Number bond
Encyclopedia
In mathematics education
at primary school level, a number bond (sometimes alternatively called an addition fact) is a simple addition
sum which has become so familiar that a child can recognise it and complete it almost instantly, with recall as automatic as that of an entry from a multiplication table
in multiplication
.
For example,
A child who "knows" this number bond should be able to immediately fill in any one of these three numbers if it was missing, given the other two, without having to "work it out".
Having acquired some familiar number bonds, children should also soon learn how to use them to develop strategies to complete more complicated sums, for example by navigating from a new sum to an adjacent number bond they know, i.e. 5 + 2 and 4 + 3 are both number bonds that make 7; or by strategies like "making ten", for example recognising that 7 + 6 = 7 + (3 + 3) = (7 + 3) + 3 = 13.
by the early 1970s.
In the U.K. the phrase came into widespread classroom use from the late 1990s when the National Numeracy Strategy
brought in an emphasis on in-classroom discussion of strategies for developing mental arithmetic in its "numeracy hour".
Mathematics education
In contemporary education, mathematics education is the practice of teaching and learning mathematics, along with the associated scholarly research....
at primary school level, a number bond (sometimes alternatively called an addition fact) is a simple addition
Addition
Addition is a mathematical operation that represents combining collections of objects together into a larger collection. It is signified by the plus sign . For example, in the picture on the right, there are 3 + 2 apples—meaning three apples and two other apples—which is the same as five apples....
sum which has become so familiar that a child can recognise it and complete it almost instantly, with recall as automatic as that of an entry from a multiplication table
Multiplication table
In mathematics, a multiplication table is a mathematical table used to define a multiplication operation for an algebraic system....
in multiplication
Multiplication
Multiplication is the mathematical operation of scaling one number by another. It is one of the four basic operations in elementary arithmetic ....
.
For example,
A child who "knows" this number bond should be able to immediately fill in any one of these three numbers if it was missing, given the other two, without having to "work it out".
Having acquired some familiar number bonds, children should also soon learn how to use them to develop strategies to complete more complicated sums, for example by navigating from a new sum to an adjacent number bond they know, i.e. 5 + 2 and 4 + 3 are both number bonds that make 7; or by strategies like "making ten", for example recognising that 7 + 6 = 7 + (3 + 3) = (7 + 3) + 3 = 13.
History
The term "number bond" is sometimes derided as a piece of unnecessary new mathematical jargon, adding an element of pointless abstraction or incomprehensibility for those not familiar with it (such as children's parents) to a subject even as simple as primary school addition. In fact the term has been used at least since the 1960s, and had formally entered the primary curriculum in SingaporeSingapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
by the early 1970s.
In the U.K. the phrase came into widespread classroom use from the late 1990s when the National Numeracy Strategy
National Numeracy Strategy
The National Numeracy Strategy arose out of the National Numeracy Project in 1996, led by a Numeracy Task Force in England. The strategy included an outline of expected teaching in mathematics for all pupils from Reception to Year 6....
brought in an emphasis on in-classroom discussion of strategies for developing mental arithmetic in its "numeracy hour".
External links
- Number bonds: beginning addition
- Number Bond machine - online number bond practice applet, Ambleside C.E. Primary School
- Let's play math: Number bonds