Numeracy

Subject Co-ordinator - Miss S. Calvert 

Numeracy is the development and application of mathematics across the curriculum and in real life situations. Skills in numeracy should help children to make informed and responsible choices and decisions throughout their lives.

Throughout the primary school, children should engage in a wide range of purposeful activities which should involve them in different modes of mathematical learning, including playing, exploring and investigating, doing and observing, talking and listening, asking questions, reflecting, drafting, reading and recording. (NI Curriculum)

Numeracy permeates all aspects of work in school and is interlinked with all other curriculum areas.

Practical activities are an important part of the development of mathematical skills and continue to be used throughout the school. We have a wide range of mathematical resources to support these activities and a number of computer programmes that the children have available to them both in classrooms and in our computer suite. Children also develop their mathematical skills in our outdoor play areas in the playground and in Big Bear Wood.

Numicon

We have recently invested in Numicon for the whole school, from Nursery through to Primary 7. This is a very valuable resource. Numicon is an approach to teaching maths that helps your child to see connections between numbers. It supports your child as they learn maths skills as it is a multi-sensory way of learning, which means your child learns by seeing and feeling.

Times Tables Rock Stars

In Comber PS our children from P4 - P7 all have access to the amazing online programme Times Tables Rock Stars.

Times Tables Rock Stars is a carefully sequenced programme of daily times tables practice. Each week concentrates on a different times table, with a recommended consolidation week for rehearsing the tables that have recently been practised. We have found that our pupils have loved this fun and interactive way of learning their tables. Have a look at some of our pupils celebrating their success!

Problem Solving and Investigations throughout P1-7.

We use our thinking skills in working independently and with others to complete tricky problem solving activities. Solving problems provides a welcome challenge to many, however they teach us the importance of perseverance in sticking at a problem and coming to a solution, or a few solutions. Children are given more open-ended numeracy activities with the onus on developing mathematical thinking and a deeper understanding of the subject. The investigations have been split into different types:

• Finding All Possibilities
• Logic & Reasoning
• Exploring Patterns and Relationships
• Visual/Diagram Problems

We have great fun approaching numeracy activities in this way. Have a look at some of our work from across the school…

Izak9

Izak9 is a physical device that can raise children’s curiosity levels around mathematics and offer the potential for high levels of engagement, whilst also offering opportunities for all children – with different learning abilities and preferred learning styles – to access the skills and content of the maths curriculum.

In Comber PS we are very fortunate to have two Izak9 cubes meaning that you can complete a number of lessons within your class/year group at the same time. Have a look below at one of our classes completing different challenges with Izak9!