SHEILA KING spoke of Math facts            1/2 to DAN TRIPLETT on 01-03-
97
SK>Well, I'm not sure that I 100% by into the "too young to grasp the
SK>concept" idea. I mean, certainly you wouldn't expect 3 year olds to
SK>be able to handle the symbolic abstraction of algebra. So, insofar as
SK>that goes, I do recognize that there are some limits to what a
SK>typical person of a given age can handle. 
And this is all I am really saying.  And the fact that some 5-year-old 
children may be able to handle addition doesn't mean that all can.  I 
wouldn't want it to be expected of kindergartners.  However, my kids 
_do_ add things.....so in a real sense kindergartners can handle some 
addition.  I suppose it is a matter of degree.  Single digit adding with 
numbers 5 and below is certainly a realistic expectation for most 
kindergartners (they add with the fingers and since they have 5 on each 
hand.....)  We play with addition all the time.  I don't expect the kids 
to learn to add, I just want to expose them to the concept of adding.  
Today a child told me he had completed 3 of his 4 stations.  Then he 
said "I have one station left and then I'm done.  That's cuz 3+1=4.  
This sort of thing happens a lot in kindergarten.  My students can also 
add higher numbers like 25+1.  A few kids can add numbers like 7+6.  
But if I were to write the numerals down on paper, many of the kids 
(with numerals above 10) would be lost.  While some kids know numerals 
from 0-30.....most do not.  Some even call the numerals letter names (L 
is often called 7 and vise-versa).  
  
SK>not certain that well-designed exposure to certain pre-requisite
SK>topics couldn't prepare a given group of average 5-year-olds for
SK>addition.
I think the purpose of kindergarten is more exposure of the concepts 
(like adding) rather than being able to preform addition.  If it were 
expected of me to teach my kids addition I would cringe.....
I shouldn't write when I'm so tired...hope this makes sense...
Dan
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