Say what? The vocabulary of math operations I feel is sometimes overlooked in trying to get to “do the math.” But really, if a child doesn’t understand what those words mean, they can do the procedural steps of an operation or equation, but is there true understanding of what is happening?

This is especially true when it comes to word problems. When asked for the quotient of a number divided by another, or to find the product of two numbers, or factors, if a child doesn’t understand the vocabulary associated with each operation, they’re often left to guessing.

I found having these math operations vocabulary charts hanging in the room to be valuable and in fact, often refer to these during lessons. I find the visual nature of having the vocabulary with the operation signs to be helpful in providing a “picture” of what goes where. (Admittedly, though, having baskets in front of them is not ideal! 🙂

Click on the photo to enlarge.