Composing Numbers

Children learn another way of doing arithmetic by learning part-part-whole relationships ("seeing" 6 as 3 and 3, 5 and 1, or 0 and 6), which is a higher level of subitizing—conceptual subitizing.

Practice-based Research: Hands-on and computer activities that encourage children to make different arrangements of the same number of objects help children develop stronger understanding and mental images. 

You may see this:

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Levels

  1. Actor on Parts: Foundations
  2. Parts Combiner
  3. Inexact Part-Whole Recognizer
  4. Composer to 4, then 5
  5. Composer to 7
  6. Composer to 10
  7. Composer to 20+; Composer Using Tens and Ones
  8. Deriver +/- (Composing Numbers)
  9. Problem Solver +/- (Composing Numbers)
  10. Multidigit +/- (Composing Numbers)

Inclusive Teaching Approaches

We are working with our partners at the STEM Innovation for Inclusion in Early Education (STEMI2E2) Center to improve engagement opportunities for young children with disabilities (O-5). As we move forward, we will update this area with specific tips for engaging with a lens of equity for diverse needs. 

Accessibility for Diverse Learners

  • This video shows our work to increase accessibility with the addition of Closed Captions in English and Spanish. (Click the bottom right of the video.)

Accessibility for Children

Learn how to incorporate Composing Number across the whole day in Routines, and find accommodations for diverse learners of all levels of Composing Number in Teaching Strategies.

We have created a set of activities to engage in composing numbers through play. The following set of activities were designed with a focus on inclusive teaching practices

STEMIE All Together!

STEMIE Numbers in Nature

Special Thanks To

Institute of Education Sciences
The research reported here was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through grant numbers R305K050157, R305A120813, R305A110188, and R305A150243. to the University of Denver. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Institute or the U.S. Department of Education.
Bill & Melinda Gates foundation
Heising Simons foundation