication operation, helping students distinguish between sum (addition) and product (multiplication).

How does the teacher ensure that students understand the concept before starting the domino activity?

The teacher assesses students' background knowledge by discussing what they know about dominoes and engaging them in a demonstration of the game, ensuring they understand the rules and objectives.

What role does subitizing play in the lesson?

Subitizing, or instantly recognizing the quantity of dots on a domino without counting, is used to help students quickly and accurately add numbers, particularly in the group focusing on addition.

How does the teacher adjust the activity for different student needs?

The teacher divides the class into three groups, with each group working on different levels of the activity, such as adding numbers, multiplying numbers, or working with higher multiples, to cater to varying abilities.

What extension activity is introduced for group three?

Group three practices identifying and using multiples of three in their domino game, focusing on higher cumulative scores and working with more complex number patterns.

How does the teacher assess student understanding at the end of the lesson?

At the end of the lesson, the teacher revisits the concepts of sum and product through interactive questioning and activities, asking students to identify sums and products from dominoes, and engaging them in class discussions.

Why does the teacher use the domino activity to reinforce the learning objectives?

The domino activity is an interactive and engaging way to help students apply their understanding of addition and multiplication in a fun and hands-on manner, reinforcing key concepts through play.

What teaching strategy is used to address common mistakes in understanding sums and products?

The teacher addresses common errors, such as confusing sums with products, by demonstrating correct operations and clarifying concepts through examples, and using 'good mistakes' to guide learning and encourage active problem-solving.