Lower Primary School Parent Handbook - DragonNet - Hong Kong ...

Algebra
Algebra is a way of thinking. It is a language used to express mathematical
relationships. Children need to understand how quantities are related to one another
and how algebra can be used to express and analyze those relationships. They need
to focus on understanding the relationship between the equation and the graph and
on what the graph represents in a real-life situation. Algebraic thinking should begin
in Reception One with concepts such as finding patterns and guessing missing
numbers and continue through adulthood.
Children observe and describe many kinds of patterns in the world around them.
They draw upon these experiences to explore properties of algebraic relations.
The exploration of functional relationships leads to
understandings of cause and effect relationships
essential to solving many real-world problems.
Children can model problems and find solutions
based on observed patterns and relationships,
expressing the process symbolically and verbally.
As children develop confidence in representing and
solving problems, they should extend these skills to
more abstract and symbolic representations.
At the Grade Two level, children describe and extend
patterning schemes. They use physical objects and
appropriate symbols to show the meaning of equality
and inequality. They use manipulatives to solve the
"unknown" in equations.
At the Grade One level, children create, describe, and
extend patterns. They manipulate objects to solve
problem situations where one addend is unknown.
They show the inverse relationship between addition
and subtraction using language experiences and
manipulative.
At the Reception Two level, children classify and sort
physical objects according to attributes such as color,
shape, size or weight. They recognize, describe,
and duplicate patterns based on various attributes.
Additionally, they extend or create patterns.
At the Reception One level, children classify and sort
physical objects on the basis of one characteristic.
They use concrete objects to create a simple pattern.
Children use balance scales or manipulatives to show
the relationship of both sides of the equation.
Lower Primary Parent Handbook 65