More reflections on introducing the equal sign in Kindergarten...

Our learning goal when introducing the equal sign was to dispel the myth of it simply representing an answer to an equation.  We purposely introduced it in conjunction with shapes as variables to make it “friendly” in terms of associating it with something the children already felt comfortable with and to help build the foundation of algebraic reasoning.  What surprised us was how the equal sign and fractions were intrinsically linked.  Representing half NEEDS an equal sign for the students to see how two halves can make a whole.  This concept seem to come naturally to many of our students when we asked them to show us “equal”.  Niko took a cracker and cut it in half and used his grapes to make an equal sign between the two halves.  This reasoning tells us that students are not only capable of deep algebraic reasoning in kindergarten, but much of this mathematical problem solving is naturally occurring around us and we are not paying attention, or naming the learning.  When we name the learning, we can then move the thinking forward and take bigger chances and broader our mathematical problem solving in areas we never thought possible in early learners.