Make Math Moments Academy › Forums › Mini-Course Reflections › The Concept Holding Your Students Back › Lesson 4-1: From Spatial to Counting Comparisons – Discussion › Reply To: Lesson 4-1: From Spatial to Counting Comparisons – Discussion
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If my students subtract 13 from 8, they start by using red and black counters and they line up the zero pairs. Then they count to see that 5 red counters remain. We then use number lines but eventually want to make the jump to the abstract, but I still have students who count up on their fingers from 8 (or who count backwards from 13, depending upon the student.). How do I help them make the jump from counting to additive thinking?
Also, I was interested in the idea of using number tiles before transitioning to number lines. I teach middle school and hadn’t seem that but I do have a few students who don’t seem entirely comfortable with number lines.