SUBITISING

Got ten minutes to go before that last bell and lost for what to do to keep students busy? Well, this pack of 140 Subitising cards can be a perfect time filler.

Subitising is the ability to look at a number of items in a small set and identify the amount without counting each one individually. Educator, Douglas H. Clement in his article, “Subitising : What is it? Why teach it?”, states that students who develop the ability to subitise show improvement in overall maths skills, especially addition and subtraction skills.

So get your students to not only use perceptual subitising whereby they quickly identify the number of items in a set by perceiving that four dots are more than three dots for example, but are also able to use conceptual subitising that involves the ability to combine small set of numbers or number combinations, for example, six dots and two more make eight in all.

HOW TO USE
Show each card briefly for less than 3 seconds. Students should look at the arrangement of dots and patterns to identify the number. The idea is not to count each dot individually, but look at the items as a whole and determine the number. Explicit training is required so eventually students can combine numbers to find out the sum of two sets of numbers.

Students can also play with each other in small groups. One student shows a card and the fastest to answer keeps the card. You may also have students play ‘Around the World’. Student who answers gets to move around the circle till he/she returns to their spot.

* Instructions for a fun game is included in file.
CARDS INCLUDED
SUBITISING NUMBERS 1-5
SUBITISING NUMBERS 6-10
SUBITISING NUMBERS 11-15
SUBITISING TEN FRAMES 1-5
SUBITISING TEN FRAMES 6-0
SUBITISING TEN FRAMES 11-15
SUBITISING TEN FRAMES 16-20

** Cards are marked with different colour backgrounds and dots for each section. You may mark each section behind each subitising card to differentiate if you like.

CATERING TO DIFFERENTIATION
The cards in this pack range in complexity in terms of number and arrangement of dots in a set. Cards that use perceptual subitising feature less number of dots that are more spread out in a line or rectangle, while cards that require students to use conceptual understanding feature dots that are more tightly arranged in a linear arrangement or placed in a circle. For older students, cards can be shown for a fraction of a second. Research shows that with practice, students will develop the ability to subitise and eventually demonstrate increased arithmetic skill.