Table of Contents

About the Author
About the Companion Website
How to Access the Companion Website
Introduction
What′s New in this edition?
What does this book contain?
Why is there such a strong emphasis on games?
How to use this book
What is dyscalculia?
What are the indicators for dyscalculia?
What about learners with other specific learning difficulties?
What′s next, after working through this book?
Table: Summary of the main teaching points addressed by the games in The Dyscalculia Toolkit
Table: All the activities and games in The Dyscalculia Toolkit listed according to their numeracy topic or main teaching points
Section 1: EARLY NUMBER WORK WITH NUMBERS UP TO 10
Overview
What are the main problems?
How to help
Activities and Games:
Activity - Make dot patterns for the numbers 1 to 10
Activity - Make transparent dot pattern cards for the numbers 1 to 5
Game - Make 5
Activity - Explore smaller numbers inside larger numbers
Game - Numbers inside
Activity - Change one dot pattern into another
Activity - Change dot pattern by adding or subtracting
Activity - Use dot patterns to explore the idea of odd and even
Game - Collect 5s
Game - Key Components Guessing Game
Activity - Sort and re-sort a set of dominoes
What about learners with other specific learning difficulties?
What′s next, after working through this book?
Table: Summary of the main teaching points addressed by the games in The Dyscalculia Toolkit
Table: All the activities and games in The Dyscalculia Toolkit listed according to their numeracy topic or main teaching points
Section 1: EARLY NUMBER WORK WITH NUMBERS UP TO 10
Overview
What are the main problems?
How to help
Activities and Games:
Activity - Make dot patterns for the numbers 1 to 10
Activity - Make transparent dot pattern cards for the numbers 1 to 5
Game - Make 5
Activity - Explore smaller numbers inside larger numbers
Game - Numbers inside
Activity - Change one dot pattern into another
Activity - Change dot pattern by adding or subtracting
Activity - Use dot patterns to explore the idea of odd and even
Game - Collect 5s
Game - Key Components Guessing Game
Activity - Sort and re-sort a set of dominoes
Activity - Connect subtraction to addition
Activity - Regroup: Apply logic to find new component facts from given facts
Activity - Become familiar with Cuisenaire rods
Activity – Explore odd and even with Cuisenaire rods and with money
Game – Odd and Even Collectors
Game – Draw Your Race on a Number Line
Activities – Use Cuisenaire rods to learn all components of the numbers 1–10
Activity – Make and read equations with Cuisenaire rods
Activity – Make a ‘Story’ of a number
Game – Race To Tell a Story
Game – Post-It Note Subtraction
Activities – Draw and record equations in writing
Activity – Make up word problems to match a given number fact
Game – Cover the Numbers, or Shut the Box
Game – Clear the Deck
Activity – Make a bead string, in two colours, of 10 beads
Activities – Learn complements of 10 with the bead string
Game – How Many Beads? How Many Are Hidden?
Activity – Find complements of 10 with Cuisenaire rods
Game – Complements Number Search
Game – Complements Ping-Pong
Game – Ten in a Bed
Activities – Explore and learn the doubles up to 5 + 5
Activities – Estimate and measure using Cuisenaire rods
Activities – Focus on plus/minus 1 and plus/minus 2
Game – Who Has the Most Equations?
Activity – Compare the difference and equalise
Activities – Hidden quantity subtraction
Activity – Teach complementary addition
Activity – Complementary addition on a number line
Activity – Use reasoning to find near-complements and near-doubles
Activity – Identify the best strategy for different situations
Activities – Use money for component work
Section 2: BASIC CALCULATION WITH NUMBERS ABOVE 10
Overview
What are the main problems?
How to help
Activities and games:
Game – Polka Dots
Game – Regroup
Activity – Connect the numbers 10–20 with the numbers below 10
Activities – Focus on the ‘teen’ numbers
Activities – Explore the numbers between 10 and 20 with Cuisenaire rods
Game – It All Adds Up
Activities – Locate 2-digit numbers and put them in context
Activities – Complements to 20
Activity – Complements to larger multiples of 10
Activity – Complements on a number line
Activity – Introduce bridging through 10 with Cuisenaire rods
Game – Five and What’s Left
Activity – Bridge through 10 on a number line
Activity – Practise bridging and reinforce the commutativity of addition
Game – Frame an Addition
Activity – Bridge through multiples of 10 on a number line
Game – Race Along a Number Line and Bridge
Game – Race to the End of the Number Line
Activity – Complementary addition, or subtraction by adding
Game – Frame a Subtraction
