Page 15 - Six_Bricks_Activity_Mats_Teacher_Guide

Following on from counting sets and setting out sets between 1 and 10, children need to be
able to combine and add 2 sets and then 3 sets of objects.

The Six Bricks Software, together with the children’s Counting Sets activity mats and bricks
are an ideal resource to support set building, counting skills and addition.

Example
Let’s take an example: 3 add 2 or 3+2

Ask the children to place 3 bricks in the first box and 2 bricks into the second box. How
many bricks are there altogether? Put a yellow brick on the answer i.e. yellow brick on
5. (3+2=5). Talk about it. Draw a picture of 3 bricks and 2 bricks which makes 5 bricks
altogether. Record the answer as 3+2=5.

Repeat this procedure for many more combinations of two sets, focusing on and
developing mathematical language as the sets are made and combined.

Teaching point

You might ask them to put 3 orange bricks in the first box on their activity mat, and 4 green
in the second box i.e. keeping each set a separate colour. Then, combine together as single
group and recount to find the total or stick all together and count to find the total amount of
bricks.

Extension ideas
• Introduce other objects such as counters or bears, create sets and mark the total using
bricks e.g. ask them to place 2 counters in the first box and 4 counters into the second
box. How many counters altogether? Put a red brick on the answer i.e. red brick on 6.
Draw and record (2+4=6).
• Ask them to place a green brick in the box after the equals sign and a green brick

on number 6. Now, can they set out 2 lots of objects so that when added together
(combined) they will total 6. Talk about, discuss, check and confirm what sets the
various groups have made.
• Introduce and explore working with the set of ‘0’
• Extension 4: First model setting out, drawing and recording answers on the whiteboard,
then ask the children to build and combine sets to 10 and practice recording answers
e.g. physically set out 3 yellow bricks and 2 blue bricks on the mat. Now draw the 3
yellow and 2 blue bricks in a copy. Beneath the picture, have them record 3 + 2 = 5 (this
is the Six Bricks concrete/pictorial/abstract approach to learning in mathematics)

There is a mathematics toolkit called toolkit4maths available at www.toolkit4maths.com

which is superb for building children’s counting, adding and subtracting skills.

Combining the tools in the toolkit4maths, together with the Six Bricks software, activity
mats and bricks, you will certainly have a powerful set of both physical and virtual
manipulatives to build young children’s understanding of number and related skills.

SixBrickseducation.com 15

16-06-2021 21:37:40
Six Bricks Activity Mats Teacher Guide.indd 15
Six Bricks Activity Mats Teacher Guide.indd 15 16-06-2021 21:37:40