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Counting and Cardinality: See

Preschoolers

Counting and Cardinality: Video 1

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Counting and Cardinality, Video 1


Teacher: And we're going to ask Randy to help us with the cornstarch. We need one -- How many? One...How many? Let's count. One, two, three, four. We need four cups of cornstarch. It has to be full, okay? You can use your other hand. It's okay to touch it. Okay?

Boy: Okay.

Teacher: Okay, it's okay to touch it. Like that. There you go. Two. Jonathan, you want to put the cornstarch? You can start mixing.

Boy: It's really -- We're mixing it.

Close

Observation

  • Describe the physical environment for this activity. Who is participating? Who is leading the activity? What seems to be the goal? What does the teacher ask the children to do together? What does she say and do to involve individual children in the activity?

Application

  • Which teaching practices does the teacher use to help children understand that a numeral represents a quantity? Check the “Know” and “Do” sections for ideas.
  • What materials has the teacher provided to support the children’s learning about counting and cardinality?

Reflection

  • What are some other ways the teacher can involve the children in developing mathematical knowledge?
  • What are some materials and activities teachers can offer children to support their understanding of numbers, written numerals, quantities, and concepts such as more than and less than?

Counting and Cardinality: Video 2

Download the video [MP4, 6MB] Download the transcript
View the transcript

Counting and Cardinality, Video 2


Teacher: She's going to tell us how many hoops we're stepping into. Okay, close your eyes. Close your eyes. How many hoops now?

Girl: Two.

Teacher: Ah, you're too good for me. How many hoops now? Girl: Three.

Teacher: You don't even have to count it, my goodness! You really can count well. All right, now how many?

Girl: One!

Teacher: Okay, close your eyes again. This is gonna be a super trick. Aha! This one's tricky. How many? Aha! What do you say when there's nothing at all? Ze—

Girl: There's no more.

Teacher: There's no more, so we say it's zer--Zero. There's nothing else.

Close

Observation 

  • Describe the physical environment where the activity is taking place. Who is participating? Who is leading the activity? What is the goal? What does the teacher ask each girl to do? What does the counting girl say when the hoops are removed? How does the teacher respond to her? What concept does the teacher focus on at the end of the video segment? Are there any signs that show the children understand this concept?

Application

  • Which teaching practices does the teacher use to help children understand that the words they say while counting represent the number of hoops on the ground? Check the “Know” and “Do” sections for ideas.
  • What might the teacher have learned about the girl who does the counting? What does this girl know how to do related to counting and the number of objects in a small set?

Reflection

  • Young children are active learners, so planning a physically engaging experience about counting is an effective teaching strategy. What are some other ways to support children in learning this skill? How can such strategies be incorporated in everyday routines and transitions as well as planned activities?
  • How can teachers create a math-rich environment? What might they include in the environment to support children’s understanding of written numerals, numbers, and quantities?

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,  School Readiness