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Fun with Subitizing: Math Log One

Erin Valenzuela

Cohort C1

EDUC 4032 (YCO)

Dr. Ruth Beatty

Lakehead University
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Fun with Subitizing

Prior to coming to our first class, I will not lie, I was terrified I was going to responsible

for educating young children in a subject that baffles me. I definitely had the mindset that

mathematics was not for everyone and I was one of those unfortunate ones who would never be

able to grasp mathematical concepts. I am pleased to say my mindset is quickly changing. Within

the text Elementary and Middle School Mathematics Teaching Developmentally Fifth Canadian

Edition, the first chapter provides a great overview of processes and competencies required for

student success in mathematics; primarily changing our mindsets to grow mindsets in

mathematics. Knowing this I thought, why not start there myself. Change your mindset and start

to embrace mathematical thinking. I can say I feel fairly confident with the four most common

competencies; Reasoning, Communication, Problem Solving, and Connections, outlined in Van

de Walle et als’ text, however some of the other skills identified are a little more foggy to me

such as Mental Math and Estimation and Visualization (pg. 6-7). Knowing this, I really started to

think about ways I could improve these skills and the first concept we explored related to this

was the concept of Subitizing.

I will admit, I had no idea what Subitizing was. I quickly learned from the text and our

class discussion that Subitizing “is a complex skill essential to early understanding of number,

and it is one that needs to be developed through many experiences” (Van de Walle et al pg. 116).

When I first heard this technical term on our second day of classes I felt like I was drowning

already. I did not know what Subitizing was and assumed I therefore did not know how to do it.

Something I am sure many young students might also do. Looking back now I know that

thinking was wrong but sometimes the simplest things like vocabulary can make all the

difference. I will definitely remember this when I am a teacher. I think when teaching this
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concept to students I will embrace more of a definition for example, looking at numbers and

quickly knowing what they represent without counting or “instantly seeing how many”

(Clements pg. 400). I know saying Subitizing is a much short way to explain this, but sometimes

to be clear you need to say more. I now understand this as my first block to learning math and I

want to be sure I remove this barrier for my future students.

In class on September 19th, we began exploring Subitizing with dot plates. I found this

activity really fun. Being able to quickly reference the numbers from one to six on the plates to

start built my confidence and made me feel that I did know how to do this. I have the skills I just

need to pull them out of my memory. Even when you switched to the numbers one to twelve I

remained confident. I will definitely use this with my students as young as Junior Kindergarten. I

strongly believe if students are confident in simple recognition first, they will be successful as

the challenges progress. This probably why Number Sense and Numeration appear as a strand

for each grade level in the Ontario Mathematics Curriculum 2005 (Ministry of Ontario pg. 8).

Now that we have been exploring manipulatives more in class I have also realized there are other

ways a student can represent the concept of Subitizing through Number Sense. I can teach using

dot plates like the ones you prepared for our class and shown in Van de Walle et al’s text on page

117 as a beginning task and then expand upon it.

Figure A Figure B
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This example shows both the basic ways to recognize the quantity (Figure A) as well as how to

extend the activity once students have learned that three dots in a row represents the quantity

three. Figure B shows that you can also move the dots around to represent the quantity in an

alternative way to build number sense. This activity as well as the extension shows fun ways to

introduce students to Mental Mathematics and Estimation through Subitizing. It encourages

students to estimate based on their previous understanding of how many dots are present.

Subitizing I know realize, can also be taught with your fingers. I can teach students to

recognize the numbers one through ten using the fingers on my hands and theirs. By holding up

fingers I can represent similar patterns to the dot plates as illustrated in the images show below:

This representation shows how quickly students can learn Visualization

with their own manipulatives. I had honestly forgotten how important this representation of

number quantities on your hands is. Maybe I had taken for granted that because we use our

fingers everyday they are just known, however, after exploring Subitizing more I realize fingers

are one of the most important tools my students will have with them. By building Mental

Mathematics and Visualization into everyday math exploration such as asking my students

“show me how old you are with your fingers”, they will have a grasp on recognizing number

quantities in no time.

This concept of Mental Mathematics, Estimates and Visualization I learned can be

extended even further. These skills can also be taught with single and double sets of dice. Below

is an example of how I plan to use dice games to teach my students quantity recognitions. This
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Subitizing Bingo game provides students with a way to link the visual quantity on a dice with the

name of the number being called in order to gain a Bingo. Subitizing in this game can also be

extended further to include adding and subtracting the visual representations together to come up

with a sum for the two die. Figure A is the initial dice game and Figure B shows the extension

game. Both games can be done in whole group play or small group exploration. So much fun!

