Mental Math Grade 6 Teacher's Guide

Mental Math in the Elementary Mathematics Curriculum
Mental math in this guide refers to fact learning, mental computation, and
computational estimation. The Atlantic Canada Mathematics Curriculum
supports the acquisition of these skills through the development of thinking
strategies across grade levels.
Mental math refers to fact learning, mental computation, and
computational estimation. The Atlantic Canada Mathematics
Curriculum supports the acquisition of these skills through the
development of thinking strategies across grade levels.
Pre-Operational Skills
Many children begin school with a limited understanding of number and
number relationships. Counting skills, which are essential for ordering and
comparing numbers, are an important component in the development of
number sense. Counting on, counting back, concepts of more and less,
and the ability to recognize patterned sets, all mark advances in children’s
development of number ideas.
Basic facts are mathematical operations for which some students
may not be conceptually prepared.
Basic facts are mathematical operations for which some students may not
be conceptually prepared. As a minimum, the following skills should be in
place before children are expected to acquire basic facts.
• Students can immediately name the number that comes after a given
number from 0-9, or before a given number from 2-10.
• When shown a familiar arrangement of dots # 10 on ten frames, dice,
or dot cards, students can quickly identify the number without
counting.
Mental Math – Grade 6 1