Activity – Complementary addition for subtracting round numbers
Activity – Harder complementary addition on a number line
Activity – A flexible approach to partitioning
Activities – Explore partitioning methods for 2–digit mental additions
Activity – Teach an alternative written method for column addition
Activity – Avoid decomposition in subtraction
Activities – Complements to 100
Game – Keep the Change!
Activity – Learn the doubles up to 10 + 10
Activities – Practise and extend the doubles facts
Activity – Halving is the opposite of doubling
Activity – Find half of round numbers
Activity – Function machines for doubling and halving
Activity – Use reasoning to find near-complements and near-doubles
Game – Double Take
Activity – 9 is almost 10
Activity – The Basic 8 strategies
Activity – Identify which strategy works best in different situations
Section 3: PLACE VALUE
Overview
A note about the threefold nature of the column labelling system
What are the main problems?
How to help
Activities and games:
Activities – Exchange units into tens
Activities – Concrete counting on place value mats
Game – Magic 10s
Activities – Make a 20-step staircase and explore the ‘teen’ number names
Activity – Cover 20
Game – Race to Cover 100
Game – Four Throws to Reach 100
Activities – Make and read numbers made of Cuisenaire rods or base-10 materials
Games – Dice and Spinner Games
Activities – Practise subtraction and decomposition with concrete materials
Game – Spot the Decomposition
Activities – Use a spike abacus
Game – Win Counters on a 100-Square
Game – Race through a 100-Square
Activities – Practise adding and subtracting 10 and 100
Game – Steer the Number
Activity – Transform a 2-digit number in two steps
Activity – Teach the threefold repeating pattern: units, tens and hundreds
Activities – Explore place value as a shorthand
Activities – Read and write multi-digit numbers
Activities – Build up large numbers, one column at a time
Activity – What is the value of …
Game – 2-Digit Sequences
Game – 3-Digit Sequences (Focus on Tens)
Game – Place Value Boxes
Game – Calculator Skittles
Activity – Partition numbers into tens and units in various ways
Activity – Split off the ‘teen’ numbers
Game – Jump 10
Activities – Locate any number on a number line
Game – The Six-Card Rounding Game
Game – The Rounding Challenge
Activity – Teach × 10 and ÷ 10 as a shift between columns
Activity – Extend place value thinking to decimals
Activity – Connect decimal place value notation to money
Section 4: TIMES TABLES, MULTIPLICATION AND DIVISION
Overview
What are the main problems?
How to help
Activities and games:
Activities – Build small numbers out of equal-sized groups
Activity – Connect division to multiplication from the very beginning
Activity – Illustrate simple word problems
Activity – Use Cuisenaire rods to show that multiplication is commutative
Activities – Use Cuisenaire rods to connect multiplication and division
Activity – Diagrammatic recording of multiplication and division
Activity – Connect step-counting (repeated addition) with multiplication
Activity – Step–count one or two steps from various tables facts
Activity – Practise mental step-counting from given tables facts
Activities – Make times tables patterns on a 100-square
Activities – Make times tables patterns on number lines
Activities – Key fact: Double means ‘multiply by 2’
Activity – Key facts: × 5 is half of × 10
Activity – How many 10s? So, twice as many 5s
Activity – × 9 is almost × 10
Activity – Find all the steps of any times table by reasoning from key facts
Activity – Practise all the steps of any times table by reasoning from key facts
Activity – Find division facts by reasoning from key facts
Game – Don’t Walk if You Can Take the Bus
Game – Mouse Tables
Activity – Construct a multiplication grid
Activity – Complete a partially-filled multiplication grid
Games using self-correcting cards to practise individual times tables
Game – Multiples from the 1–6 Times Tables
Activity – Harder mixed tables practice
Game – Products in a Row
Game – Factors
Activity – Diagrammatic practice of the area model of multiplication
Activity – Use rectangle sketches to help derive new multiplication facts
Activities – Change the shape of the multiplication rectangle
Game – Areas on a Grid
Activity – Boxes for long multiplication
Suggestions for further reading
Appendix: Introduction to concrete manipulative materials
Index

About the Author

Ronit Bird's interest in students with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLDs) led her to developing strategies and teaching activities to help support their learning. She works as a teacher in London and as a contributor to professional development courses for teachers.