Figure A Figure B

Another way I have learned to represent the concept of Subitizing is by using the base

five and base ten charts. In class we learned the value of these charts not only for counting and

visual representation while counting, but also for principles like one to one correspondence and

place value. By giving students the confidence to represent a number on a base five or ten chart,

students can make the links to mental math as well as additional principles like cardinality. I am

truly amazed at how it all fits together. I really had no clue that when you learn one concept like

number sense fully, it makes learning other concepts easier. I am flabbergasted! Below I

included an image of a base five and base ten chart like the ones found in the Appendix of the

Van de Walle et al text. Figure A depicts the base five chart and Figure B represents the base ten

chart. While exploring the base ten chart, as a teacher I plan on incorporating fun mathematical

games like “Garbage” using the base ten chart and deck of playing cards. I learned this game on
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my first day of my Full Day Kindergarten Practicum and love it. I was able to teach it to my own

children who have embraced it quickly and gone on to teach it themselves to their school classes

ranging from grade one to grade five. By having confidence in the concept myself I was able to

share that confidence with others and now the game is bringing fun to so many. I have included

instructions for this game in an Appendix at the end of this Log.

Figure A Figure B

One of the great things I have discovered about Subitizing is that it is really easy to see

how each tool you use to help jog quick recognition can all be linked together. As a teacher I

want to challenge my students to extend their comfort zones and build in each of the tools I have

mentioned above to elicit learning opportunities. Creating games like the above Subitizing Bingo

using dots, fingers, and symbols will challenge students to draw on learned skills and build a

deeper understanding of numbers. Below is an example of a game I could use as well as visuals I

plan to create and use as anchor charts around my classroom. Figure A on the following page is a

representation of all of the visualizations put together and Figure B is an example of an anchor

chart.
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Figure A Figure B

Having gone back through the course text, our class discussions and activities, as well as

hands on exploration in my FDK placement, I am confident in saying my understanding of

Subitizing has greatly increased. My attitude towards mathematical thinking is expanding and I

feel I am adapting a more growth mindset towards all things math. I plan to continue to challenge

myself to explore beyond my own comfort zone and as a result, I hope to shift from my attitude

from before classes started to an attitude that math and I can become very good friends. I know I

have the potential to make a difference in the lives of my students but I need to make that

difference in myself first. In the article “Strategies for Advancing Children’s Mathematical

Thinking” by Judith Fraivillig, she explores the Advancing Children’s Thinking (ACT)

framework. I think this framework is imperative to the success of all mathematical learning,

including my own. I want to be able to 1) elicit student’s solution methods, 2) support student’s

conceptual understanding, and 3) extend student’s mathematical thinking (pg. 455-456) and it

begins with doing this for myself. I have embraced Subitizing, moving from a concept I was

afraid I would never be able to understand let alone teach, to a concept I now know how to have

fun with. Math really is an amazing thing and by allowing myself to embrace it, I will be able to

pass this along to each of the students I teach.

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Appendix

Garbage

 For this game you will need 2-3 players and 1 full deck of playing cards. If playing with

4 players, 2 decks of cards will be needed.

 Each player will be dealt 10 cards and the remaining cards are piled in the middle face

down

 Each player sets up their 10 card in a base ten design with their cards face down

 The youngest player begins and turns over a card off the middle pile. If it is a face card

they say “garbage” and put it beside the deck as a discard pile. If the player turns over a

Ace (visually represented as one) through to ten, they place that card in it’s

corresponding place on the base ten chart removing the card that is face down. They then

look at the card that was face down in that position and repeat the matching and placing

until they either reveal a face card or a card they already have on the base ten chart which

are now “garbage”

 The next player now has the option of taking the discarded number card off the garbage

pile should their base ten need that number or they may draw a new card off the deck and

try to fill in their base chart

 The game continues until a player has filled their full base ten chart and reads the

numbers back to the group

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References

Clements, Douglas H., (1999). “Subitizing: What is it? Why teach it?”. Teaching Children

Mathematics. March. Pg. 400-405.

Fraivillig, Judith. (2001). “Strategies for Advancing Children’s Mathematical Thinking.”

Teaching Children Mathematics. Volume 7, Issue 8. Pg. 454-459.

Ministry of Ontario. (2005). “The Ontario Curriculum Grades 1-8 Mathematics Revised”.

Ontario. Queen’s Printer for Ontario. Retrieved from www.edu.gov.on.ca.

Van de Walle, John A., Karp, Karen S., Bay-Williams, Jennifer M., and McGarvey, Lynn M.

(2018). Elementary and Middle School Mathematics Teaching Developmentally Fifth

Canadian Edition. Toronto, Pearson Canada Inc. Print.